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July 7, 2005
Thomas Denies the Knicks Are Shopping Marbury
By HOWARD BECK

LAS VEGAS, July 6 - Isiah Thomas's tone was sharp and his stare icy Wednesday as he angrily denied reports that he might trade Stephon Marbury, the Knicks' star guard.

Thomas, the team president, was frequently profane in his first public comments on the speculation surrounding Marbury, which began with an article in The New York Times on Saturday. A Western Conference team executive and a player agent had independently said that Marbury was being made available by the Knicks.

Similar reports have since surfaced in other news media outlets, all citing unnamed team executives around the league.

"That is so far from the truth," Thomas said testily, a few minutes after the Knicks played their first summer league game here. "And I'm ashamed for you guys that you even have to ask me that, because there is absolutely no truth to it at all."

Thomas and Marbury are next-door neighbors in Westchester County and are known to be close. Marbury, a former All-Star, was Thomas's first major acquisition after he took over operations 19 months ago.

Asked if he needed to reassure Marbury about his future, Thomas said: "He and I and all of New York City know where I stand with him and where he stands with me. In my neighborhood, we say: 'We don't get down like that. We don't roll like that.' "

Trading Marbury is not as unthinkable as it sounds, however. Thomas recently admitted that the Knicks were in a rebuilding mode and that he was committed to making the roster younger and more athletic.

Marbury is only 28, but he is heading into his 10th season and last season struggled with sore knees. He does not fit in with the younger up-tempo lineup that Thomas has promoted. The Knicks' other two point guards, the veteran Jamal Crawford and the rookie Nate Robinson, are better fits for a running team. Marbury is also owed about $77 million over the next four years, making him a salary-cap burden and a difficult player to move.

But other team executives said that they expected the Knicks to try.

"Tell the G.M., whoever the G.M. is, to put his name on it," Thomas said, referring to the reports in the news media.

In April, after the Knicks finished a 33-49 season, the question of trading Marbury was posed to Thomas. "The way I feel right now, I'd trade my mother if the right deal came along," he said

Reminded of that comment Wednesday, Thomas said: "I am for the New York Knicks. There's my wife and my kids, and right now, there's the New York Knicks. I've even put the Knicks before sometimes God on Sunday and my mom sometimes. I'm down for the Knicks. We've got guys who I like a lot. We're on the right track, and we're moving in the right direction."

Marbury, Thomas said, has "never been in play," and the Knicks will "never put him in play."

Thomas ended his brief session with reporters with a more profane version of those sentiments, then concluded jokingly: "I'm done. That's my Bob Knight speech for the day."

Thomas offered no insight on his search for a coach. Herb Williams holds the job until further notice, and he watched the summer league game at Cox Pavilion from the stands, next to Thomas. The assistant Mark Aguirre coached the team of rookies and free agents.

The Knicks have been waiting to see whether Larry Brown will leave the Detroit Pistons as coach. Brown battled health issues all last season, flirted with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the N.B.A. finals and remains in limbo after a recent stay at the Mayo Clinic to treat a bladder condition.

"I just want to get well and coach the Pistons," Brown told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I've been saying that for a long time, but nobody seems to believe me. I don't know what else I can say."

Thomas has hinted he might not hire a coach until August, presumably to determine whether Brown will become available.

"I have great respect for the Pistons and Larry Brown," Thomas said.

Referring to the Pistons' waiting game regarding Brown, he added: "If that's the scenario, I wish them a lot of luck. They'll take care of their business, and we'll take care of ours."