They’re allergic to success, and it’s contagious.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Written by: Jed

A championship title shouldn’t be the sole factor determining the quality of one’s playing career, but it sure is hard to overlook. Players, the likes of Bill Russell and Michael Jordan may be remembered for their greatness on the court, but it’s almost impossible to mention them without their respective eleven and six championship rings. At the same time we have the players who may have had hall of fame careers, without ever grasping the hardware, ala Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. Then we have the maybe, less-talented group, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The likes of the four-time champion, John Salley come to mind. But role players, as their name suggests have had integral roles in even the careers of the greatest players. Steve Kerr and Robert Horry anyone? But not all role players have proved valuable in their team’s playoff runs, in fact at the end of it all, some of them have proved detrimental. These are just some of the ring-less, less-talented players whose primary role seems to be, keeping their teams down.

Stephon Marbury

He’s far from an untalented player, his (self-coined?) nickname alone (“Starbury”) says that. Stephon Marbury began his pro career with a lot of promise. His tandem with Kevin Garnett in the late 90s made the Timberwolves one of the more exciting teams in the league. But even early on, his lacksidasical nature on the defensive end, along with a shoot first, ask questions later lifestyle proved problematic for his team – never really achieving any post-season success. He had stops in New Jersey, Phoenix, and a famed time in New York, until finally reuniting with Kevin Garnett in Boston, late this past season. As I’m typing this, the Garnett-less Celtics are about to embark on yet another game 7, this time against the Magic; and really, it’s a tossup. But advance or not, they’re far from repeating. Sure the heart of the team is sidelined, but even with a healthy Garnett; I just never saw Boston going back to back. More importantly I just don’t see a player like Stephon Marbury ever getting that elusive championship ring. Seeing his short stints of play in the first round against Chicago, he seems like a fish out of water. The fact that he’s missed the majority of the season probably has something to do with that lack of confidence; but I think it’s more the result of being out of his element. Marbury is a volume player, and he doesn’t get enough playing time behind a Rondo to really have a positive impact on games, nor appear to be an apt defensive presence. With Rondo having a number of close calls of injury early in these playoffs, the backup point guard position will be vital to a Celtics run to repeat. Unfortunately their hopes are on this man.

Mikki Moore

Staying with Boston. Mikki Moore. Let’s get the obvious out of the way. He wouldn’t be playing in Boston if it weren’t for the injury to Garnett. But reality is, he’s on the roster. Looking over his playing career he’s had a pretty lengthy ten year run. I honestly only remember him playing with Jason Kidd and Vince Carter in New Jersey – which was really when he made a name for himself (as big of a name as Mikki Moore can get). He was the perfect fit on that running, fast-break team. But then again, it’s hard not to play well with a Jason Kidd (though I guess I should ask Dallas what happened). Boston however, is a completely different team. Not only don’t they really run, but Rondo is no Kidd. Unless Mikki Moore can suddenly learn to hit a midrange jump shot, or develop an actual post game and presence, he’s just another six fouls. To put this in perspective, Scalibrine is the primary big man off the bench. I like and respect a good number of Caucasian shooting big men (Matt Bonner anyone?) – but something has to be wrong when you’re second fiddle to a Brian Scalibrine. With the Baby and foul-prone God of War in the post, the Celtics will have to find a proper role for Mikki Moore that isn’t sitting on the bench. Sadly that seems like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Jason Terry

Some may dispute this, but yes, Jason Terry. Unlike the Boston-duo, he plays a significant role on the Dallas Mavericks – which should make clear, why the team’s gone fishing. Terry’s one of those players who has managed to stick around (10 seasons now). And it’s not like he’s coasted either, with a career average of 16 points a game. Averaging just under 20 this past season, Terry earned Sixth Man honours. So what’s wrong with Jason Terry? First off, his contract. He’s making around ten million a season. Those numbers are in the vicinity of former Sixth Man, Manu Ginobili. I don’t think I need to point out the discrepancy between the two, but I will anyway. To keep it short, Ginobili is a big-game player; Jason Terry, not so much. Despite posting a near 20 point average in the past regular seasons, his offense seems to disappear when it counts. Terry struggled in the second round against the Denver Nuggets, averaging just 13 points and shooting under 40 percent. And let’s just say Mark Cuban isn’t paying him ten million a year to be a defensive stopper. Like most volume shooters, life is good when it’s going in – but more often than not, the misses come when it matters most. The fact that he’s had only ten games of playoff experience (that’s one for every year in the league) is telling of this.

Ricky Davis

All flash, no substance. Wait; let me take that back, maybe a little too much substance – being suspended earlier this season for violating the terms of the NBA’s drug program. He’s one of the many examples in the league of, wasted pure athleticism. I still remember him most for the facepalm moment, in his attempt at a triple double. Sure he’s had a decent 20/5/5 season, but those numbers haven’t really led to any team success – his Cleveland team had 17 wins that year. Out of ten seasons in the league, he’s had only one winning season with a respectable record of 45-37 with the Celtics in 2004. Looking at the numbers, this means that if you’re an NBA player sitting next to a Ricky Davis on the bench, there’s a ninety percent chance that you’re not seeing any playoff action.

Kwame Brown

Michael Jordan’s biggest mistake, even more than coming back to play in a Wizards uniform. Kwame Brown is one of the biggest first-pick flops in recent memory. The high schooler wasn’t ready. And after seven seasons in the league, I’m not sure that four years of college would have made that much of a difference. He’s just never looked right on the court. Even with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown’s never developed into even a respectable starting center. If only he was as passionate on the court as he was about cakes. I think the fact that KwameBrownSucks.com is a registered domain says it all.

With the Boston contingent still technically in the championship run, I could be proved wrong; but I like my chances.

Imagine a starting roster with these five. Furthermore imagine what that bench would look like. I hope Isaiah Thomas isn’t reading this.