After coming to the Knicks via trade in 2003-2004, Marbury immediately made an impact. He played 46 games that season and scored more than 30 points seven times, including 42 against the LA Clippers. Despite the team's 39-43 record, he led the Knicks to the playoffs as a No. 7 seed. The then New Jersey Nets wiped out the Knicks in four games.
But hey, no problem. The team would have Marbury, their star, for a full season, and that would surely make a difference. He was still in that fan/media honeymoon phase.
That would soon end. In the 2004-2005 season --- his first full one in the Garden --- stories began appearing about Marbury's moodiness, abrasiveness, and reputation for being selfish.
His problems with teammates continued. Kurt Thomas didn't hide his dislike for Marbury. They argued on the bench during a game and then had a fistfight in the locker room. The team went through two more coaches that season, firing Lenny Wilkins after he started the season 17-22 and handing the wreck of a team to poor Herb Williams (16-27). It's kind of surprising that the Knicks won 33 games that season, given all the mess.
In need of a new coach, the Knicks got Knicksy and hired Larry Brown because they needed yet another person on the bench who had a bad relationship with Marbury.
The two didn't get along when during their time on the disappointing 2004 Summer Olympic squad. Marbury criticized Brown's coaching style, and Brown reportedly wanted Marbury off the team.
Obviously, that made Brown the perfect candidate for the job -- he said sarcastically.
The friction carried into the 2005-06 regular season, with Brown publicly criticizing Marbury and the two not talking. Marbury's uneven performance and sullen mood quickly soured Knicks fans who started booing the star player.
And now the circumstances burst into full view. Here's an example of what was a friendly conversation between the two:
Brown: "So, you're the best guard in the league, and the team is 17-45, yeah, it's the coach's fault."
Marbury: "I think it's personal now."
So the Knicks went 23-59, and Brown lasted one season. And guess what? The Knicks held on to Marbury.
What happened next? Insanity (not Linsanity. That was the fun one). Thomas took over as coach, with owner James Dolan mandating he fix the team or else.
Or else won.
The next two seasons were soap opera at its best. Marbury and Thomas feuded (how surprising!). At the start of the 2007-08 season, in November, Marbury went AWOL after learning he would lose his starting job to a young player, Mardy Collins. Marbury had elective surgery on his ankle in January 2008 and continued his spats with Thomas, reportedly becoming angered at any perceived slight. The fans booed, the media hissed, and finally, mercifully, the Knicks bought out and waived Marbury on February 24, 2009.
So that was a long-winded preamble. What does it all mean?
Circumstance.
It's not fair to compare Randle's personality to Marbury's. Randle has not fought teammates (as far as we know), hasn't outwardly feuded with his veteran coach (as far as we know), and hasn't lost the respect of his teammates (as far as we know).
But look at the other circumstances.
-The Knicks brought in Marbury and his bloated contract because they needed (wanted) a star. Fans and the media cheered. The Knicks brought in Randle not thinking he'd be a star but on the face of one career year, signed him a massive contract. Fans and the media cheered.
-Marbury was a bad fit on a bad team, with too many shoot-first guards. Randle is a bad fit on a mediocre team because he clogs the lane with Mitch and RJ.
-The Garden crowd booed Marbury often, and it affected his play and attitude. We've all seen what's happened with Randle, his body language, and the dejected way he sometimes leaves the court.
Here's where the circumstances can diverge.
The Knicks waited too long to move on from Marbury and then couldn't find a trade because of his onerous contract, deteriorating play, and bad attitude.
The Knicks, apparently, could trade Randle if they take pennies on the dollar and/or attach an appealing asset.
If the Knicks start losing, the fans will turn their ire on the team's highest-paid and most polarizing player. As soon as Randle does his signature move --- back in two steps, fake left, fake right, fade away and clank off the front rim --- the boos will start, followed by the Obi chants. This will make Tom Thibodeau's job harder, as he's supposedly already told confidants that he can't get Randle to play unselfishly.
A player with questions about his attitude, the ability to play within the team, booing fans, bad body language, and a young player behind him? We have the mix of circumstances just as we did last decade.
We see what happened when the Knicks refused to move then.
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