Granted that all depends on whether or not he wants to be a backup, but overall I wouldnt mind that at all. God knows he’d be worlds apart from Banks off the bench. So if it does happen and he want to come back then why not?

But in defense of Marbury, he’s a pretty good post(not mine) from the ESPN board that sums up my Marbury feelings:

”...Of course Marbury is going to be upset if he’s being benched in favor of Mardy Collins (not that he handled the bencing the right way), but if he’s playing behind a two-time MVP, he’d have no choice but to accept his role. I have to imagine that Shaq would keep Marbury in line, too, and Terry Porter played with Marbury for a couple years in Minnesota. Here were some of those games against the Suns:

http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19961213&tm=MIN

http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19970216&tm=MIN

http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1996&b=19970408&tm=PHO

http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/boxscore.htm?yr=1997&b=19971118&tm=PHO

And Marbury would understand that the best way to boost his stock would be to play an important reserve role in helping a club compete for a championship, kind of like Tim Thomas in Phoenix in 2006. In the past, we’ve seen former players with reputations for being acidic “straighten up” as hired guns off the bench for a contender late in their careers. Think of Bob McAdoo with the Lakers in the eighties, for instance, and Marbury as an instant-offense, Vinnie Johnson-type off the bench could be intriguing. I know that the Suns feature Barbosa for that role, but Marbury could provide a different variation of it with better pull-up shooting, playmakng, and the ability to break down a set defense. Could you imagine bringing Marbury, Barbosa, and either Hill or Diaw off the bench, and Marbury’s presence giving the Suns the luxury of really being cautious with Nash should he be experiencing any physical difficulties?

The problem with Marbury (in part) is that he’s almost always been “the man,” yet instead of being a consistent leader, he’s been frequently narcissistic with a tendency to alienate teammates. But as a backup in Phoenix, there would be no more illusions or delusions about his place on the team and in the NBA and his ego would have no choice but to diminish. The biggest potential drawback that I’d see is if Barbosa were to become passive in Marbury’s presence, but remember that Barbosa seemed to be one of the few players who really liked Marbury as a teammate. I also think that Barbosa is most dangerous when slashing on the wing or along the baseline, with someone else controlling the center of the floor.

I’m probably just trying to look for an upside, a possibility with Marbury. How about Nick Van Exel, another talented point guard with a reputation for volatility? He went to Dallas late in his career, came off the bench behind Steve Nash, and flourished in the kind of reserve role that I outlined.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200305080DAL.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200305100SAC.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200305150SAC.html

Granted, Van Exel was a different person and he’d played on contending teams with the Lakers, and, yes, Marbury’s tattoo wasn’t exactly an encouraging sign for improved mental stability. But maybe part of Marbury’s problem was that he just wasn’t suited to being this team leader and franchise player that so many organizations hoped that he’d be. Perhaps his psychological capacity demands a narrower niche, in which he might thrive.

And, yes, I may just be stabbing in the dark here. It’s something to think about, though, and we’ve seen situations where a fallen star enjoys partial (or even full) resurrection in the right context with an altered sense of responsibility.

Of course, I may just be playing “mad scientist,” and I freely admit that. ;)

I’m not saying that Phoenix would be Marbury’s first option, just that if given the chance, he could potentially use it to his advantage. Point guards who can score and set-up teammates are generically attractive, but Marbury’s luster has been missing for years. It may be that no team would really want to take the chance on him as a starter, and that only a contender who could limit his minutes would feel comfortable enough with rolling the dice. And when an athlete sees his market dry up, sometimes he ends up being humbled.

Last season, Isiah Thomas (not exactly the Dr. Phil of the NBA) benched Marbury in favor of one Mardy Collins and then Marbury succumbed to injury. The Knicks have constituted a bad situation for years, and although Marbury was one of the foremost problems, he probably needed a change of scenery, or at least a change of coach, to reconfigure himself.

If Marbury causes any trouble in Phoenix or proves uncooperative, the Suns could simply release him. Furthermore, there are people on this team who could potentially keep the guy in check, players of stature such as Shaq, Nash, and Hill. In New York, or any of Marbury’s previous teams, who was going to do that? Marbury was “the man” on most of them, and his status and salary were usually the highest. In Phoenix, that would no longer be the case.

Obviously, anyone listening to his more conservative side would not want to take a potentially needless gamble on Marbury. But sometimes, in a certain environment, a certain gamble can pay off. Look at Detroit with Rasheed Wallace in 2004, or Chicago with Brian Williams (soon to be known as Bison Dele) in 1997.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199705100ATL.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199705280CHI.html

Those teams reckoned that in their winning environments, previously volatile or troubled individuals would comport themselves well enough to allow their talent to pay off during a championship quest. Heck, how about Randy Moss with the Patriots last season?

To me, there are enough such examples to at least pause and think on Marbury, if nothing more.”