Honorable Mention: Stephon Marbury
Love him or hate him, Stephon Marbury deserves to be on this list. Not only was he the star of the New York Knicks for the better part of five seasons, but he may have unknowingly served as a—dare I say it—voice of reason
Marbury was the villain in the moment, but many of his complaints about Larry Brown, Mike D’Antoni and Isiah Thomas have been echoed by Knicks fans in the years since.
As a player, Marbury was one of the best at his position during his first two seasons with the team. Both as a scorer and a facilitator, he made life difficult for opponents with his relentless attack and vastly underrated facilitating.
When the media wasn’t tearing him to shreds, and his own organization wasn’t plotting his demise, Marbury was a star.
Unfortunately, the narrative of Marbury’s tenure has tainted his Knicks legacy. For all of the promise that his arrival possessed, New York only made one postseason appearance.
Now a legend in China, one can’t help but wonder what could’ve been if everyone had gotten along during the Knicks’ worst period of disfunction.
Next: The Winner