NEW YORK -- There's the flip side to the Jason Kidd trade -- and it's not very pretty.

Say hello to Stephon Marbury.

As Kidd was leading the New Jersey Nets last season to their first-ever NBA Finals while finishing second in the league MVP voting, Marbury failed to get the Phoenix Suns into the playoffs and embarrassed the franchise with off-court troubles that eventually landed him in jail.

	Stephon Marbury has yet to make Suns fans forget Jason Kidd.

Talk about a fairytale season for Kidd and the Nets -- and a horror show for Marbury and the Suns.

"Right now, it's been one-sided," Marbury admitted about the July, 2001 deal between the Suns and Nets. "People view the trade as the best trade in history. But the trade is not based on one year. The trade is based on down the line. Jason Kidd is a free agent coming up. If he re-signs in New Jersey for another seven years, that's great. If they keep going to the Finals again and again and again, it's great."

Not for Phoenix, it won't be.

But all the Suns can do is hope that Marbury matures and holds up his end of the deal. That means leading their revamped team into the playoffs. Last season, with Marbury averaging 20 points and eight assists per game, the Suns won only 36 games and missed the postseason for the first time in 14 seasons.

If you think Marbury had a tough season, you didn't hear about his offseason. This past summer he had surgery on both ankles, then wound up serving 10 days in jail as a result of an arrest last February for driving under the influence. As a result of his arrest, Marbury will have to serve a one-game suspension and miss the Suns' season-opener against Seattle.

"I'm a human being, and me being a human being, I'm allowed to make mistakes," Marbury said last week during a two-game preseason Eastern swing through New Jersey and New York. "As long as I learn from my mistakes and don't repeat the same things that I've done, I think people can accept that. If I was a person who repeatedly did things over and over, that would be something different."

OK, so he gets a mulligan for his off-court trouble. But he certainly needs to step up his play for a team that's pinning its hopes on some proven veterans coming off injuries (Penny Hardaway and Tom Gugliotta) and the development of some key unproven young players (Joe Johnson and rookie Amare Stoudemire).

But it all starts with Marbury.

"We're looking for a breakout season from him," Suns president Bryan Colangelo said. "Breaking out, first, means being healthy."

Oops. Just last week, Marbury had a setback. Even after his surgery, his left ankle didn't feel right. An examination last week revealed that he still has a small fracture. He has decided to play on it and wait until summer to undergo surgery.

"That could be problematic," Colangelo admitted. "We're just hoping, with treatment, it will be OK."

	“	There's something about guys in their mid-20s. Sometimes, the switch comes on and everything turns in the right direction for them. We hope that's the case here with Steph. ”
		— Bryan Colangelo

But more than the physical questions, there are also the usual maturity concerns. Basically, as talented as Marbury is, he needs to grow up on the court. He might be still only 25, but he's entering year No. 7 as an NBA player. It's time for Marbury to be a leader.

The Suns were encouraged by how Marbury dedicated his offseason entirely to basketball -- other than his time in jail, of course -- and how he got into the best shape of his life. They also view his marriage to his long-time girlfriend as another sign that he's now all business. In training camp, he has been a leader for Frank Johnson.

"By breaking out, we also mean taking this team to another level -- and that means being a leader and displaying a different aspect of maturity that allows him to assume that role," Colangelo said. "It's about elevating this team and answering some of the critics who don't think he can lead a team."

The critics certainly have a lot of fodder against Marbury's leadership skills. Ever since he and his one-time agent, David Falk, forced the Timberwolves to deal him to the Nets, his career has gone backward. Since that deal, in March of 1999, Marbury's teams have gone 0-for-4 in playoff bids.

Seeing what Kidd has done in Jersey, the Suns need Marbury to break that lottery streak this season. Out West, where the Suns will compete with a handful of teams for the final four playoff berths, it won't be easy.

But they're expecting great things from the man they got in return for Jason Kidd.

"There's something about guys in their mid-20s," Colangelo said. "Sometimes, the switch comes on and everything turns in the right direction for them. We hope that's the case here with Steph."

Otherwise, the flip side to the Kidd trade will only look worse.

Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com.