It took Isiah Thomas two weeks to do what former GM Scott Layden couldn’t do in more than two years: Land star point guard Stephon Marbury.
On his two-week anniversary as Knick boss and the day after Jason Kidd annihilated the Knicks, Thomas obtained the elite, athletic point guard the Knicks haven’t had since Walt Frazier graced the Garden.
The big question now is, who’s the bigger magician in New York? Thomas or Marbury. The Coney Island kid started coming into his own last season with the Suns, with Thomas calling him among the league’s “top 10 players.”
Not one starter was lost in the trade that also netted 6-7 Penny Hardaway, a former All-Star and now a serviceable backup who can play three positions, and 7-2 Polish project Cezary Trybanski.
Heading to Phoenix is $3 million, the longest-tenured Knick in Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, 2003 draft pick Maciej Lampe, 2002 draft pick Milos Vujanic, their first-round pick this summer and a future first-rounder.
Marbury, 26, joins his fourth team of his seven-year career.
“Hopefully this will be the last stop where he can win a championship and hang a banner,” Thomas said. “He said it was like a dream come true. He’s always dreamed about playing in Madison Square Garden wearing a Knick uniform. I don’t think he could’ve been happier.”
For those who feel Thomas should’ve been looking to get under the cap in four years instead of taking on Marbury’s and Hardaway’s whopping contracts, Thomas said, “If we were to get under the cap, you’d want to go after one of the top-10 players in the league like Marbury. And even if you did, the other team can still offer more.”
Thomas acted swiftly after watching Knick point guards get lit up across the past two weeks. “You can argue he’s one of the top-10 players in the game,” Thomas said of Marbury. “What happened to us the last couple of nights, with the point-guard position, watching Jason Kidd, seeing Jamal Crawford, and looking at Sam Cassell, made me realize how important that position is to us and how much we needed to acquire a guy like that.”
Ever since the Nets moved Marbury to Phoenix in the summer of 2001, Layden was hot after Marbury. But he never made a strong offer and the Suns management pushed Hardaway’s pact on Layden instead.
Ward is 32 and on the downside, and Eisley has been a disaster. The 7-foot Lampe, 18, is two seasons away from making a rotation and Thomas was concerned about his “work ethic.” Vujanic, the point-guard stud from Europe, is playing in Italy and leaning toward staying there next season.
Marbury made the Western All-Star team and his numbers this season are solid (20.8 points, 8.3 assists). Marbury and Hardaway flew from Milwaukee to New York yesterday for a physical and then to Cleveland to join the club. They should play tonight against the Cavs, but it’s contingent on whether the four former Knicks pass their physicals by tonight. Most of them are flying to Phoenix today.
The Knicks starting lineup could be Marbury at point, Allan Houston at shooting guard, Keith Van Horn at small forward, Kurt Thomas at power forward and Dikembe Mutombo at center. Not bad, though Isiah Thomas said more changes could be on the way as he feels the team must get “more athletic” to “win a championship.”
KNICKS GET:
Player Years Teams Pts. Asst. Reb.
Stephon Marbury 8 Minn.-Nets-Pho. 20.5 8.2 3.1
Anfernee Hardaway 11 Orl.-Pho. 16.4 5.5 4.7
And Cezary Trybanski
SUNS GET:
Player Years with Knicks Pts. Asst. Reb.
Charlie Ward 10 6.5 4.2 2 7
Antonio McDyess 1 8.4 1.1 6.6
Howard Eisley 3 6.7 4.2 1.8
And Maciej Lampe, rights to Milos Vujanic cash, and two first-round picks
MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS?
Here’s a look at the salaries involved in yesterday’s Suns-Knicks trade and the deal affects the Knicks’ payroll:
Knicks Get:
Player 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Penny Hardaway $13,500,000 $14,625,000 $15,750,000
Stephon Marbury $13,500,000 $14,625,000 $16,453,125 $18,281,250 $20,109,375 $21,937,500
Knicks Give Up:
Howard Eisley $5,843,750 $6,375,000 $6,906,250 $7,437,500
Antonio McDyess $13,500,000
Charlie Ward $6,080,000
2003-04
DIFFERENCE: -$7,048,250
2004-05
DIFFERENCE: +$22,875,000
2005-06
DIFFERENCE: +$25,296,875
2006-07
DIFFERENCE: +$10,843,750
2007-08
DIFFERENCE: +$20,109,375
2008-09
DIFFERENCE: +$21,937,500
