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Incorrect. Oberto was 29 when he first played. And Sabonis was an older rookie.In 2005, he was the oldest rookie in NBA history, at 31.
What Once Was, and What Might Be
TrueHoop, Henry Abbott April 24, 2009 11:16 AM
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...-Might-Be.html
Two moments from last night's play that you just know had to be a little hard:
Ex-Starbury
He's all alone.
Standing there, on the left wing. Eager.
It's not his turn. (Will it ever be his turn again?)
For now, it's certainly not.
And so, for a moment last night, with about seven minutes left in the second quarter, there was Stephon Marbury, still looking weird in Celtic green, as alone as NBA players ever get.
I wonder if he was thinking the same thing I was: That's Stephon Marbury, one of the greatest scoring point guards ever to play the game -- the biggest name in Coney Island history, an All-Star, a guy who not only had his own shoe but briefly changed the entire shoe industry.
And there he was, abandoned by Derrick Rose as his team -- the best he has ever played on -- ignored his talents to send the ball to the post. To ... Kendrick Perkins (a player prized mainly for things like rebounding and setting picks). Who was double teamed. And missed.
Four years ago, who would have ever imagined a defender leaving Stephon Marbury to double Kendrick Perkins.
Four years ago, who would have ever imagined Stephon Marbury raising his hands just a little -- hey, I'm here! -- but otherwise jogging back on defense and appearing to be totally fine with that.
Marbury (and no, I don't think we can call him Starbury right now -- maybe later) is blatantly trying hard to do the thing they said he would never be able to do: To fit in. To follow the system. To play a role.
He is playing the zestiest defense of his career. He's frustrating opponents with his strength, and jujitsu movement, on both ends. But just about every time he uses all that conditioning and wile to create some space, or an opportunity to score, he ... passes. Sometimes even when it doesn't make sense. Even when shooters aren't in rhythm. Even when the recipient isn't in scoring position.
He's learning something new. It's hard to learn anything new when you're past 30, I find. I can't imagine how tough it is after a lifetime of being taught the world revolves around you. Without for one second forgiving anything Marbury has ever done, I am pulling for him to master a team-centric second act in the NBA.
Enter Fabricio
A few minutes later, a thousand miles south, the Mavericks were whooping it up on the Spurs, and Gregg Popovich did something I kind of liked: His starters had played a little more than four minutes of the third quarter, and had given up ten more points to the Mavericks. So he sat them all down, which achieved several things:
It protected the starters, who can use all the rest they can get.
It gave the Spurs' second unit a chance to build some confidence. If George Hill, Jacque Vaughn, Bruce Bowen or somebody can come into a period of great play, it could be series-changing.
It made the Mavericks just a little nervous that one of those super-physical Spur bench players might injure a key Maverick.
It weirded things up, on a night when being straightforward clearly was not working for San Antonio.
It cheapened, ever so slightly, the Mavericks' likely win.
So, enter the subs.
And then, a minute later, seemingly as an after-thought, enter Fabricio Oberto, from the deepest end of the bench.
This is an adjustment. In 2005, he was the oldest rookie in NBA history, at 31. In 2007, he was a starting big man on a team that destroyed the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. He has been a star on teams that have won the Argentine League, the Spanish League, the Copa del Rey, the ULEB cup and of course Olympic gold. Earlier this season an irregular heartbeat sidelined him for a time.
And in quick succession he has gone from champion starter throughout most of his career, to deep benchwarmer on a team that is trailing the the sixth place team in the West.
If he bumps into Stephon Marbury, I imagine the two would have a fair amount to talk about.
Incorrect. Oberto was 29 when he first played. And Sabonis was an older rookie.In 2005, he was the oldest rookie in NBA history, at 31.
I can't imagine Fab having much to say to the guy who broke his hand and kept him out of the gold medal game in 2004.
Good point. According to the bilingual posters, Oberto had a lot to say about Marbury's mother after that incident.
I'd almost forgot about that.
Right at the one minute mark. Don't have to lip read or speak Spanish to understand Fab's message.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHAYj...eature=related
I thought he was 30?! Hes 34 Now.
But Arvydas Sabonis is the oldest rookie at 31!
He was. Fab's DOB is 3/21/75. He was past his 30th birthday at the outset of the 05-06 season.
So he was 31 at the end of the season.
But when he first steped foot onto the court for an NBA game he was 29?
I thought it was March of '76 off the top of my head. So yeah, he was 30. But he wasn't 31 and wasn't older than Sabonis.
Yeah, that's pretty self explanatory. After the game, Oberto said that Marbury hurt him on purpose, IIRC.
He was 30 at the beginning of his rookie season and 31 at the end. For his 31st bday, Pop gave him a DNP-CD
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=260321024
Oops, sorry.
I meant to say he was 30!
Last edited by LakerHater; 04-25-2009 at 02:24 AM.
how did it happen ? can't remember. i feel bad for him seeing the video.
The oldest rookie in the NBA history is Antoine Rigaudeau.
31 years old for Rigaudeau as a rookie but:
and:The oldest rookie in NBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, was Ben Goldfaden, who, at age 33, played two games for the Washington Capitols in 1946. France's Antoine Rigaudeau played his first game for the Dallas Mavericks at age 31 in 2002-03, making him the oldest rookie since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77. Following is a list of old-ish debuts of more recent vintage30 – Horace Jenkins, Pistons, 2004-05
30 – Fabricio Oberto, Spurs, 2005-06
29 – Sarunas Jasikevicius, Pacers, 2005-06
28 – Jorge Garbajosa, Raptors, 2006-07
What about Louie Dampier, he was 33 when he started to play with the Spurs!
That game sucked.
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