Column: Steph and Isiah should get over it

By Max J. Dickstein, amNewYork Sports Editor | mdickstein@am-ny.com

March 7, 2008

It's become easy to forget that Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury was once a rare basketball talent.

He once had the strength to shoot half-court buzzer beaters as if they were routine mid-range jump shots, the quickness to cross over and swivel around defenders, and the touch to locate spots high on the backboard from which to bank in teardrop layups as he scissor-kicked through the lane.

But these days, the Knicks' one-time savior from Coney Island isn't backhanding no-look passes to fast-breaking teammates or slamming home reverse alley-oop dunks. The physically and emotionally injured Marbury, 31, is just a distracting basketball irrelevancy now, and that new role has already grown gratingly old.

On Wednesday, before Cleveland's LeBron James scored 50 against the dazed Knicks, Marbury, nearly invisible since his ankle operation on Jan. 22, spoke to reporters for six minutes. Thus, he broke a 49-day media silence to reveal, with a religious fervor, that he wishes for the Knicks to retain him this summer so that he may resume his career as their starting point guard. The one-season price tag is $21.9 million.

"I pray to God that happens," Marbury said.

On Thursday, Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas refused as usual to address Marbury's gripes.

"Let's talk about the 20 games we have left," Thomas shifting the focus to a similarly unrosy topic. "At the end of the season there will be ample time to discuss and answer all those questions."

I have a question that I think Isiah and a lot of Knick fans would like to hear: When can we please, please move on?

Max J. Dickstein is amNewYork's sports editor.

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Column: Steph and Isiah should get over it

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