Seems Like Old Times as Marbury Keeps Struggling
By DAVID PICKER

GREENBURGH, N.Y., Nov. 14 — The Stephon Marbury who missed all six of his shots and became an afterthought for the Knicks against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night is not the player he says he can be.

“Playing the way how I’ve been playing, it’s not the way how I play,” Marbury said after practice Tuesday. “I haven’t been playing as aggressive as I normally would be.”

Marbury said that he had struggled to balance his role as a scorer and a distributor, overcompensating to the point where he was not shooting enough and was making turnovers while attempting passes.

Sound familiar?

Last season, under Coach Larry Brown, Marbury was asked to become a pass-first point guard. He reluctantly assumed the role before announcing in March that he would return to playing like “Starbury,” with scoring becoming his top priority.

The biggest difference from last season seems to be Marbury’s willingness to sacrifice scoring for the greater good. “Last year, I was told to go on the basketball court and play a certain way,” he said. This season, he said, he had embraced his role without prodding.

While Marbury has received the same message about his role this season, the messenger is different. Marbury clashed publicly with Brown last season, and their relationship deteriorated. But Marbury has a close relationship with Isiah Thomas, the team’s president and first-year coach, making his role easier to accept.

Asked if he had any plans to insert guard Nate Robinson into the starting lineup, presumably in place of Marbury, Thomas indicated that Robinson was suited to come off the bench, and that he would be patient with the backcourt of Marbury and Steve Francis, giving them until April to produce results.

Of course, a lot can change between now and the final month of the season, especially if the Knicks (2-6) continue to lose and Marbury continues to struggle. Marbury took a backseat offensively against the Cavaliers as Robinson and Jamal Crawford led a comeback in the fourth quarter of a 102-96 loss.

“At that point in the game, Nate had it going last night,” Marbury said. “You got to ride the wave. When you do that, it allows me to flourish at the end of the games when the ball comes to me and I’m supposed to knock down the shots.”

With 1 minute 9 seconds remaining against Cleveland, the ball came to Marbury, who missed an open 3-pointer from the corner that would have tied the score, sparking jeers in the stands. He finished with more turnovers (3) than points (2) for the second time this season.

Marbury has not played well at home, averaging 8 points and 3.7 assists in three games at Madison Square Garden and 14.4 points and 5.4 assists in five road games. Over all, he is averaging 12 points and 4.8 assists, compared with last season’s averages of 16.3 and 6.4.

After the Knicks lost to the Cavaliers, Thomas paused for several seconds when asked if Marbury was pressing at home. Marbury dismissed the suggestion Tuesday.

Thomas said: “It’s important that he finds the proper time and place to insert himself offensively into the game. I thought he did that well out on the road.”

Marbury will get another shot to find the right balance between playmaker and scorer when the Knicks play host to the Washington Wizards (3-3) on Wednesday night. He indicated that even if his struggles continued, he would not become Starbury again anytime soon.

“When they get hot, I get them the ball,” Marbury said of his teammates. “When I get it going, I expect the same. In this long season, I know that in time it’s going to happen. When it happens, it’s not going to happen for a week. It’s going to happen for a month. I’m patient.”

and that he would be patient with the backcourt of Marbury and Steve Francis, giving them until April to produce results.

ZOIKS!!!