We knew the NBA offseason was going to be weird when Hedo Turkoglu flew to Portland to sign with the Blazers, then changed his mind and flew to Toronto instead.

We knew things were a little off when the Milwaukee Bucks gave Richard Jefferson away, when the Timberwolves drafted two point guards, when the Knicks didn't sign or otherwise acquire three overpaid stiffs, and when Kobe Bryant decided not to terminate his contract and become a free agent.

Now, we know things are out of control when Quentin Richardson gets traded four times and that's not the most disturbing thing that happened this summer. Not even close.

My colleague, Gregg Doyel, already has opined on the bizarre unraveling of Stephon Marbury and proclaimed the NBA to be rife with steroid abuse. But now we have the Wizards' Brendan Haywood unnecessarily questioning Marbury's sexual orientation in an ill-advised radio interview. Maybe my mind has been numbed by Dwight Howard's repeated Twitter updates that begin with, "Yuuuuuaaaaaaa ...." but enough is enough.

I can't wait until the offseason ends and the onseason begins.

Brendan Haywood, what are you thinking? I've had my issues with Starbury over the years, but can't you just let the man eat Vaseline, smoke marijuana, and generally self-destruct live on his webcam without piling on? And besides, have you forgotten about the intern and the truck?

The only bit of worthwhile opinion in Haywood's interview came when he said this of Marbury: "I have no idea what’s going on with the guy. It’s almost like he’s trying to end his own career." That's pretty much guaranteed at this point. But Haywood didn't have to go there.

When Haywood overstepped by saying Marbury's bizarre behavior should be a warning to potential teammates changing in the same locker room, he was guilty of worse behavior than Marbury.

"There’s no way any other professional athletes would wanna get dressed around this guy," Haywood said, "because you gotta think something is a little, he’s swinging from both sides of the fence.”

UPDATE: Haywood offered the obligatory "I'm sorry if I offended anyone" apology in his blog Tuesday. Meanwhile, some of my Twitter followers pointed out that I missed two more annoying incidents from this offseason: the battle for Twitter followers between Chris Bosh and Charlie Villanueva (yawn), and my pal Ron Artest's ceaseless promotion of a new musical artist, Shin Shin, during a trip to China.

Oh, and did I mention that both Artest and Marbury have given out their phone numbers on Twitter? Go ahead, call them up.

All I can really say at this point is: 1) All of this proves NBA players don't use steroids during the offseason because they're way too busy acting like idiots, and 2) I've never been so eager for the preseason to begin.

BOSTON -- Stephon Marbury got his first start Sunday since joining the Celtics, replacing injured poinit guard Rajon Rondo against the Orlando Magic.

It's Marbury's first start since Jan. 11, 2008, when he had 13 points and eight assists for the Knicks in a home loss to Toronto. After that game, Marbury elected to have foot surgery and missed the rest of the season. The rest is history -- the benching in the season opener by Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, the banishment from the team over refusing to play, the lengthy contract dispute, and finally a buyout that freed him up to sign with the Celtics.

Welcome to the Gah-den. Happy to be here to bring you the Brooklyn vs. Queens point guard matchup between Marbury and Rafer Alston.

Brooklyn we go hahd, we go hahd ...

UPDATE: Marbury played about the way you'd expect after such a long gap between starts. He was 2-for-5 with four points and no assists. His timing and conditioning still have a long way to go, and a problem he had even when he was healthy and in good graces with the Knicks was evident again: Steph can still get to the basket whenever he wants to, but he can't finish the way he used to. Hey, it comes with age and not playing competitive basketball for almost 14 months.

Marbury was unable to play at the tempo the Celtics needed to keep the Magic off balance, which is why Doc Rivers went with Eddie House at the point for most of the third and all but the final 14 seconds of the fourth. With Marbury on the bench, Boston climbed back from a 22-point third-quarter deficit and got it down to single digits before falling to Orlando, 86-79.

I wished him luck after his postgame interview, and he thanked me and asked how I was. No hug. No hard feelings. No feelings at all, really. He plays ball and I write about it. One thing I'll say about him is that he almost always understands that. 

 

 

 

 

Knicks officials and Stephon Marbury will collide in an arbitration hearing Tuesday in Manhattan in an attempt to resolve the $400,000 in fines -- two game checks -- the team imposed when Marbury declined to play in games twice in late November.

There are far bigger problems in the world than whether Marbury gets paid for two more games, given that he's collecting a cool $20.8 million not to play at all this season. A (slightly) more pressing matter would seem to be whether Marbury and the Knicks can finally agree on a buyout so the disgruntled point guard can be waived by Sunday and thus be eligible for a playoff roster if he signed with a new team.

Despite a report in the New York Post that Marbury and Knicks president Donnie Walsh planned to meet face-to-face before the arbitration hearing in hopes of hammering out a buyout, this was news to Walsh when I spoke with him Monday. Walsh, of course, will attend the arbitration hearing, but said, "I don't have any meetings scheduled with anybody."

Oh.

If Marbury is interested in returning this season and joining a playoff team, the sensible thing for him to do would be to push for the $400,000 in fines to be included in any buyout amount he's willing to negotiate. Thus far, neither side has budged and the Knicks have no urgency whatsoever to meet Marbury's demands. He's not playing for them either way, and his salary comes off the books after the season, making no further impact on their future plans.

(Actually, there is one last bit of impact, but no arbitrator can do anything about it. The Knicks still owe the Utah Jazz -- via Phoenix -- a first-round pick in 2010 from the ill-fated Marbury trade. As noted in my column on the Knicks' 2010 plan, this might actually be a good thing. That's one less big-ticket item on the payroll.)

Frankly, I can't imagine a team desperate enough to sign Marbury even for the prorated $1.3 million veteran's minimum, given heightened concerns about finances and the luxury tax -- not to mention the fact that Marbury hasn't appeared in an NBA game in more than 13 months. Marbury has said he has a side deal with the Celtics to join them once he's a free agent, but Boston officials have steadfastly denied interest.

 

 

 

Stephon Marbury went on national TV Tuesday. (Evidently, he did, anyway. I didn't see it. I have better things to do than wait for Marbury's next media missive to be shot across the bow.)

Anyway, Marbury pulled a Charles Barkley. You may remember that Barkley became perhaps the only person in American history to claim he was misquoted in his own autobiography. (For those of you in Rio Linda, autobiography means he wrote it.)

Sooooo ... One day after Marbury told the New York Post that he had a verbal agreement to sign with the Celtics, he said the following on a competing entertainment and sports programming network: "If something was to happen, I would be able to pick either of those teams. So it's not, 'Do I have a verbal or did Boston give me a commitment.' That's people saying what they are basically speculating on what I said."

Okey-dokey.

Alan Hahn of Newsday has an entertaining blow-by-blow of the exchange, complete with editorial comments and a famous quote from former St. John's great Walter Berry. Enjoy.

 

G'mornin.

More Marbury news.

Two pieces of Marbury news, actually.

The New York Times reports that Zach Marbury, Stephon's younger brother, is close to signing a one-year deal with Los Guaros De Lara in the Liga Profesional de Baloncesto in Venezuela. Z-bury, who wasn't drafted after leaving the University of Rhode Island early in 2001 and has made no inroads toward playing in the NBA, says he's been working out with his more famous brother in Southern California and has regained his drive.

Meanwhile, back in the States, in the Liga Luna de Baloncesto, Stephon Marbury tells the New York Post that he has a verbal agreement to sign with the Boston Celtics. Danny Ainge, the Celtics' president, declined to comment on the report, calling it a "rumor." I'm checking with other sources and will get back to you after I finish yawning.

Does anybody care? Does anybody think the Marbury brothers could wind up in the same backcourt in Venezuela?

 

 

Jannero Pargo's agent said Friday he's in discussions with Greek power Olympiacos and three NBA teams, with a resolution expected within the next 24-48 hours.

Mark Bartelstein, Pargo's Chicago-based agent, declined to name the NBA teams pursuing Pargo, but it is known that the Knicks have been interested in attempting to pry him out of his one-year contract with Dynamo Moscow. Pargo's contract provides an opt-out clause under certain conditions, one of which is a desire on Pargo's part to return to the NBA.

Olympiacos is seeking a replacement for injured former NBA player Josh Childress, who returned to the states for surgery on a sports hernia. The high-profile Top 16 phase of the Euroleague season begins Jan. 29, and players must be on the roster by Tuesday to be eligible.

This is why some NBA front office officials and agents were confused by reports that Olympiacos was pursuing Stephon Marbury, who has been banished from the Knicks. There was not enough time for Marbury to agree to a contract buyout with New York -- talks about which have been hopelessly deadlocked for months -- and clear waivers by Tuesday.

Olympiacos' interest in Pargo makes much more sense. He faces no such collective bargaining restrictions and is actually playing competitive basketball at the moment. Other than a few preseason appearances with the Knicks, Marbury hasn't played competitively since January 2008.

It is difficult to say, but worth wondering, whether Olympiacos' interest in Marbury was another ruse. In December, Marbury was approached by two phonies posing as Swiss bankers who told Marbury they were recruiting him for a contract with Real Madrid. No word on whether they tried to sell the Coney Island native the Brooklyn Bridge while they were at it.   

 

 

A few weeks ago, Stephon Marbury predicted people would be shocked to learn the team he'd be joining once the Knicks cut him loose this season. For once, something other than B.S. may have passed through Marbury's lips.

With Josh Childress out following sports hernia surgery, Greek power Olympiacos is in the market for a marginal NBA player to boost its chances in the Top 16 phase of Euroleague play, which begins Jan. 29. Marbury could be that player.

Before he can sign with any team -- Greek or otherwise -- Marbury will need a big fat Greek buyout from the Knicks. There has been "no movement" on that front, a person directly involved in the discussions told CBSSports.com.

Marbury is reported to have put his offer of a $1 million giveback on his $20.8 million contract for this season back on the table. The Knicks are believed to be pushing to pay Marbury $3 million-$5 million less. Perhaps interest from across the ocean could be the impetus for Marbury to budge -- especially considering the kind of cash Olympiacos could be offering. Like Childress, who signed a three-year, $20 million deal, Marbury would be able to make more after taxes in Greece than the $1.2 million veteran's minimum he'd commmand as an NBA free agent.

The move actually would be good for Marbury. Rather than immerse himself in a playoff race after not playing a single regular season minute in 12 months, Marbury could get his mind and game back in relative anonymity. He's previously expressed a strong desire to play overseas once his NBA playing days were over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The presidential inauguration is a few days away. By now you know that Barack Obama is about to become the first African-American president. You may or may not know that he enjoyed financial and verbal support from athletes, including NBA players such as Baron Davis, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, and LeBron James, who ponied up $20,000, according to federal election committee records.

That's all well and good; it's positive for our athletes to be involved in politics and speak up on important issues. (Still waiting for Team USA to boycott the Beijing Olympics over the atrocities in Darfur, but these things take time.)

But now I've had enough. Now Reggie Miller has done it. He actually compared Obama to Magic Johnson and John Stockton in this interview with CNN.

It's great that the president will have a basketball court in the White House. But I seem to recall the outgoing president being fairly involved in Major League Baseball. And really, what did that have to do with anything?