If you’re a fan of the NBA, you may be well aware of Stephon Marbury’s recent NBA off-season antics. For the entire day, Marbury has been filming himself and broadcasting it all online for those interested to see. He’s done some crazy things on this broadcast, and many have given him a “crazy” label.

However, I think people are taking it too far. I think Marbury is having himself some fun. When you hear “Stephon Marbury eats vaseline”, you think he is crazy. However, he is simply using it as an old healing remedy for a sore throat. People don’t really seem to care Charles Barkley gets a DUI, Kobe Bryant allegedly raped a women, etc….but they care when Stephon Marury eats vaseline to clear his ailing throat.

I can’t really say who’s right (his critics or his defenders). I don’t know anyone in the Marbury camp and there’s no way for me to know if his antics result from mental instability, boredom, or anything else. What I have observed is the impact this has had on his reputation and the fact that he may want to take a step back if he still takes his basketball career seriously.

Marbury, for a long time, was considered one of the NBA’s best. Maybe not elite, as in top 5 or 10, but a top-tier player nonetheless and a big name in the league.

On average, Marbury would get a team 20 ppg along with 8-10 apg. A solid shooter, scorer, speedy, nice crossover, nice defense, a nice package all around. The main problem he has run into is being too cocky, and not being the best team player.

Marbury has recently become more affiliated with his negative impact on the teams he plays for than he has with his talent. Rather than speaking of his great skills and stats, the media and fans prefer to focus on all of the games his teams have lost, assigning much of the responsibility to Marbury himself.

Basically Marbury started over as a Boston Celtic. He did not complain, and was a good teammate, who helped with good production. He was a main person for defensive assignments late in close games, and he had contributed in scoring and moving the ball. As a Celtic, he seemed to be at times too un-selfish, passing on easy shots. It is not easy for him, because he wanted to portray a new image, and revive his career.

Back to his video marathon, this is erasing all of the goodwill that Marbury built up during the past season. People are once again viewing him as a clown who cares more about himself than he does about basketball. This is somewhat accurate in the sense that anyone has a right to believe this is the case considering the silliness of it all.

Allen Iverson sets an example that Marbury should follow. An elder statesman so to speak, Iverson has matured, accepted his role as an aging veteran, and is doing his best to fit the role as effectively as he possible can. It’s all about basketball in Iverson’s world, as should be the case in Marbury’s too.