Stephon Marbury Doin' Work...In China

There are cautionary tales and there are cautionary tales. And then there's Stephon Marbury. When we last saw the troubled ex-Knick, he was eating vaseline and more or less suffering a mental breakdown broadcast live on UStream. It was tough to watch.

Next, came the announcement that he would be "sitting out" the 2009-10 NBA season. Right -- and Conan O'Brien decided he just didn't want to do the Tonight Show anymore. While the publicity-hungry owner of Utah's NBDL franchise flirted with bringing in Starbury, it seemed that the onetime savior of the Knicks was out of options.

Until, that is, the Chinese came calling. Marbury will reportedly join the Shanxi club of the Chinese Basketball Association, who are currently in 15th place in a 17-team league. Shanxi is apparently no stranger when it comes to unbalanced former NBA stars: Bonzi Wells played for them last year, before, of course, getting kicked off the team for returning late from a holiday.

Shanxi explained the move, saying they signed Marbury to "pay back their fans and try to win more games." I'd hate to see what they'd do if they didn't care so much about their fans.

(H/T The Baseline)