Keeping tabs on the Stephon saga

Freedom’s just another word for Stephon Marbury to misuse, or it’s an even madder world than it used to be.

If the continuing, intertwined sagas of the New York Knicks and LeBron James suggest there’s something new and off-center in the world, welcome to the new millennium.

It shouldn’t be surprising if sports stars are dizzy. You would be too, if, as in the case of NBA stars, you got all that money that young and everyone bowed and scraped before you from the time you reached puberty.

There’s something else driving the process toward Tower of Babel incomprehension: the modern media.

Take the latest “developments” in which the inimitable Charles Barkley said on Dan Patrick’s talk show that if he were James, “I would shut the hell up,” whereupon James called Barkley “stupid.”

Meanwhile, Knicks President Donnie Walsh, hailed the week before for whittling down his roster to pursue James, saw his franchise hauled into the muck once more.

Meeting with Marbury, Walsh offered $18 million to buy out his $21.9-million contract. Marbury stomped out, then announced -- through the New York Post -- he was withdrawing his offer to take a mere $20.9 million.

“That’s what you get when you try to pay for your freedom,” Marbury said. “You can’t pay for your freedom. Freedom has to come free. I’m not giving nothing. That’s for real.”

Talk about inspiring . . . or not.

On the Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death” scale, this was more like, “Give me $21.9 million and not a penny less or we can keep on holding these dumb meetings.”

This “story” is a tabloid newspaper special, which the Post has inflated to the size of the Hindenburg in return for exclusives from Marbury.

The Post and the New York Daily News are the last remnants of a colorful time when cities had multiple papers that fought each other, edition by edition, for newsstand sales.

The New York tabs still go at it in that spirit, as when the News’ Mitch Lawrence sneered at the Post’s Marbury series as “Starbury infomercials.”

In fact, Marbury was already in exile last season under Isiah Thomas, playing only 24 games. Marbury has no backing among Knicks teammates, having feuded with them for years, notably Tim Thomas and Kurt Thomas, with Quentin Richardson just the latest to go off on him (“I don’t pay attention to him because I don’t look at him as a teammate, anyway.”)

The James story, on the other hand, is real. If it’s out of control, it’s because of the modern media -- which have become a great big tabloid.

With today’s emphasis on immediacy and perspective, every story gets breathless treatment in a crescendo with TV pundits, newspaper pundits, bloggers and radio talk show hosts adding more attitude at every stage.

In comparison, in 1996 when the Lakers signed Shaquille O’Neal, the coverage was low-key, verging on flat line. Orlando fans were so out of it, when the Magic went to $105 million in the bidding war, 90% of respondents in an Orlando Sentinel poll said O’Neal wasn’t worth it.

James has never said a word suggesting he would leave Cleveland, except in response to questions about leaving, which started in 2003 when he arrived.

The prototype for the modern star -- meaning he learned to handle hysteria at an early age -- James said, “As soon as I’m not going to talk about it anymore, that’s when the questions are really going to come. I’ll answer them and move on.”

Last week, the Knicks had to go to Cleveland, where they were massacred, 118-82, payback for the LeBronathon the Cavaliers had to endure in New York.

“It’s a distraction for the Knicks, it’s not a distraction for us,” a grinning James said. “We’re good.”

The next day, ESPN’s Hannah Storm narrated highlights showing James driving into the middle, drawing all five Knicks and passing off for a three-pointer.

This was Storm’s description:

“What is it that would induce LeBron to play for the Knicks? I don’t know. One, two, three, four, five, all drawn toward him and now to Mo Williams for the easy three.

“It’s just a mess in New York this season, the whole Stephon Marbury situation.”

In real life, the distraction wasn’t distracting anyone and a game on Dec. 3, 2008, wasn’t likely to affect James’ decision on July 1, 2010.

Meanwhile, even at 8-10, seven games after the Knicks traded leading scorers Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, it was still their best start in four seasons.

As for the Marbury “situation,” he may soon tire of martyrdom and accept a compromise between $20.9 million and $18 million . . . like $19.45 million.

For everyone else, there’s an easy way to handle this and all other modern sports controversies:

Don’t take anything anyone says seriously.

The games are real, but the world isn’t. Take Portland backup center Joel Przybilla, who complained about the $126 charge for his room service breakfast in New York.

That’s .002% of Przybilla’s $6.3-million salary. If he made $50,000, it would be like paying $1 and he’d be in a luxury hotel in Manhattan too!

As it was, to Joel, it was just another stop on another trip.

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mark.heisler@latimes.com