A Stephon Marbury Return Will Come Down to Cost

(Photo courtesy of DGA Productions)

By: Greg Payne

His best days must be behind him. "Starbury" has left the building, right? We're never going to see another All-Star season from the formerly disgruntled Timberwolves/Nets/Suns/Knicks/Celtics guard Stephon Marbury, for the remaining duration of his NBA career. At least, not if last season's stint with the Boston Celtics was any indication.

Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

So perhaps Marbury didn't fail. Maybe his method just didn't work. Maybe trying to jump back into the NBA mid-season after going a full year without it was not the proper course of action. Perhaps he would have been better off continuing his grudge match with the Knicks, spending the summer training with other NBA folk and making a dominant return to the court at the start of next season.

Well, it's too late to burn back time, so where should Marbury go from here? Should he simply go after the largest contract offer extended, thus turning the rest of his career into a series of business deals? Should he re-sign with his most recent former team, the Boston Celtics? Well, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, Marbury's telling his buddies that he believes the Celtics want him back.

And there could be much more to that supposed rumor than just Marbury spewing words around. Back on June 15, C's coach Doc Rivers discussed the possibility of Marbury returning to his team with the Globe: "Absolutely. I thought he will be great and better next [season] through training camp. He'll look and see what he can get at this point of his career and see what he can do."

"Great" could be a stretch for a man who averaged just 3.8 points and 3.3 assists for the Celtics during the regular season and 3.7 points and 1.8 assists during the postseason.

But Rivers might have a point, in the sense that a full summer of working out alongside his Celtic mates, followed by a full fledged training camp in Newport could very well spin this whole experiment in Marbury's favor. Both parties in this scenario have an advantage: The Celtics would not be requesting Marbury's services for the starting role, with the responsibility of driving the entire offense. For that, they can thank Rajon Rondo. And Marbury won't have the pressure of being the starting point guard on a team poised to reclaim the NBA championship next season. For that, he can thank Rajon Rondo.

If Marbury can essentially give the Celtics a line closer resembling the 8-5-3-1.5 brand, then this situation should be considered a success. But the C's cannot deal with next season what they endured from Marbury during the months of March, April and May - hoping he would finally break through his now passive shell and become the torrid scorer and slasher that originally helped him find his place amongst the big boys. If there is such a thing as a sure thing in sports, the Celtics need it with Marbury. Especially because the Celtics expressing interest in a backup point guard essentially proves that Gabe Pruitt (if he's not traded) will be set for another season on the bench.

So now comes the aspect of this deal that ruins everything about sports: money. How much will the Celtics offer? How much will Marbury demand? Is Marbury even in a position to demand anything, or is he like a beggar on the streets, happy to take whatever he can get? Because his play last season, as mentioned before, is not worthy of any healthy portion of the Celtics' mid-level exception. At all. And certainly Marbury is not this mystery free agent that Rivers, Danny Ainge and Wyc Grousbeck all have in mind. Right? (gulp) Keep your fingers crossed on that one.

As buyers in this market, it's only natural for the Celtics to at least entertain the idea of an outside presence at the point guard spot coming in to back up Rondo. Allow me to throw some names at you: Juan Dixon, Brevin Knight, Jacque Vaughn, Bobby Jackson, Andre Miller, Tyronn Lue, Ramon Sessions, Chris Quinn, Jarrett Jack, Anthony Carter, Jason Kidd, Lindsey Hunter, Raymond Felton, Sean Singletary and Mike Bibby. That's essentially your 2009 point guard free agent class. Not a bad list, either.

But before we pick our dream player, let us remind ourselves that there are no Chris Pauls or Derron Williams's on that list. And it's highly unlikely we'll see the likes of Kidd, Felton or Bibby joining the ranks. No, the back up point guard will not have to work miracles for this team and that has to be brought into consideration here. Their requirements would consist of: Breaking pressure and bringing the ball past half court, initiating the offense, driving and kicking to open men, driving and scoring when lanes are available to them and playing with a past-first mentality.

The Celtics need not spend an absurd portion of their MLE on a backup point guard when they still need to find suitable support for Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins, all while most likely attempting to re-sign restricted free agents Glen Davis and Leon Powe. So if the price for Marbury is indeed favorable and CHEAP, he could essentially fill this gaping void for the Celtics, supplying everything they would need at that position.

And hey, if the Celtics throw some legitimate pine help into battle alongside Marbury, the deal could very well turn from acceptable to successful.

Stay Tuned.