Marbury Proves He Belongs T-Wolves’ Point Guard Continues To Prove He’s The Real Deal In Nba

He was in trouble, exposed, as he floated through the air wondering what to do next.

Stephon Marbury had just swiped an outlet pass and gone airborne for a dunk when he realized there was no way over Felton Spencer, Golden State’s 7-foot2 center. Instead, he turned his back on Spencer and flipped a blind overhead layup.

Swish.

There, in a blink, was the essence of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ point guard. He is bold, brash and exciting, young enough to get himself in a bad situation and good enough to get himself out of it.

In his second season, Marbury’s steep learning curve at the game’s most delicate position is a mirror image of - and the most significant reason for - Minnesota’s rise in the Western Conference.

“Some of the older players at his position have more experience. Some are bigger. But he’s right there,” Los Angeles Clippers coach Bill Fitch said after watching Marbury get 20 points and 12 assists in a Minnesota victory. “If you look at him for the next three, four or five years, he’s going to be in the top four at his position.”

Only 2-1/2 years removed from a Coney Island high school in New York City, he might already be.

Minnesota entered the weekend with a seven-game winning streak and a 23-16 record, both franchise records. Marbury was second on the team in scoring at 18.5 points (Tom Gugliotta leads at 19.9), and his 8.3 assists per game ranked seventh in the NBA.

Marbury also might be among three Wolves on the AllStar team.

Kevin Garnett, he of the $126 million contract, trailed only Karl Malone in the Western Conference voting at forward. Gugliotta, the Wolves’ most polished player, became the first All-Star in team history last year and may make a return trip.

Marbury trailed only Gary Payton and Kobe Bryant in the voting at guard, giving him a chance to go home for the league’s talent showcase at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Feb. 7.

“I think I’m playing well enough,” Marbury said. “I’m doing everything as far as winning. We never won seven games in a row. We’ve never been this far over .500. I’m doing everything that they asked from me. Passing. Playing defense. Scoring. I mean, if I’ve got to do something else … man.”

Statistics don’t give a full view of the real Marbury. To fully understand why he figures to negotiate a contract worth more than $100 million when the season is over, you have to watch him defer to Gugliotta and Garnett when that’s what the offense calls for.

And watch him blow by a defender off the dribble.

And watch him torment the opposing point guard.

And watch him demand the ball down the stretch, wanting the big shots but always ready to pass to an open teammate.

And watch him grow and learn every time he hits the floor, just like Garnett, Gugliotta and the rest of the Wolves.

“He’s 100 percent better in so many different areas than he was last year,” said Kevin McHale, the architect of Minnesota’s rise. “All the little things that come with experience he’s just doing better.”

Like the exuberant Garnett, Marbury has brought a refreshing enthusiasm to the Wolves. He is at once selfish and selfless, an engaging combination.

Does he feel he can dominate a game at any time?

“Yes,” he said, pausing several seconds to let his answer hang in the air. “What am I supposed to say, no? I’m going to tell the truth.”

What is he doing better during the last 14 games (the Wolves are 12-2) than he did during their 11-14 start, when the entire team was struggling to find its identity?

“Just winning,” he said. End of answer.

Unless the NBA is frozen by a lockout after this season, the Wolves will begin negotiating with Marbury on a long-term contract extension, the same process they went through with Garnett last off-season. Marbury has the same agent, Eric Fleisher, and seems to be playing his way into the same income bracket.

Marbury says he won’t settle for a cut-rate contract for the good of the team, but he also likes the direction the Wolves are headed and insists his top career goal is to play for a winner.