The team is composed of "disappointments," not "busts," which means that the players on it must have shown actual promise in the NBA yet somehow failed to achieve meaningful success in their careers. The rules are simple, and the judging is arbitrary: To be eligible a player must have made at least one All-Star team in the 2000s, and success (or lack thereof) is determined mostly by team success in the playoffs. The team is compiled like any other, with two guards, two forwards, and a center. And for good measure I'll throw in a full slate of reserves who just missed the cut. Together, they proudly are the Tracy McGrady All Stars. Before you judge too harshly, just think how unstoppable this squad would have been in, say, NBA Live 2004.
Point Guard, Stephon Marbury: The most disappointing part of Stephon Marbury's career is how much of a joke everyone assumes it was. Prompted by his fallout with the New York Knicks, Marbury's decline has been so steep and so spectacular that people seem to forget that when he arrived in New York Marbury was one of the NBA's best guards. When he got to New York, Marbury was the only player in NBA history other than Oscar Robertson to have averaged over 20 points and 8 assists a game for his career—and this was over 8 seasons in. And currently at 19.3 and 7.6, if it weren't for his paltry numbers with the Celtics over the past two seasons, Marbury would still hold that distinction.
But Marbury's career will always be gauged by his time with the Knicks. In his first full season with the Knicks (2004–05), Marbury averaged 21.7 and 8.1, but the Knicks finished last in their division, and somehow Marbury caught much of the blame as too "selfish" of a player. From there Marbury's career went on a consistent decline. Over the next three seasons in New York, Marbury never averaged over 17 points a game, and his assist rate dropped each year. The team failed to reach the playoffs and became the laughing stock of the league. After feuding with Isiah Thomas and becoming embroiled in Thomas's messy sexual harrassment lawsuit, Marbury's time in New York was capped by a being banned from the team by new coach Mike Dantoni. Upon his exit from the Knicks, Marbury was relegated to a minimal supporting role with the Celtics, playing only 12 minutes a game and averaging less than 5 points and 2 assists. Marbury's playing time is up a little this year, but his production isn't, and at 32 years old, the two-time All NBA guard is but a shell of his former self. In the end, Marbury made the playoffs only four times with teams on which he played a significant role—and none of them escaped the first round. Somehow he will end his career with only two All-Star appearances and will be better remembered for buying a ticket to see his own team play and giving us the world's best basketball sneakers than for anything he ever did on the court.
Shooting Guard, Vince Carter: Carter came into the 2000s as the NBA's reigning Rookie of the Year, and heir-apparent to the high-flying UNC legacy of Air Jordan. But despite some of the greatest offensive talent of any player this decade, Carter has come up miserably short in terms of team success. He's played in eight All-Star games, twice been named to All-NBA teams, won the NBA Dunk Contest in spectacular fashion, won an Olympic gold medal, and delivered the best in-game dunk of the decade. But Carter has only been to the NBA playoffs 5 times in his 11 seasons, and he has never made it past the second round. For someone as individually accomplished—and as roundly celebrated—as Carter, that is embarrassing. Through it all, Carter has received somewhat the opposite of the Marbury treatment; whether because of his entertaining playing style or otherwise, Carter's lack of team success is largely glossed over in the media, and he will surely go down as one of the decade's greatest players. But behind all the highlights and personal trophies, Carter's still the guy who helped kill the Raptors by running off little cousin McGrady and who couldn't get it done with Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson in a weak Eastern Conference. At almost 33 years old, Carter has remained productive—he averaged over 20 points for each of his five seasons in New Jersey—but his time is running short. Maybe he'll pull a Ray Allen/Kevin Garnett by jumping ship to Orlando this season, and in the end he'll finally get what has eluded him for over a decade. Or maybe for all his talent, Carter is just a disappointment, and he'll never lead a team to the glory that he should. For my money, I'll bet on the latter.
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