Good bye.
What a huge disappointment.
Knicks reach buyout with exiled point guard Stephon Marbury
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Updated Tuesday, February 24th 2009, 7:47 PM
The Knicks reached a buyout with exiled point guard Stephon Marbury Tuesday, ending one of the most controversial careers in franchise history.
Marbury is scheduled to make $20.9 million this season and it believed that he would have to give the Knicks between $2 and $3 million for his freedom.
Marbury, Knicks president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D???Antoni attended an arbitration hearing on Tuesday in New York. Marbury is fighting the $400,000 fine he received for allegedly refusing to enter a game in November.
"A comprehensive agreement was made this afternoon between the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury," the Knicks said in a statement. "Under its terms, the grievance has been resolved and the Knicks have requested waivers on Stephon. No additional terms will be disclosed."
Before training camp last year, Walsh proudly stated that he had never negotiated a buyout with a player, which was standard operating procedure under Walsh's predecessor, Isiah Thomas. But with the Marbury situation becoming a distraction and increasingly embarrassing for the franchise, Walsh acknowledged in December that a buyout was a possibility.
"Everything is on the table," Walsh said.
Garden chairman James Dolan had a falling out with Marbury last season and it has been reported that Dolan was not in favor of giving Marbury money and allowing him to walk.
Walsh agreed with D'Antoni's assertion that the ongoing Marbury saga had become a distraction for the team. Twice over a five-day span in November, Marbury - told weeks earlier that he was not in the team's plans - declined D'Antoni's offer to play, leading to the fine.
As it turned out, Marbury would not play at all for the Knicks this season.
Marbury hasn't played since Jan. 11 of last season. He was traded from the Suns to the Knicks with Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski on Jan. 5, 2004. The Suns received Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess and Maciej Lampe.
Marbury led the Knicks to the playoffs only once, a four-game sweep at the hands of the Nets in the 2003-04 season. He averaged 21.3 points and 6.5 assists in the series.
His time with the Knicks was littered with controversy. The low point came in September of 2007 when Marbury took the stand in Anucha Browne Sanders $10 million sex-harassment suit against the Knicks. Marbury admitted calling Browne Sanders a "bitch" after she refused to give him more game tickets for his friends and family.
"She told me that this is not Phoenix or New Jersey, we're not doing things like that here," Marbury said at the time.
Marbury has also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Jersey Nets.
What a huge disappointment.
Knicks reach buyout with exiled point guard Stephon Marbury
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Updated Tuesday, February 24th 2009, 7:47 PM
The Knicks reached a buyout with exiled point guard Stephon Marbury Tuesday, ending one of the most controversial careers in franchise history.
Marbury is scheduled to make $20.9 million this season and it believed that he would have to give the Knicks between $2 and $3 million for his freedom.
Marbury, Knicks president Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D???Antoni attended an arbitration hearing on Tuesday in New York. Marbury is fighting the $400,000 fine he received for allegedly refusing to enter a game in November.
"A comprehensive agreement was made this afternoon between the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury," the Knicks said in a statement. "Under its terms, the grievance has been resolved and the Knicks have requested waivers on Stephon. No additional terms will be disclosed."
Before training camp last year, Walsh proudly stated that he had never negotiated a buyout with a player, which was standard operating procedure under Walsh's predecessor, Isiah Thomas. But with the Marbury situation becoming a distraction and increasingly embarrassing for the franchise, Walsh acknowledged in December that a buyout was a possibility.
"Everything is on the table," Walsh said.
Garden chairman James Dolan had a falling out with Marbury last season and it has been reported that Dolan was not in favor of giving Marbury money and allowing him to walk.
Walsh agreed with D'Antoni's assertion that the ongoing Marbury saga had become a distraction for the team. Twice over a five-day span in November, Marbury - told weeks earlier that he was not in the team's plans - declined D'Antoni's offer to play, leading to the fine.
As it turned out, Marbury would not play at all for the Knicks this season.
Marbury hasn't played since Jan. 11 of last season. He was traded from the Suns to the Knicks with Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski on Jan. 5, 2004. The Suns received Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess and Maciej Lampe.
Marbury led the Knicks to the playoffs only once, a four-game sweep at the hands of the Nets in the 2003-04 season. He averaged 21.3 points and 6.5 assists in the series.
His time with the Knicks was littered with controversy. The low point came in September of 2007 when Marbury took the stand in Anucha Browne Sanders $10 million sex-harassment suit against the Knicks. Marbury admitted calling Browne Sanders a "bitch" after she refused to give him more game tickets for his friends and family.
"She told me that this is not Phoenix or New Jersey, we're not doing things like that here," Marbury said at the time.
Marbury has also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Jersey Nets.