The MSG Network in New York broadcast a summer league game between the Knicks and the Suns. And on the broadcast, Stephon Marbury put on a headset and sat in with Clyde Frasier and Gus Johnson. What followed was a special treat for the viewers. I’ll just cut and paste from Bob Raissman’s Sunday New York Daily News article.

Marbury must have thrilled Knicks fans when he proclaimed: “I don’t have anything to prove to anyone. The only person I’m competing against is myself.” I’m sure all NBA players also breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that.

Marbury, in an introspective mood, went on to alert viewers that he “became a man” during his public feud with Brown. “I was pro-active,” Marbury said. “Somebody told me I went from Gandhi to Malcolm X.”

This vivid imagery reflected the self-absorbed path Marbury was driving on. Perhaps sensing that, and not wanting the interview to degenerate any further, Frazier challenged Marbury. Clyde made an excellent point that needed to be made. He reminded Marbury that Brown had put the same kind of verbal heat on Chauncey Billups and Allen Iverson.

“(Brown) always tested guys,” Frazier told Marbury. “That’s what he was looking for. He wanted to see what you were able to come up with to be a man, to handle it.”

Marbury developed a sudden case of amnesia.

“No, I’m not giving (Brown) that much credit,” Marbury said. “I’m sorry, Clyde.”

Instead of letting Marbury off the hook, Frazier dug in.

“Then where did (the motivation to become a man) come from?” Frazier, his voice raising, asked. “If (Brown) didn’t do it….”

Marbury cut off Frazier. “No, I’m not giving (Brown) that much credit,” Marbury said. “And I’m not even supposed to be talking about it. He doesn’t get that much credit.”

Sensing this confrontation could escalate, Johnson sounded relieved to go to commercial. Still, what viewers had witnessed was Marbury contradicting himself. Before Frazier even mentioned Brown, Marbury admitted the feud had helped make him a “man.” But when Frazier said Brown had used tough love as a motivating force before, Marbury didn’t want to hear it.

I remember the grand old days when a player had to be good before the could be that arrogant. I really don’t have anything new to add on Marbury; I’ve said it all before. He’s still in denial about being a bad point guard, he still doesn’t get anything, and he’s still the absolute last player I would select if I was putting together a team of NBA players.

But it did give me a new appreciation for Clyde Frasier, who, according to Bob Raissman, could possibly lose his job over something like this. Odd that a commentator could lose his job for criticizing Stephon Marbury, when that should be a prerequisite for anyone who ever wants to call an NBA game.