The Isiah Cancer virus is still lurking behind the scenes in New York so I'll bite my tongue for now.
Shout out to D'Antoni for finally benching Marbury! Big props to a coach with balls.
Shout out to D'Antoni for finally benching Marbury! Big props to a coach with balls.
Marbury buyout talks at apparent stalemate
BY ALAN HAHN | alan.hahn@newsday.com
November 15, 2008
The final chapter of the Stephon Marbury saga has been written before, yet the epilogues just keep on coming. The latest is a meeting that Marbury had with Knicks president Donnie Walsh on Thursday after practice to discuss parameters for a buyout.
Marbury, who does not have an agent, was accompanied by a representative from the NBA players association. Multiple sources confirmed the meeting took place, but Walsh would not talk about it Friday.
"I'm not going to confirm or deny, I'm not going to make any comment about the Stephon Marbury situation," Walsh said. "I said that about a week ago and I haven't said anything to anybody since then."
Before Friday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly the Seattle SuperSonics), Marbury said only: "Nothing is going on. Nothing is going on but a humbling experience."
He was inactive for the eighth straight game and has yet to appear in a game this season. The Knicks beat the Thunder, 116-106, to move to 6-3.
It is believed the Knicks - who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - will negotiate a buyout of the $21.9 million owed to Marbury this season only if he agrees to the difference between the $21.9 million and whatever he earns this season once he signs with another team. The Knicks would prefer to have Marbury find a Western Conference team but won't let that get in the way of completing his departure.
Marbury, meanwhile, refuses to accept anything less than his full amount due on his guaranteed contract, which he signed with the Phoenix Suns. The first paycheck of this season was distributed Friday. Marbury earned $1,828,125.
When asked about taking less just to make the buyout happen, Marbury replied, "If I owed you $100 and I said I'm going to give you $80, what would you say?"
A person with knowledge of the situation said Marbury went to coach Mike D'Antoni to talk about his situation. D'Antoni, the source said, suggested to Marbury that he seek offers from teams around the league, then go to Walsh and accept a buyout of the difference. The source said Marbury grew angry and yelled, "They owe me that money! I earned that money!"
The Knicks want nothing more than to put an end to the relationship, but they will not simply send him home on paid leave until the situation is resolved. They want him at all practices and games - home and road - though he does not have to participate if he decides not to.
Marbury began sitting out practice scrimmages a week ago, though he continued to work in drills. On Tuesday, however, he sat out the team's shootaround in San Antonio. On Thursday, he was present but did not participate in practice.
The union has been monitoring the situation but cannot find any legal fault with the Knicks because they are paying him and are not banning him from their facilities. There are no rules in the NBA's collective-bargaining agreement that govern how a team uses a player.
If and when Marbury does begin to look around the league for a new team - the Knicks undoubtedly will give him permission - there won't be many options available. But there are some teams that have a need at guard and might take a flier on the former two-time all-star for the affordable veteran's minimum of $1.26 million.
The Heat, Warriors and Mavericks are three possibilities. Mavs owner Mark Cuban, in an e-mail reply to Newsday, said, "We always consider all of our options."
With the available roster spot, the Knicks likely would add forward Patrick Ewing Jr., who attended Friday's game. Ewing, the Knicks' final cut before the season, is popular with teammates and fans.
Tough luck, Starbury's time was due, he's a headcase.
The Heat are on the list to take him, what are your views on this?
WALSH CUTS A DEAL FOR AN OLD FAVORITE
By PETER VECSEY
Posted: 2:44 am
November 21, 2008
Donnie Walsh is set to pull the trigger on his first substantive move as Knicks New York Knicks president, The New York Post has learned.
Knicks sources said a deal for Al Harrington was to go through late yesterday, but was delayed until today. A league conference call is scheduled for this morning that would bring the disgruntled Warriors forward to the Knicks, presumably for Malik Rose Malik Rose .
A product of St. Patrick's in Elizabeth, N.J., Harrington has played in just five games this season. He was grounded by coach Don Nelson soon after stating publicly he wanted to be traded.
They failed to hit it off almost immediately after the Pacers sent him to Golden State along with Stephen Jackson in a multi-player trade (Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy went to Indiana) on Jan. 16, 2007. Once their conflict became news (Harrington felt Nelson cramped his style) Al got sent to a time out chair - shortly after he complained of back problems and underwent a MRI.
At that point Walsh intensified his effort to acquire the devalued forward, who asked to be traded in June. The Knicks reached out to executive VP of basketball operations Chris Mullin on several occasions, but were rebuffed for lack of equal compensation. The open conflict made it much easier to make a deal.
The move will reunite Walsh with Harrington, whom the Pacers president drafted out of high school (No. 25) in 1998.
In 10 seasons, he has averaged 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, including a career-best 18.6 ppg for Atlanta in 2005-06. Harrington was traded to the Hawks in '04 for Jackson. Walsh reclaimed Harrington in the summer of '06 for a first round pick.
Harrington has two years left on his deal--currently $9.3 million with $10M guaranteed on tap in 2009-10. Rose, attractive to the Warriors because of his expiring contract, is set to make $7.64 million this year. The deal can be made one-for-one because their salaries are within 25 percent (plus 100G) of each other.
Until now, the only other trades Walsh made were moving Renaldo Balkman Renaldo Balkman to Denver for two fringe players who the Knicks promptly cut, and acquiring Patrick Ewing Jr. from Houston for the draft rights to Frederic Weis.
Knicks, Marbury have cooling off period
BY ALAN HAHN | alan.hahn@newsday.com
December 3, 2008
The impasse between the Knicks and Stephon Marbury in talks to buy out his contract likely will carry into next week, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Donnie Walsh last night said both sides "would like to get it done as fast as it can happen," but after Marbury stormed out of Monday's meeting, it appears a cooling-off period is necessary.
"I'm sure we'll be talking; everyone has a telephone," Walsh said before last night's game against Portland. He then paused and considered the result of the first face-to-face negotiation. "And actually," he continued, "that's probably the better way to do it."
Marbury doesn't have an agent so Hal Biagas, an associate counsel for the NBA players association, represented him at the meeting Monday. Biagas was traveling yesterday because the NBPA has its annual meetings scheduled with teams. The NBPA coincidentally met with the other Knicks players on Monday.
The source said Marbury was furious that the Knicks countered his offer to take $1 million less than the $18.3 million remaining on his $21.9-million salary with an offer that was $3 million less, or about $15 million. Marbury then informed Walsh that his $1-million offer was off the table and he "walked out on the meeting abruptly," the source said. All parties involved - Walsh, Knicks VP of basketball operations Glen Grunwald and Biagas - were surprised.
"Steph seems to have taken a step back," the person said. "They're basically $2 million or less apart."
There is also the issue of the $398,000 in fines that the Knicks - who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - hit Marbury with last week, for refusing to play last Wednesday in Detroit and for his one-game suspension last Saturday. The source said the fines likely will be negotiated into any buyout agreement, but there is also the inclusion of a $180,000 fine he was assessed by Isiah Thomas last year after Marbury skipped a game in Phoenix after an argument with Thomas. Marbury grieved that fine but the situation never made it to arbitration. "I don't think it was ever entirely resolved," the source said.
For the time being, Marbury has been told to stay away from the team until an agreement can be reached. It has been suggested that Marbury could fight being kept away from the team, but sources on both sides of the table have said that is an unlikely scenario. "I don't regard this as discipline," Walsh said. "I regard it as the proper thing for us to do under the circumstances that we're in."
Walsh should be motivated to get something done quickly. His roster is thin at the guard position because the team traded away two guards - Jamal Crawford and Mardy Collins - and got back one. Cuttino Mobley has yet to play because of tests on a heart condition that was discovered during his physical after the trade. Nate Robinson is out with a groin injury, which leaves Mike D'Antoni with just two guards, Chris Duhon and Anthony Roberson. After Marbury is bought out, his roster spot will be opened. With very few options at guard available, the Knicks likely will use the spot to either sign Patrick Ewing Jr. or perhaps leave it open to make a two-for-one trade.
I think marbury will end up in dallas... i know it's a crazy risk but the fact is the jkidd experiment isn't working. JKidd needs people who moves well without the ball and are athletic going to the basket. Dirk, Terry, Josh Howard are all jump shooters. Marbury would do better in the rotation if he can drive and draw the double team and kick out to the shooters. Plus dallas offense suck! JKidd can go 15 pts.. steph can go 25pts... i say trade kidd and diop for marbury and david lee and a first round draft pick. haha... or maybe i just like ny that much... duhon and kidd in new york with chandler and harrington and nate and qrich... then add bosh and lebron. awesome lineup
Knicks may be looking to deal: There soon could be one or two roster openings this week, and the Knicks are looking into trades to bolster their shallow backcourt.
Team president Donnie Walsh is expected to meet with guard Cuttino Mobley to discuss the results of tests on his heart condition. Mobley, who was acquired from the Clippers in the Zach Randolph trade, might have to retire.
Walsh also is expected to meet again with Stephon Marbury to discuss a buyout. If two roster spots open, one is expected to go to unsigned rookie Patrick Ewing Jr. But if only one is available, a guard would be the priority.
With a focus on keeping salary cap space in 2010, there are few options. Dallas reportedly has given disgruntled Jerry Stackhouse permission to seek a trade. The Knicks likely would offer Malik Rose's expiring contract for Stackhouse, who makes $7 million this season. But a league source indicated that Dallas is in no hurry to make a move.
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