Short Night for Arenas and Marbury Is Long for Knicks
By HOWARD BECK

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 — The plaintive wail came from somewhere behind the Knicks' bench, with the Washington Wizards leading by 26 points and the last seconds of the third quarter expiring.

"Why?" bellowed a fan, stretching out the word as if someone had kidnapped his dog.

It was not, however, a cry of sympathy for the Knicks, who wandered aimlessly through a 110-89 loss at the MCI Center. It was a cruel if unintentional taunt. The Wizards, with 44.9 seconds left in the third quarter of a blowout, had pulled Gilbert Arenas from the game, perhaps denying the fans a chance to witness a historic performance.

Arenas, the last man added to the All-Star Game this month, scored 46 points in just 30 minutes, carving up the Knicks' defense and embarrassing their spiffy new backcourt. Arenas went 13 of 16 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, and fell a point shy of his career high. His 23-point first quarter was the second highest in franchise history, behind Michael Jordan's 24 in 2001.

Otherwise, the game's entertainment value lasted only about as long as the Knicks' vaunted new backcourt. Stephon Marbury aggravated his left shoulder injury and did not play the second half, leaving new Knicks guard Steve Francis to find his own way.

Playing in his hometown, and playing his second game with his new team, Francis struggled to find a rhythm. He scored 9 points in 27 minutes, going 3 for 9 from the field.

Marbury, despite playing just 20 minutes, had a team-high 15 points. Quentin Richardson and Jackie Butler added 10 points each.

There are two possible upsides to the Knicks' trade for Francis last week. One is that Francis and Marbury could become a powerful guard tandem. The other is that one of the two could be packaged in a deal for a bigger star this summer, presuming the Knicks find a willing trade partner.

But they cannot evaluate the prospects of a Marbury-Francis future if they cannot keep them together in the present. Foul trouble hindered Francis in his debut Friday night. Now Marbury, who has missed 11 games because of the shoulder injury, may be back on the shelf, leaving Francis without his dance partner.

Before the game, Coach Larry Brown was talking about the benefit of returning Jamal Crawford to his sixth-man role, primarily as a shooting guard. But he said, with a sense of wry resignation, "Every time you make plans, things change because of injuries."

Three hours later, with Crawford starting the second half and Marbury nowhere to be seen, those words sounded prophetic.

The Knicks are 0-2 with Francis, 1-10 since they traded for Jalen Rose and 2-19 since they opened 2006 with a six-game winning streak. They have gone 11 consecutive quarters without holding a lead, going back to the first quarter of their loss to the Miami Heat last Wednesday.

The one positive development Saturday night had been the re-emergence of Marbury as an offensive force. He scored 15 points in the first half, made 6 of 8 shots and appeared to finally be regaining his health and his game. It was exactly what Brown had hoped to see after watching Marbury play passively in the previous two games.

"Steph since his injury has not really been as aggressive offensively," Brown said before the game.

"He can't just take 9 shots," Brown added, referring to Marbury's performance Friday.

But the second half opened with Marbury in the locker room, and a few minutes later, the team announced he would not return.

The rest of the Knicks shot 9 for 29 in the first half, which figured to hurt them since they also failed to play any defense. The Wizards had a double-digit lead by the midpoint of the first quarter. With 2 minutes 46 seconds to play in the quarter, Arenas had outscored the Knicks, 21-16.

Washington had 38 points in the opening period, hit the 50-point mark with 7:46 left in the half and entered halftime with 71 points, tying Atlanta for the most points scored against the Knicks in a half this season.

REBOUNDS

The Knicks' trade for Steve Francis has been widely ridiculed, but it received a prominent booster Saturday. Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said Francis would benefit the Knicks — as a trading chip. "He's a guy that they could throw in a trade," Jackson told reporters in Los Angeles. "They could make things happen. They could trade Marbury if they want. They could make a choice." Jackson suggested that Stephon Marbury or Francis could be packaged in a deal for a franchise player, like Kevin Garnett of Minnesota or Jermaine O'Neal of Indiana. Indeed, Knicks officials are hoping to do exactly that. "It's not as bad looking a thing as a lot of people who are just looking at, 'Well, that chemistry's not going to work.' Yeah, so what?" Jackson said. "They've got 30 games left, they're not going to make the playoffs, right?" If Francis does remain a Knick, Jackson said, he has "a terrific upside."

Quick Fix R Us

is anyone surprised that Marbury might be traded. what a joke.