Sep 23, 2008 - 11:21 AM
0 shoutsMELVILLE, New York (Ticker) -- Stephon Marbury's disappointing stint with the New York Knicks could end as early as this week.
The Knicks plan to part ways with the mercurial point guard in a matter of days, Newsday reported on Tuesday.
Citing several sources with knowledge of the situation, Newsday reported that the Knicks likely will place Marbury on waivers before negotiating a buyout of a contract that will pay him $21.9 million this season.
It has been a relatively quiet offseason for Marbury, who underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle this past April. Marbury's future in New York has been in doubt ever since the Knicks overhauled their front office by hiring new president Donnie Walsh and new head coach Mike D'Antoni.
Marbury, 31, played in only 24 games during a tumultuous and unproductive 2007-08 season that included a November walkout and a year-long feud with former coach and president Isiah Thomas. Marbury's season ended on January 18 due to the ankle injury.
The 11-year veteran's status with the Knicks remained a constant uncertainty since he unceremoniously left the team on November 13 upon learning that he had been demoted from the starting lineup.
After missing a game against the Phoenix Suns that night, he returned to the Knicks two days later and came off the bench in their next three contests.
Marbury also took three leaves of absence since his father passed away on December 2. At the time, he was angered with the way Thomas handled the news of his father's death.
Marbury's feud with Thomas helped undermine the Knicks' season, as New York finished 23-59, matching a team record for losses.
Marbury has endured a difficult four-year stretch with the Knicks, who acquired the talented but troubled guard in an eight-player deal with the Suns on January 5, 2004.
A Brooklyn native and a lifelong Knicks fan, Marbury has been one of the central figures for a franchise which has become one of the biggest laughingstocks in American professional sports.
Marbury testified in court this past summer when former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders filed an $11.6 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Thomas and Madison Square Garden.
During his testimony, Marbury admitted to making derogatory comments about Sanders while revealing that he had sex with an MSG intern in a truck outside a strip club in 2005.
The Knicks, who have not finished with a winning record since the 2000-01 season, have gone through four different coaches while traditionally owning the league's highest payroll since Marbury joined the team.
New York reached the postseason in Marbury's first season with the team but suffered a four-game series sweep at the hands of the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Widely considered a selfish player, Marbury has failed to mesh with numerous star teammates throughout his career, including Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, Keith Van Horn, Eddy Curry, Allan Houston and Steve Francis.
Marbury also has clashed with his coaches and made headlines for his public gripes with then-Knicks coach Larry Brown during the 2005-06 campaign.
Despite his problems both on and off the court, Marbury has been one of the NBA's top point guards during his career. The two-time All-Star has averaged 19.7 points and 7.8 assists in 823 career games with the Knicks, Suns, Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
