Stephon Marbury came back to his native New York, seeing his former team, the New York Knicks take on the Toronto Raptors in a Sunday matinee showdown.
Marbury was a Knick from 2004-09, but was waived after five losing seasons. Following a letdown quarter-season with the Boston Celtics, the Coney Island native took his talents to China, where he won three Chinese Basketball Association championships with the Beijing Ducks, now largely considered the greatest foreign player to ever play in the CBA.
The Georgia Tech product was observant of the Knicks play style upon his return, even paying praise to Phil Jackson‘s triangle system.
“I actually like the triangle because it opens things up if you know how to move without the ball and you know how to cut,” Marbury told Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com. “That’s basically the game you learn when you’re in high school and you’re younger. Pass. Cut. You learn that type of system. So it’s basically the fundamentals of basketball which makes it extremely difficult to guard when you’re cutting hard and you’re making the ball move. It all depends.”
Marbury admitted that while it is an efficient offensive system, it might not be the best for the team while star forward Carmelo Anthony is still the centerpiece of the team.
“But you’ve got guys like Melo. He requires the ball in a certain position, in a certain spot,” added Marbury. “They knew this before they gave him all of the money that they gave him. So it’s not like you didn’t know this. You’re just trying to mix the two components together – the triangle and his style, which, it may take — next year these guys will be a little more familiar with the system.”
While Marbury was seen as a wasted talent throughout his 13 years in the NBA, he resuscitated his career in China, as he now heads into his last season as a player with the Ducks — team that built a statue in his honor as well as a personal museum and even a musical: “I am Marbury.”
The 6-foot-2 floor general has plans of coaching in China after his playing career is over, saying he'd hope to one day coach in the NBA.
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