STEPHON MARBURY SEEMS UNFIT FOR KNICKS

BY FRANK ISOLA

Reports of Stephon Marbury's rigorous summer training sessions have
failed to impress at least one of his teammates.

"It's the same story every year," says one veteran Knick. "He's doing
this, he's doing that, he's running hills, he's lifting weights. And
then on the first day of training camp he can't even finish some of
the drills."

Marbury made his "This is my year" declaration months earlier than
usual, and there is little doubt that he wants to play out the final
season of his contract in New York. But there is a strong possibility
he will not get that opportunity. If club president Donnie Walsh
acquires a point guard, Marbury likely will be released, according to
a league source.

Marbury cleared one hurdle on Thursday when Walsh elected not to take
a point guard in the draft. Instead, Walsh picked Italian forward
Danilo Gallinari at No.6 and later said of the backcourt, "I think
there are other ways to solve the problem if we have to."

Any trade for a point guard likely would include forward David Lee for
a number of reasons: he is one of the few Knicks with trade value;
he's looking for a contract extension; and Walsh didn't draft
Gallinari to have him sit on the bench. The Bobcats' Raymond Felton
and the Trail Blazers' Steve Blake are possible options, although the
Knicks want to exercise fiscal responsibility with an eye on the 2010
free-agent market.

Their strategy is to avoid handing out long-term contracts, so the
best available free-agent point guard, Sacramento's Beno Udrih, is not
a realistic option because he is seeking a five-year deal. The Knicks
would be willing to go two years, which would put them in the market
for Jason Williams, Carlos Arroyo and Marbury's cousin, Sebastian
Telfair, who is a restricted free agent.

Former lottery pick Shaun Livingston will become a free agent next
week when the Clippers decline to tender him a qualifying offer. But
Livingston, who is still rehabilitating from a devastating knee
injury, is too much of a medical risk for a team that is hoping to add
a starting-caliber point guard.

If Walsh cannot acquire a point guard, Marbury could survive but only
as a last resort. Marbury's contract expires on July 1, 2009, so the
countdown on his Knicks' career has already started. Earlier this past
week, Marbury confirmed a Daily News report from last November that
Garden chairman James Dolan and then-Knicks president Isiah Thomas had
considered buying out his contract.

Although Thomas has been reassigned within the organization, Dolan is
still very much in charge and he has little use for Marbury. Dolan
went to Thomas early last season and told him to remove Marbury from
the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Dolan remains a strong advocate for
Thomas, the same person that Marbury has publicly criticized since
Walsh became team president.

The fact that Marbury almost seems to be gloating over still being
with the Knicks while Thomas is in effect gone has not endeared him to
the front office. After all, Thomas always supported Marbury and
refused to criticize him even after their relationship became
strained.