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 The star baller, born and raised on the playgrounds of Coney Island, has finally returned to the Mecca of basketball. On January 5th newly hired Knicks president Isiah Thomas acquired superstar Stephon Marbury, veteran point guard Penny Hardaway, and big man center Cezary Trybanski in a huge eight-player trade with the Phoenix Suns. Will the potential savior rise to the occasion or will he will he fall flat like the rest of the Knicks organization?
The Knicks exchanged guards Charlie Ward and Howard Eisley, forwards Antonio McDyess and Maciej Lampe, draft rights to Milos Vujanic, and two first-round draft picks. The trio from Phoenix was expected to heat up the Knicks season starting with their first game with the Cleveland Cavaliers featuring the teenage prodigy LeBron James. This high profile game was a primetime thriller and had both sides battling for the win. It was also the new Knicks' first chance to prove that they are the real deal.
 Starbury has played to his full potential this season, averaging 20.8 points per game while Eisley and Ward (the previous guards for the Knicks) averages 15.4 combined! Marbury brings an explosive speed and agility, smart play making abilities, and pure talent to the Knicks. Some of the Knicks' problems are free throw shooting filling the point guard position. In the first half of the season the Knicks got to the free throw line less than any other team in the NBA. Because of his Flash-like moves to the basket, Marbury makes plays and draws fouls on a regular basis. As a 79.5% free throw shooter, Marbury will increase the Knicks points. Compared to Eisley's 1.1 attempts per game and Ward measly 0.6 Marbury stands out as the big solution to some of the teams many issues on the court.
"This deal gives the Knicks a bonified point guard and certainly gives them a better chance this season. The pressure is on," says Allan Kreda of Bloomberg News . In a more recent game S tephon Marbury's 3-pointer with 40 seconds left gave the Knicks a four-point lead but more importantly it permanently put the momentum on the Knick's side in a 92-88 win over the Pistons on Tuesday. Marbury finished with 28 points, nine assists, and five steals. This spectacular performance almost answers the questions about the Knick's fate.
Knick's head coach, Lenny Wilkins, commented on the game. "Our bench really stepped up and just played tremendous basketball. Great players step up and take over. I don't care who the team is. If you look at every team they have a guy like that. Stephon is our guy. Without Allan right now, he is going to step up and make the big plays." It seems as if the all-star line-up of a legendary coach in Lenny Wilkens, president Isiah Thomas, veteran player Penny Hardaway, and star guard Stephon Marbury has proved to be a success. The chemistry between Marbury and the rest of the Knicks squad is not an issue. At the recent game against the Pistons on Tuesday, Marbury complemented on his teammates' playing abilities by saying, "When opportunity knocks guys are doing it. Guys want that opportunity to step up and make big shots. Penny Hardaway stepped up tonight again and Othella Harrington stepped up big for us."
The second half of the NBA season looks promising for the new and improved Knicks team. But don't jump the gun on that statement yet. Let's see what happens around playoff time.
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