MARBURY SPEAKS
By MARC BERMAN


June 23, 2008 --
Stephon Marbury is happy to look ahead to a Mike D'Antoni future, not an Isiah Thomas past. Marbury said he feels he has a new lease on his Knicks career, even if president Donnie Walsh and coach D'Antoni may look for a point-guard-of-the-future during Thursday night's draft.

With one year left on his pact, Marbury is trying to rejuvenate his ankle and image this offseason. Marbury will practice with the Knicks' summer league team in Las Vegas next month. He jogged the Hollywood Hills for a full month following Walsh's order to get in the best shape of his career.

Marbury is working out at the Knicks Westchester facility with an old Phoenix friend, former Suns assistant Phil Weber, now on D'Antoni's Knicks staff.

"I'm full throttle," Marbury said.

Had Thomas stayed in power, Marbury said he knows his contract would have been bought out after the season. In an interview with The Post yesterday, Marbury said his contract was nearly bought out in November amidst the Nov. 13 Phoenix fiasco, when Marbury left the Knicks reportedly because he wasn't going to start anymore.

According to Marbury, Thomas did not just want him out of the starting lineup for Mardy Collins in November, Thomas wanted him out of the organization and sent him home to have his contract bought out. Marbury said he still doesn't know how things changed the next day, when summoned back to Phoenix, the talk of a buyout history.

"Going AWOL is something I never would do," Marbury told The Post. "I would never just get up and walk out on the team and say, 'I don't want to play because I'm not going to start.'

"Why would I want to lose $250,000?" Marbury said. "The fans thought I just left the Knicks because Mardy was going to start over me. I was sent home for other reasons, not because I wasn't going to start. He wanted to go in a different direction. (Thomas) felt I wasn't going to get the job done."

Thomas fined Marbury but never commented on why Marbury left Phoenix, even after Marbury appealed the fine and said to The Post he was told to leave.

It's over now, and though Marbury still can't explain the sudden rift with Thomas, he's hoping a new regime will give him a chance to reverse last season's tragedy.

Three loved ones passed away - his aunt, Helen, his AAU coaching mentor, Lou "Mr. Lou" Williams, and his father, Don. "I had to mourn in public," Marbury said.

Marbury played just 24 games last season. His season was over in January after left ankle surgery. The 23-59 Knicks were not better without Marbury, but he still became the poster boy for that record.

"People say I'm sulking on the bench because I have towel on my head," Marbury said. "I'm keeping my head warm. I've done it since college. When we're losing, yes, I look mad. I am mad. I hate losing. You want me to be jumping up and down happy when we're losing?"

Marbury discounts claims he's not right for D'Antoni's system because he's 31 and Phoenix already traded him in January 2004.

"Mike didn't trade me," Marbury said. "He didn't have that power then. It's the way I play - up and down. Seven seconds or less. How can I not fit into that? You can push the ball. He's a guard's coach. I still have four, five years at a high level. I'm only 31, not 41."

marc.berman@nypost.com

typical marc berman, playing PR man for Steph ... amazing that Berman continues to do this.

Posted by purple012870:

Marbury speaks - who gives a rat's *** ?

Berman and Berman's editor. Slow news day.

Every year Marbs has a new lease on life. Every year

Total waste of space, talent & $$. He should not ever be allowed to poison the organization again. Let him rot the way the Bulls handled Tim Thomas until he's traded for JO'N or Baron or let his contract expire.

Marc Berman is going to have to find someone else to play "press secretary and public relations" to pretty soon. As far as Stephon "Contract Year" Marbury goes, I've been saying this for the last three years and now that we have new management, I'll say it again: keep him away from mics.

As far as the walking out drama, somebody is clearly lying - but if anything that whole situation highlighted the lack of accountability that existed under the previous regime. Let's hope that's over.

I think Star will play well and with great enthusiasm as he did when he first got here. The only thing close to a decent *team* we had under Isiah was Marbs/Shandon/KVH/Kurt/Mutumbo with Penny, Doleac/Frank Williams off the bench. That team was pretty good, Kurt and Deke defended well most days their knees let them, and Marbury ran a good offense around Kurt and Keith's ability to knock down the 15-18 footer at well.

Obviously the rest is history but Marbs played good basketball when he got here. I for one was pretty excited to see that. The rest is history. I am not excited to see Marbury play this year but I think he will play well and hope he does. A healthy motivated Marbury will be a great chip in Feb... a great chip.

I think he is one of these guys who completely relies on elite god given physical ability, and when that starts to slip as it has with Marbury due to age, extended minutes over the years, injuries (in this case to knees & ankles)....his game takes a severe turn south because he's got none of the intangible assets (b-ball intelligence, savvy, unselfisness) that allow players to extend their prime.

Posted by nyk4ever:

We are still willing to give this guy a chance even though the cancer he's been to this organization the past few years? That's pretty pathetic.

I think Briggs had a good point. Nobody really knows just how bad Isiah was and how much of the insanity he owned.

I am not a fan of Marbury, but a happy, healthy Marbury playing at a high level can help us in 100 ways. I just suggest a wait and see. Spree choked his coach and went after a teammate (Hardaway) with a 2x4 and he did OK here. I agree that moving Marbury is no brainer. I also agree if he's healthy he's better than anyone we draft for the next couple of years.

I think the best scenario is a happy Marbury playing well come Feb. That expiring contract would be huge for us in maybe getting extra picks or players for 09-10

I think buying out Zach would go over real smooth and there would be no negative press whatsoever. I think Zach would accept whatever price we want to buy him out at(rolling eyes)

What a joke Berman is. The guy has lost all journalistic integrity, all just so he can have "exclusives" with a malcontent that has set this franchise back for years.

Everyone should switch over to the Daily News or Newsday, those guys give far better coverage than this garbage.