Before training camp started, Knicks President Donnie Walsh stated that Stephon Marbury would have an opportunity to earn playing time on the Knicks. Marbury came to camp in great shape and played very well in the pre-season. Yet when the season started, Stephon didn't get any burn. When questioned about this decision, Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni stated that he didn't want to play Marbury inconsistent minutes, and that he would rather not play Steph at all than give him spot playing time. Stephon eventually requested to be put on the inactive list, which caused even more media scrutiny over the issue.
As Brett Edwards mentioned earlier, Marbury, Walsh and D'Antoni all met today to resolve Stephon's status with the team. As a result of the meeting, the Knicks have decided that they won't trade or waive Marbury and will just keep him on the inactive list the entire year. Walsh and D'Antoni both believe that the issue is closed, but I think they are being slightly naive about this.
Marbury will still be allowed to participate in practice and congregate with teammates. That means he will be available for the media to ask him questions and prod him about not playing everyday. As long as he is on the roster and collecting a pay check while less talented point guards are playing ahead of him, fans and the media are going to keep this issue alive. If D'Antoni was upset by those "We Want Steph" chants during the first game, he better get ready for worse. Especially if Chris Duhon keeps stinking it up the way he has. I mean, this is New York City! New York fans and the New York media are not going to let this die. That's just not the way things work there.
The smart move would be to either give Marbury a chance to play or cut him. It's obvious that the Knicks have no desire to play him, so that first option seems out. However, I've seen James Dolan eat tons of contracts, so I just don't understand why they have all of a sudden decided that they don't want to do that with Marbury. If he's not going to be inactive the entire season, you're basically paying him to not play. But isn't that basically what would happen if you waived him? At least with the waiving option the Marbury dark cloud hanging over the team would basically come to an end. Of course, the is is New York, so the media would probably find something else to try and damage the team with, but I think you get my point. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.
Have the Knicks' Marbury Issues Really Been Resolved? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
