Stephon Marbury

Marbury could be on the down side of what has been a very good NBA career. He just doesn’t have the bling to show for it. He’s a very capable scorer, but has been asked to change his style of play in New York since Isiah Thomas took over as coach. Marbury shoots less, scores less and his assist totals have dropped each year for the last three seasons. Under Thomas, the Knicks’ offense starts with Eddy Curry on the inside. The addition of Zach Randolph in the offseason only accentuates that inside-scoring philosophy. With Steve Francis shipped out of town and the Knicks looking to contend for the playoffs, we expect Marbury to be the full-time point guard, which could bring those assist numbers up some.

With the launch of his new low-cost sneaker line this summer, Marbury has enjoyed his best press since becoming a Knick. It’ll be interesting to see if the tabloid love-in continues once the season starts. We’re expecting a good fantasy season from “Starbury.” Larry Brown is a Hall-of-Fame coach, but New York’s talent is better suited to Isiah Thomas’ style of play; look for the Knicks to employ a tighter, more regular rotation, a more open offense, and to look to run more. Plus, if Isiah is going to save his job, he’ll need to make the players most associated with his regime – Marbury and Eddy Curry, in particular – look good. The new rules limiting contact on the perimeter are also a big benefit to Marbury; pound-for-pound, he’s one of the more powerful players in the league, and he can use that upper-body strength to draw contact when driving and get to the line.

In the middle of last winter, Marbury told the New York media that he considered himself to be the best point guard in the league. This quote was later replayed ad nauseam as the Knicks dropped into lottery-land. Thing is, Marbury’s statement is completely defensible. See, he was talking about fantasy value. Starbury averaged 21.7 points last season, good for 15th in the NBA. His 8.1 assists were good for fourth in the league. His 1.49 steals ranked 17th. His shooting percentages are very respectable, 46% from the floor, 35% from the arc and 83% from the line. He compares favorably with the best at his position in just about every category, falling short only in boards (3 rpg), and turnovers (2.8 tpg). As with Wade, Arenas and Steve Francis, Marbury will reportedly shift to the shooting guard position part-time this season; it remains to be seen how often, since the Knicks aren’t exactly loaded with other NBA-quality points.

Is Marbury the best point guard in the NBA? Not a chance. But he may the top choice for fantasy owners, particularly in leagues that don't penalize too heavily for turnovers. Marbury is primarily a scorer, averaging over 20 points a game in each of the past six seasons, but he racks up a surprising number of assists for someone who's known as a bit of a ballhog; he's averaging 8.3 apg for his career, and put up 8.9 apg last season. He'll help you defensively with about a steal and a half per game as well. More importantly, the Knicks will be better with the return of Allan Houston and the addition of Jamal Crawford, which not only gives Marbury more passing options, but also takes away the triple-teams he often fought through after Houston went out with an injury last season. Marbury is durable, having missed just two games in the past three seasons. He does turn the ball over (averaging 3.25 per game for his career), but his other numbers more than make up for the missteps.

Marbury, who shot a career high 44 percent from the floor in 2002, has slimmed down and will once again run the show in Phoenix. This season, 20+ points, eight assists and three rebounds are easy targets for him.