What's "revolutionary" about the new Starbury One — a reference to Marbury's on-court moniker —is that it doesn't cost as much as a plane ticket to Maui. The Starbury Ones are listed at $14.98.That's $14.98. Not $149.80.
-Dave Zirin, Sneakers for Social Justice

20+ years after Air Jordan's flipped the entire business of basketball footwear, Stephon Marbury's new shoe might just flip it again... finally! For only 15 bucks you can wear on your local park's pavement the same sneakers that the Knicks all-star point guard wears on the hardwood of Madison Square Garden. Sounds silly, but it's actually a pretty big deal. I'm always up for some "maximum shine for minimum expense"... where can I get some Stephs?

Looks like we've hit a snag. The Starbury line is available exclusively at some retail chain called Steve and Barry's. Without an online store (Intershop, S&B?), their East Point Mall location in Baltimore appears to be the quickest route to "sportable and affordable". I guess you could always find "it" on eBay, but I don't think seller's markup and shipping charges are part of the movement.

Nevertheless, the good karma Marbury's creating can't help but pay dividends for the Knicks. In fact, I'm going to call 05/06's laughing-stock an 06/07 playoff team. I like the idea of the mastermind moving himself to the bench to coach this team nearly as much as I like him ripping talking heads. There's just too much talent on this team and if they can figure out a way to play any sort of defense, they could really make a push. I'm not sure the D will come, but I think they still can eke out a 7 or 8 seed in the East, finishing as high as 2nd in the Atlantic.

Atlantic Division Forecast

1. New Jersey Nets
2. New York Knicks
3. Boston Celtics
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Toronto Raptors

Labels: NBA, rank and file