| The Rules Of Disengagement Authored by Matthew Gordon - November 17, 2008 - 2:47 pm
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He’s not worth it, mind you. He hasn’t played since January 11th, although he did record a respectable thirteen points, four rebounds and eight assists in that game. He hasn’t averaged his signature twenty points or eight assists per game since the 2004-05 season, his first full one in New York. He never seemed to recover after clashing with Brown, with the statistical resurgence expected after that season never coming.
It would seem fair for Marbury to forfeit a significant portion of what’s owed him this year, then. He hasn’t been playing, so he hasn’t earned his cash. There’s one problem with this line of thinking, though, and it’s a massive one. It’s this: there was no stipulation in Marbury’s contract allowing his team to remove him. This isn’t the NFL, in which teams can unceremoniously purge their rosters in exchange for pro-rated cap penalties. (Not even DeAngelo Hall is getting his full amount.) Whether it was a good decision or not, Marbury was guaranteed that money, in an agreement involving the Phoenix Suns organization, and that was a valid written contract.
In trading for Marbury, the Knicks knew what they were getting. The oodles of money that Phoenix had promised the then-young point guard, combined with injury-riddled Penny Hardaway’s horrific contract, were what spurred that trade. Isiah Thomas and James Dolan knew that they were taking on significant salary, and that their willingness to do so was the reason Phoenix agreed to the deal.
Marbury may have been extremely productive in the year and a half following the trade, even taking the Knicks to their first (if only and disastrous) playoff appearance since the Jeff van Gundy era. I’m sure that’s what the Knicks expected of him, and what we all expected of him. No one really saw the sharp decline in his performance until it had already arrived, in his prime of all times.
That doesn’t somehow exempt him from the provisions of a contract.
There have been instances in which a player has taken virtually none of his remaining money in a buyout. This much is indisputable. However, that tends to happen in very specified cases, in which there is a prior arrangement and the player never intended to play for the team anyway.
For example, when the Golden State Warriors traded Dale Davis and Speedy Claxton to the New Orleans Hornets for Baron Davis at the trade deadline in 2005, it was quite clear that Davis would not play for the team. He therefore took a small amount of his pro-rated $9 million for that year (the exact number was not released publicly) so he could return to the Indiana Pacers.
Glenn Robinson did the same after being acquired by the Hornets at roughly the same time in a cap-clearing deal; he voluntarily took a small portion of his pro-rated $12 million for that year so he could join the San Antonio Spurs, with whom he would then win the championship.
Those buyouts were beneficial for all sides involved: the Hornets were aiming for a high draft pick, so having Davis and Robinson on the roster could only hurt. Both players had no interest in playing for the Hornets, and had already made enough money over their illustrious careers that they were content to sacrifice millions to play for a winner.
How does this apply to Marbury’s situation? The short answer is that it doesn’t. Marbury had always wanted to play for the Knicks, as he stated when he was traded there. It’s not as though he’d played out the rest of his contract with the Suns and then was whisked away to a sputtering New York team this year. He’s been a fixture on that Knicks team for a while, and they knew exactly when his contract ended, as well as the dollar figure assigned to it. He’s not a ring-hunter who’s been used to make salaries add up while swapping unrelated players.
If anything, Marbury would surely play for the Knicks if they asked. They have a winning record, and appear to be having the most fun they’ve had in a while. Marbury’s skill set could also be of use in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. It’s the team that’s taken this measure to bench Marbury, at least this season. Marbury has done absolutely nothing to breach a contract that was intended to last until June 30, 2009. Until that date arrives – and believe me, the Knicks can’t wait for it to arrive – Marbury has every right to collect his paycheck. He’s holding up his end, and so the Knicks have to do the same.
Donnie Walsh has no culpability in the mess, but Walsh agreed to work for Dolan, and Dolan absolutely has to pay Marbury. Dolan was the one who hired Thomas, Dolan was the one who could have technically vetoed the Marbury trade but decided not to do so, and Dolan is the one paying Marbury. Again, everyone knew what was coming, and this is no surprise.
Sit back, then, Stephon, and watch the money come to you. Take that $21 million that you deserve, even if you’re not really earning it, and use it however you see fit. That’s what your contract provides. I’d enjoy watching you play, but the Knicks seem to think you need a break. A paid one, that is. |
