Another One In The Books...
Well, another year has come and gone. Some good things happened, some bad things happened, but mostly, everything just moves inexorably forward. From an NBA perspective, 2002 will probably be remembered for these things:
Yao Ming arrived
LeBron James Mania arrived
The Lakers became a bona fide dynasty
The Lakers collapsed
NBA stars got embarrassed in the World Championships
Five years from now, I wonder if that list will look the same...
The Feud That Won't Die...
Some relationships endure, even if they are based on bad karma, selfishness, immaturity and jealousy. Add to that mix a bunch of reporters sticking tape recorders in your face and baiting you to say something bad about the other person, and you have a recipe for a full-blown Hatfield-McCoy. This is the present state of the relationship between Stephon Marbury and Kevin Garnett, and has been since Steph engineered a trade out of town back in the late '90s. Rehashing the seeds of this discord is old news around these parts, but long story short, it was widely believed that Steph wanted out because he couldn't play second banana to KG. Steph said as much in his own public comments, but was also adamant about getting out of Minnesota for climate and cultural reasons. KG was distraught over the fraying of the relationship and Steph's departure, and for that matter, I don't think Flip Saunders ever got over it, either.
While the initial meetings between Marbury and his old team (the Wolves, in this case) were emotion-charged affairs where Steph usually excelled, the personal rivalry has subsided somewhat in the last year or two. Until last night.
Marbury's Sun's are surging, and Marbury's reputation as a player and person has been rehabilitated somewhat. Winning will do that for you. While Marbury has been very good (along with Shawn Marion), the real secret weapon in the Suns lineup has been manchild Amare Stoudamire. If you haven't seen this guy play yet, clear some time on your calendar next time they are on TV. And they will be on TV, with the kind of team they have now. Stoudamire is a player unlike any I have seen since Shawn Kemp's impact days in the mid-'90s, and I think Stoudamire is a better rebounder and smarter post player than Kemp was. He's just a very athletic, aggressive player, who can FINISH. With Stoudamire, the Suns actually have an inside presence for the first time since...Barkley? He makes them a team. Last night, he busts the Wolves for 38 points and 14 boards, and manages to foul a couple guys out of the game. Of course, the Wolves did manage a win, 104-98. But the stage was set for what had become a quiet, simmering feud to become very public once again.
Marbury, when asked to compare Stoudamire to Garnett at the same age, responded: "It's not even close. He [Garnett] doesn't even compare to Amare. It's two different people. It's like Michael Jordan and Mario Elie. . . . Not to take anything away from Kevin. Kevin was a great talent coming out of high school. But this kid is like a kid you see every 15, 20 years."
Marbury also accused Garnett of being "scared to death" to defend the rookie. "I know Kevin wants to guard the best player, but tonight it seemed a little like he was fading away."
Well, let's look at those statements. Does Stoudamire compare to Garnett out of high school? Stoudamire is certainly having more of an impact than Garnett did as a rookie, though the contexts of their teams is a huge factor. Stoudamire has so much more talent around him than Garnett's first-year Wolves did, it's not even funny. But Stoudamire is his own man right now. Garnett was a project; Stoudamire isn't. But so what? I think Garnett's ceiling is higher, but again, so what? Was Kevin afraid to guard Stoudamire? Can't say, didn't see it. I guess what I'm saying is, I don't see a whole lot that's not true in what Steph said, and you always back up your teammate. Still, you also don't necessarily want to be calling people out by name, especially when you have a history with them. A reaction from Garnett was predictable, especially when prodded. I'm going to reprint the account from the Star Tribune this morning, and two things strike me about it. The first is the role the media plays in the whole process, what a feeding frenzy it is (and which I am now helping to perpetuate with my own little ladle of chum). The other is how personal it is with Garnett (and I presume with Marbury). People talk about athletes sometimes like they aren't supposed to be human, or have emotions, but it IS personal. These guys are the best in the world at what they do, in a job that requires them to compete and be physically and mentally tough every day. They have to BEAT the other guys at their craft. Think about how worked up you get about people you work with, or your friends. It matters to you. But consider if you had to actually compete with and beat those same people in a very public forum. Think it wouldn't get real personal? From the Strib:
Marbury's taped comments were played for Garnett in the Wolves locker room. The All-Star seemed embarrassed initially, with reporters crowding around. Then he grew visibly upset.
"Son is good. We didn't underestimate him," Garnett said of Stoudemire. "But this ain't even about the young fella. This is about Steph being jealous again. From Day 1.
"I was telling Rod [Strickland] the story -- how crazy it was, our paths split and I [dealt] with it, but in the back of his mind, I'm still on his mind. Of all the [stuff] he's got to worry about, I'm on his mind."
As Garnett continued, his voice sounded thick with emotion. "He's using the young fella to come at me," he said. ". . . This is Steph being jealous. This is Steph.
"You all know this. From New Jersey. From him leaving here, which was a great situation, and him never recouping from that. . . . What is this going to gain? He want some more air time on ESPN or something?
"I won tonight," Garnett said. "Since he left, I've been in the playoffs. [Stuff] speaks for itself. I guess he wants to be me.
". . . Anyone who's followed Steph's career, ever since he left Minnesota, he's been in envy of -- for whatever reason -- Kevin Garnett. It's kind of funny. Out of all the things -- three kids, big family, a wife, bills -- but I'm on his mind every day. It's kind of flattering. It's like a girl. I'm on his mind like a girl."
The Wolves next play Phoenix Feb. 23 at Target Center.
Lots going on in those quotes. Garnett clearly isn't over it, either, or at least is being portrayed that way. It wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't. He was hurt bad when Steph left, and he hasn't been afraid to say it. And don't you just love how the media runs that little "stay tuned" tease at the very end of the story, when the Suns return? They don't need to create the drama, if in fact they did create any of this at all. Sometimes they do, sometimes the drama is right there for them to see and report. I think there's plenty to go around on this one.
9:57:29 AM 
|
