Knicks ask Marbury to stay away from practices, games

A Monday meeting between disgruntled Knicks guard Stephon Marbury and team president Donnie Walsh ended with no final resolution to Marbury's ongoing dispute with the team, leaving Marbury in the same state of limbo he's been in all season.

Walsh and the Knicks have decided, however, to keep Marbury away from the team for at least the time being.

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"After meeting with Stephon and his representative this afternoon, we have directed Stephon not to participate in practice or attend games until further notice," Walsh said Monday in a statement released by the Knicks.

"We want to continue to meet with him to discuss a long-term resolution."

Marbury was flanked by members of the Players' Association, including executive director Billy Hunter and other attorneys. Hunter left before the meeting concluded, leaving the negotiations with the Knicks to union attorney Hal Biagas. But Biagas and Walsh were unable to broach any of the numerous isses between Marbury and the team, including a buyout of the final year of Marbury's contract.

"We had some discussions," Biagas said by telephone afterward, declining further comment. Walsh did not return several phone calls.

No new talks are scheduled between Marbury and the team, Biagas said.

Asking a player to refrain from attending practices or games is nothing new.

The Indiana Pacers have taken such an approach with guard Jamaal Tinsley, asking him to stay away from the team until they can trade him. The Chicago Bulls used a similar tactic a few years ago with forward Tim Thomas -- who was, ironically, acquired from the Knicks. But the Bulls were unable to trade Thomas after months of trying and waived him in March of 2006.

However, a player has to agree with such a request from a team, and Marbury had not given any such indication that he would acquiesce; he's actually undergone a public relations offensive, specifically talking almost every day with the New York Post.

Hunter said by telephone that he was generally opposed to teams using such tactics.

"I feel as though the teams have an obligation under the contract to honor the tone and tenor of the contract, which says they have to use the player's services," Hunter said. "But they can't do it by themselves. They have to have the player's consent."

Hunter said he remained hopeful of a "global solution" that would address both the team's one-game suspension of Marbury this past weekend and the resolution of his contract, which pays him $20.84 million this season. Marbury told the team about two weeks ago that he'd be willing to give up approximately $1 million of that salary in a buyout, but the Knicks have thus far shown no inclination to buy out Marbury or waive him.

The Knicks may have buyout fatigue. In recent years, they've paid down numerous contracts of former players and coaches. They bought out former player Jalen Rose in 2006, agreeing to pay $14.5 million of of the $16.5 million remaining on his deal. Later that summer, they paid former coach Larry Brown approximately $18.5 million in a contract buyout after firing him, settling the four years and $40 million left on his deal. But Cablevision, the Knicks' owners, refused a settlement offer from a former team executive last year who filed sexual harassment charges against the team and Thomas.

Instead, the case went to trial, and the former executive won $11.6 million in punitive damages, $2 million more than she was seeking. In the process, lurid details about Marbury's relationship with a team employee, as well as crude comments made both by Marbury and associates of his about the former executive, came to light.

New York suspended Marbury from Saturday's game with the Warriors after claiming he'd refused to play in last Wednesday against the Pistons when asked by Coach Mike D'Antoni, with whom Marbury is now feuding just as he did with former coach Isiah Thomas. The suspension cost Marbury approximately $400,000. Marbury denies he refused to play; he claims D'Antoni asked him if he'd like to play before the game, and that he told D'Antoni he'd rather stay inactive because he hadn't played all year and was not in game condition.

The relationship between D'Antoni and Marbury fractured after D'Antoni unilaterally decided to keep Marbury inactive more or less permanantly at the start of the regular season, after Marbury had played extensively during exhibitions. After trades by Walsh with Golden State and the Clippers left the Knicks with just seven players available for a Nov. 22 game in Milwaukee, Marbury declined when asked by D'Antoni if he wanted to play.

Several teams, including Miami and Dallas, are likely to be interested in Marbury for a portion of the $1.2 million veteran's minimum when and if he leaves the Knicks. And while teams already know what the 12-year veteran can do on the court, it's likely that some of those teams with interest still would like to see him play before making an offer.

"He needs to play," Hunter said. "He can't afford to sit home and not play."