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July 2, 2005
With Knicks Rebuilding, Could Marbury Be Next?
By HOWARD BECK
A vision of the Knicks' future began to take shape this week when the team acquired four players and created a new framework for the "younger and more athletic model that Isiah Thomas touts almost daily.

Thomas, the team president, for the first time this week admitted that the Knicks were in a rebuilding mode. He has traded one veteran (Kurt Thomas), might waive another (Allan Houston) and will unload two players with huge contracts (Tim Thomas and Penny Hardaway) by next summer.

Once committed to a win-now mentality, Thomas's priorities have clearly shifted, and his recent actions raise the possibility that he might trade his most prized acquisition, point guard Stephon Marbury.

Marbury is 28 and is owed $60 million over the next three seasons. The contract will make him difficult to move, but there are already indications that Thomas will try.

This week, a Western Conference team executive and a player agent each independently said that the Knicks wanted to move Marbury.

"There's a desire for that to happen," said the agent, who requested anonymity because he did not want to jeopardize future dealings with the Knicks.

There are no signs that Thomas has put any proposals on the table, but executives around the league say they will not be surprised if Marbury is offered in the weeks ahead.

A spokesman for the Knicks would not comment.

It would undoubtedly be a difficult decision for Thomas, who acquired Marbury in a celebrated trade with Phoenix 17 months ago. Marbury, a Brooklyn native, is popular with fans and is the team's best player. He has career averages of 20.6 points and 8.3 assists, ranking him among the best point guards in the league.

But Marbury has played for four teams in his nine-year career and has yet to win a playoff series. Although still young, he has a lot of mileage on his body, having entered the league at age 19. He often sat out practice last season because of knee soreness.

Once deemed untouchable by Thomas, Marbury no longer wears that mantle.

In April, after the Knicks completed a 33-49 season, Thomas was asked if he would trade Marbury.

"The way I feel right now, I'd trade my mother if the right deal came along," he said then.

This week, Thomas acquired a potential successor, the 5-foot, 9-inch Nate Robinson. The Suns took Robinson with the 21st pick in the draft, then traded him to the Knicks, along with Quentin Richardson, for Kurt Thomas. Knicks officials are exuberant about Robinson's potential.

A product of the University of Washington, Robinson is quick (he set a state record in the 110-meter hurdles in high school ), can dunk with both hands and is built like a linebacker. In fact, he was a two-way player in high school and spent a year in Washington's football program as a cornerback before deciding to concentrate on basketball.

Thomas said Robinson's height was the only reason he was not drafted higher than the three point guards taken ahead of him - Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton, who went three through five.

"I think if he was 6-2, he probably would have been the No. 1 pick in the draft or the No. 2 pick in the draft," Thomas said Thursday.

The Knicks also like Robinson's confidence and poise. Although Robinson might not be ready to step into an N.B.A. lineup immediately, the Knicks could groom him for the job while using Jamal Crawford, who played point guard for most of his career, as the starter if they trade Marbury.

Crawford and Robinson are viewed as good fits for a running team. Marbury, despite his quickness, is viewed as a half-court guard who is reluctant to push the tempo.

Thomas has visions of creating an East Coast version of the Suns, and his moves this week reflected that.

In Channing Frye, taken eighth in the draft, Thomas got a mobile big man who can spread defenses and run the floor. In Robinson, he got perhaps the fastest player in the draft. In Richardson, he got a 25-year-old shooter who has experience in an up-tempo offense.

Where that leaves Marbury is unclear. But as Thomas continues to restructure the Knicks around younger, quicker players with more reasonable salaries, the idea of dealing Marbury does not seem so far-fetched.

What is clear is that the Knicks are charting a new course. When he was asked on draft night if he was rebuilding Thomas said, "without question."

When he arrived in December 2003, Thomas said the goal was to win immediately. But this week, he said that the debilitating injuries to Houston forced him to re-evaluate.

"Our team is going to be totally different than the team you saw play its last game," Thomas said.

Nets Start the Pitches

Nets Coach Lawrence Frank flew to Atlanta yesterday and went to Shareef Abdur-Rahim's house to woo him. Frank was an assistant coach in Vancouver when Abdur-Rahim, a free-agent power forward, played there, and they enjoyed a close relationship. The Nets still have to bring Abdur-Rahim in for a workout.

Donyell Marshall is another veteran free agent the Nets are considering, but the Nets are believed to be focusing on Abdur-Rahim.

"Shareef and his wife were really impressed with Lawrence taking time to come down," said Aaron Goodwin, Abdur-Rahim's agent.

The Nets have only the midlevel exception, about $5 million, to offer, but they could pay more if Portland agrees to a sign-and-trade deal.

Lee Signs Rookie Contract

The Knicks signed David Lee, the 30th overall pick, to a rookie contract. Terms were not disclosed, but under the N.B.A.'s rookie scale, Lee will have two years guaranteed, at about $1.4 million.

The Knicks expect to sign their other two draft picks, Channing Frye and Nate Robinson, today. The Knicks also picked up the fourth-year option on forward Mike Sweetney, extending his deal through the 2006-7 season.

Liz Robbins contributed reporting for this article.

Robinson is not ready to start on a winning team.

neither is Crawford for that matter. I would like to see Marbury run a team like this but if its not in the cards its not in the cards.

If we do move Marbury we better get very good value in the area of a borderline franchise type which is what Marbury is. I dont see whats out there however. Get him running and he can be a great motor for this team.

I would trade Marbury in a heartbeat, but the deal has to clearly make the team younger and better.

I've been preaching this lately but Marbury and Sweetney for VanHorn and Harris would be a great trade for the Knicks because at the end of the year, Mo Taylor would be the highest paid Knick, with Penny, TT, Houston, VanHorn and Marburry all off the books.

This would also make us a faster team and let the young players grow with the ball in their hands more often. He's also longer at 6'3" which would allow Nate to play the 2 easier.

I think Dallas and Portland are probably the only real trade partners where you could send them Marbury financially.

So it took Isiah 1 1/2 years to decide that plan A was a total bust and switch to plan B but nobody can criticize Isiah for at least another year because we're not giving him enough time for a fair evaluation??

How many plans can Isiah go through before we can criticize him for his first one?

Posted by islesfan:

So it took Isiah 1 1/2 years to decide that plan A was a total bust and switch to plan B but nobody can criticize Isiah for at least another year because we're not giving him enough time for a fair evaluation??

How many plans can Isiah go through before we can criticize him for his first one?

You tell 'em Isle!!!

I too miss the days of Layden.

And who can forget that time in the finals when Chaney went small and put Eisley and Ward in at the same time and he put Milos at the point. With 30 on the clock, and our championship dreams on the line, Milos hit Lampe with the alley oop...it was broken up by a defender and Spoon came soaring over everybody and dunk the ball!!! I still can remember how a hurt Houston, a hurt Dyess, Shandon, VanHorn and Frank Williams started waving there towels and the crowd stood tp there feet and with hats over our hearts we sang God Bless America! I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about that period.

Why would Dolan go and break that up? Now we got Marbury, Q Richardson, Frye, Nate the great, Craw, Ariza and a few other young fellas under 30 and I have to sit here and watch Milos and Lampe steer the spurs to yet another ring. I have to sit here and watch Shandon get the MVP award for '05. And now Isiah's talking about getting another 7 footer and trying to look for a solid coach. When will the madness end?

I am totally with you on this one Isle. WE'RE MAD AS HELL AND WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE! BRING BACK OUR LAYDEN!!!!!

[/quote]

Monk!

Have you gone insane?!?!

You've totally forgotten about Vranes?!?!?!
[/quote]

Damn! I don't even deserve to be a Knick fan now! How can I forget our man in the middle? Remember that time Shaq was talking smack before that game and Varnes dropped 56 points on him and at the same time snatching 19 rebounds and rejecting a legendary 20 shots....most of the Shaqs? Sigh....

WHERE ARE YOU WHEN WE NEED YOU VRANES????

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by islesfan:

So it took Isiah 1 1/2 years to decide that plan A was a total bust and switch to plan B but nobody can criticize Isiah for at least another year because we're not giving him enough time for a fair evaluation??

How many plans can Isiah go through before we can criticize him for his first one?

jeez; you're jumping to all sorts of crazy conclusions based on little newspaper rumors

That just about sums it up... LMAO

Just goes to show how much time some have on their hands during the offseason.


[Edited by - HARDCOREKNICKSFAN on 07/05/2005 00:50:06]

I'll drink to that.

Look, the Knicks are just testing out the waters for Marbury. (Which they should) It doesn't mean they want to desperately want to get rid of him, and they shouldn't. He's a great player. The people who keep making up these screwed up proposals probably have nothing better to do, b/c chances of any of them happening are nil and none.

Like I said though, if I wanna move Marbury, I wanna trade him for a young big who's starting to establish himself as a star player, mainly on the defense. Chances of it happening are slim. So for now, lets just appreciate what he brings.