This story (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3108416) is getting too good not to have its own thread:


Stephon Marbury (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3099) left the New York Knicks (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nyk) on Tuesday, fueling speculation that his future with the team is in doubt.
And it appears that Marbury fired a warning shot at his coach before he left.

The New York Daily News reproted the trouble reportedly started during the team's flight to Phoenix, when Marbury learned from teammate Eddy Curry (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3514) that Thomas planned to use him as a backup and start second-year guard Mardy Collins (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4157). A person close to the situation told the Daily News that Starbury reportedly marched to the front of the plane to confront Thomas over the situation, then returned five minutes later and claimed he had leverage on Thomas.

"Isiah has to start me," Marbury reportedly said, according to the Daily News. "I've got so much [stuff] on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can [get] me. But I'll [get] him first. You have no idea what I know."


It's gotta be tougher than ever being a Knicks fan these days, but for the rest of us...

:popcorn:

Marbury needs to catch the first flight out to the west coast, rejoin the team, and shut his trap.

This is the kind of gossip NY media loves. Oh my God a spat.
And the player has ammo.

Oh my God a spat.
And the player has ammo.

Alledgedly. :sssh:

Marbury is going to claim that he was harassed by Isiah with those butt pats.

"Isiah has to start me," Marbury reportedly said, according to the Daily News. "I've got so much [stuff] on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can [get] me. But I'll [get] him first. You have no idea what I know."

The secret is that Isiah really did freeze out MJ in the 1985 All-Star game. :sssh:

All this drama over there should wake up Dolan and he'll react.....or maybe not.

This whole thing with the Knicks belongs in the National Enquirer and on TMZ not in the professional sports media.

The writers covering it should go to work for the National Enquirer or TMZ.

:hoops:

Zeke stays surrounded by controversy. It's sad.

Starbury is back.

ESPN - Adande: Marbury returns, but little seems changed - NBA (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=MarburyLA-071115&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos2)

Wow. It doesn't matter how many games we lose this year. At least we aren't the Knicks organization.

I'm glad I'm a Pistons fan!

So he really did have some dirt on Isiah.

A wisely played blackmail card. I'm assuming that he will be reimbursed for the $200K fine behind the scenes.

Apparently the rest of the Knicks didn't take too kindly (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aj_CUTDhxT_7Sq9BvQ_6WMw5nYcB?slug=jy-marbury111507&prov=yhoo&type=lgns) to Starbury going AWOL on them:

When Isiah Thomas dispatched Jamal Crawford (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3407/;_ylt=As3mUSQeQ7yktnaFvx103bqezIx4) to find out how the players would react if and when Marbury rejoined the team, all of them voted against allowing him to play. Thomas, according to one person who spoke with Crawford, had pledged to hold out Marbury if even a single Knick didn’t want him on the court.

So how did Thomas react to the team’s unanimous vote?

He sat Marbury until late in the first quarter then played him nearly 34 of the game’s remaining 39 minutes.

Seriously. What info does he have? This is embarrassing for Zeke.

Is this the real reason Marbury left?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/nyregion/15mrlou.html

Wolves: Telfair, Marbury share a loss (http://www.startribune.com/wolves/story/1554621.html)

Is this the real reason Marbury left?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/nyregion/15mrlou.html

Wolves: Telfair, Marbury share a loss (http://www.startribune.com/wolves/story/1554621.html)

Maybe the Marbury-Thomas argument was about Marbury leaving. The person that died was not a relative of Marbury's and Thomas needs every win he can get so he may not have wanted Marbury to leave. That would also explain why he was fined, for leaving against management's wishes.

:hoops:

Maybe the Marbury-Thomas argument was about Marbury leaving. The person that died was not a relative of Marbury's and Thomas needs every win he can get so he may not have wanted Marbury to leave. That would also explain why he was fined, for leaving against management's wishes.

:hoops:

Agreed. Marbury probably insisted on leaving, contrary to Isiah's wishes. And now Thomas is covering for Marbury by keeping quiet.

Also, it should be noted that the Knicks have not officially filed the paperwork necessary to fine Marbury, with the players union. So the fine could just be a rumor.

If he left b/c of a death, then why didn't the other players welcome him back?

How do we really know how the other Knicks feel? I haven't read one real quote from any Knicks, other than Jarred Jeffries and Mardy Collins. And both Jeffries and Collins supported Marbury:


"You always support your teammates," forward Jared Jeffries said. "A lot of people on the outside don't understand what guys go through with their family, their friends, with this team, with anything. Whenever somebody goes through a tough time you support your teammate."
Mardy Collins got the start in Marbury's place, but said he would love to have him back.

"Yeah, definitely. He's been nothing but good to me ever since I've been here. There's not a bad thing I can say about Steph," Collins said.

"Whatever happens, happens. I'm just here and whenever my number is called I go out there and compete."


http://stats.nypost.com/nba/story.asp?i=20071114043424630000301


I'm beginning to think that the national press is pulling a "McCosky" and making all this stuff up.

I thought they voted.

That would be a pretty bold thing to make up if it weren't true.

From today's NY Post:

"A league source said the Knicks still were discussing whether to go through officially with the fine and file the paperwork with the Players' Association. If they don't fine him, then Marbury's claim to The Post that he was given permission by Thomas to go home carries more weight. If that's the case, it begs the question on why Thomas would give Marbury permission to leave at the start of a huge four-game West Coast trip."


So in other words, all of the national media's reports that the Knicks have fined Marbury are false. In reality, no fine has yet been made.

You know irregardless of what anyone thinks or says, I really like Isiah Thomas. Fact of the matter is, the Knicks sucked long before Thomas arrived and will continue to suck long after he's gone.

Honestly, I wish he would just resign so he can leave them and their "Fire Isiah" chants to their horrible team. They had a crap roster before he got there with the highest payroll in the league and Isiah did what he could to turn that aging lack of talent into youth with talent, all the while being stuck with the highest salary in the league. True he's made one or two bad decisions as GM, not even the infallible Joe D. can say that he hasn't.

People have already made up their minds to hate this guy no matter what, so I'll be just as satisfied to watch the Knicks continue to be a laughing stock even after the escape goat is gone.

You know irregardless of what anyone thinks or says, I really like Isiah Thomas. Fact of the matter is, the Knicks sucked long before Thomas arrived and will continue to suck long after he's gone.
. . .
People have already made up their minds to hate this guy no matter what, so I'll be just as satisfied to watch the Knicks continue to be a laughing stock even after the escape goat is gone.

Yeah, so true. Live is hard out there in NYC.

Low your loyalty knows no bounds.

Low your loyalty knows no bounds.

I'm not quite sure I deserved that...:confused:

Lets say Dumars quit tomorrow. Would you want Isiah running the Pistons?

Lets say Dumars quit tomorrow. Would you want Isiah running the Pistons?
Yes but no, because Stern & Co. will vow to run the Pistons out of the league. I perceive the running drama is that the league is building up the atmosphere to get Isiah out via mainstream media.

Yes but no, because Stern & Co. will vow to run the Pistons out of the league. I perceive the running drama is that the league is building up the atmosphere to get Isiah out via mainstream media.

new york is a total mess, but look back at the whole thing. Isiah inherited an over the cap old player losing team. He has gotten alot of youngre talent on the team and on paper they should be a playoff team. He has always been a great judgement of talent look at his draft picks from his days in toronto till now. I actually wouldn't be upset if we had Isaih return to coach the team if it wasn't for his off the court drama.

I don't think any team can succeed very much with bad ownership, no matter who the coach or GM is. A lot of this off-court stuff with Isiah has been self-inflicted, and it would be tough for any team to deal with, but the main problem for the Knicks is that their owner has no idea how to run an NBA franchise.

I wish he would just resign so he can leave them and their "Fire Isiah" chants to their horrible team.

Agree with this. He should start anew somewhere else. Get the hell outta the Big Apple. Actually, I'd love to see the guy go back to Sweet Home Chicago and coach college or HS. I'm quite serious.

Read this on a hoops website which I found quite funny. I love the last line with the name in brackets. :pound:

The Milwaukee Bucks owner, Senator Herb Kohl, recently confirmed a report in NY Daily News that he had rejected a trade offer from the Knicks for Zach Randolph and Fred Jones. Isiah Thomas flatly denies that such a trade offer was made.
"He's not accurate," Thomas said. "I don't know what he and his GM discussed, but I know there wasn't discussion from our end in terms of trading Zach to Milwaukee." We're not sure what either party gains by lying, but someone (Thomas) isn't telling the truth.

Low, I agree he had to restructure that team but that young talent isn't producing. Or Zeke can't coach. I think he can motivate but that isn't enough. Their record the last THREE years is ~.300 !!!
-
And after the court mess I don't think he is college material. I heard a qoute from Zeke, of course it was out of context, but he said, "This team needs to learn how to win".

I dunno whether it ends this soap opera or not but quite many( me included) are convinced that Knicks will be new home to lebron after his contract expires in cleveland.

I dunno whether it ends this soap opera or not but quite many( me included) are convinced that Knicks will be new home to lebron after his contract expires in cleveland.

count me among those.... when your goal is to be the richest.... (gee nice goal.... wouldn't you think you'd want to be the best?) its sure sounds like he's going to want to get to new york to make the money, and his pathetic showing of yankee gear right and left almost in spit of his cleveland/ohio upbringing can almost be taken as code.

He is smart (remember wants to be the richest) so theres no way he'll ever be proven of tampering and lose his chance at going to newyork.

The only other team i'd throw out there.... he could very likely end up in newjersey, isn't one of his buddies a part owner?

It's still a wound. My wife and I still talk about it. It's still a bit sad to see the commissioner coming and all those people coming to celebrate the 17 years of my career and accomplishments and you look back and say that about (four) years ago, I had a guy tell me that I couldn't play basketball no more, to go to the beach and onto vacation. That's the same guy who's losing his job tomorrow. (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5648730.html):sssh: (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5648730.html)

What kind of money was DM taking down back then?