PHILADELPHIA – Stephon Marbury and the Knicks moved a step closer to divorce yesterday when coach Mike D’Antoni announced the fallen point guard will be on the inactive list barring a major injury to a teammate.
Marbury and D’Antoni met in the lobby of the team hotel for 10 minutes before last night’s horrific 116-87 loss to the Sixers at the Wachovia Center. Marbury told reporters it was “the coach’s decision.” D’Antoni said they “mutually agreed” on it.
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Marbury, who sat on the bench in a black sports coat and jabbered with heckling fans, told The Post he just wants to play basketball, preferably for the Knicks. But Marbury emphatically stated he will not ask for his release. The Knicks will have to come to him, Marbury said. The point guard swears that has not happened yet.
A breakup is clearly where this is headed, with D’Antoni’s distaste for Marbury running deep and the situation causing a distraction.
“I’m a free agent, too,” Marbury said, referring to his status after the season. “I got to get on the floor and show what I can do. I still want to play basketball here. I still love the fans. I want to play basketball and I want to win a championship. If it’s not to be that way, there’s nothing I can do.”
According to a league source, if the Knicks and Marbury part ways, the Nuggets and Heat have keen interest. Marbury spent a lot of time this summer with Nuggets assistant Tim Grgurich, working out with him informally in Los Angeles.
Grgurich was in L.A. working with the Nuggets’ Kenyon Martin. Marbury also attended Grgurich’s basketball camp in Las Vegas. Journeyman Anthony Carter is the Nuggets’ point guard, with Allen Iverson playing off the ball.
Despite denials, Heat president Pat Riley would love to add Marbury, too. Recent addition Shaun Livingston hasn’t solved their playmaking woes.
D’Antoni deceived Marbury into thinking he’d be part of things when he played him 20 minutes a game during the preseason.
“They told me I had a fresh start,” Marbury said.
However, a source familiar with the coaching staff’s feelings said the view on Marbury is, “A leopard doesn’t change his spots. Why take the risk?”
The players didn’t take offense to Marbury’s demotion. The Post has learned the players gave D’Antoni the game ball following their season-opening victory againstMiami.
The two hadn’t talked about Marbury’s demotion until yesterday. Marbury thought he’d see time off the bench in the opener.
“I was blind-sided,” Marbury said. “It was like getting hit by a tractor-trailer. I thought in the second quarter I was going to go in.”
D’Antoni couldn’t have made it clearer that he has no plans to get Marbury in there any time soon and doesn’t think it’s appropriate to dress him. The coach wants to see Marbury waived, but team president Donnie Walsh, who convinced D’Antoni to bring Marbury to camp, is waiting.
The Knicks could release Marbury and add Patrick Ewing Jr.
“There’s not a big enough piece for him, so I don’t want to play him,” D’Antoni said. “This is the direction we’re going. He’s not a [Danilo] Gallinari who I can play four minutes and take him out. Either he has a big part of the pie or none. It would be disrespectful to play him four minutes.”
Marbury prefers to dress than be inactive. D’Antoni said that between Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Chris Duhon, there’s only a handful of minutes left over and he’d rather give them to Mardy Collins. Crawford, Robinson and Duhon combined to shoot 10-for-34 last night.
“If there’s a bigger piece for him, I wouldn’t hesitate to use him,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t want to just garbage time him. You play [Anthony] Roberson or Gallinari; you don’t play a Marbury.”
Asked about D’Antoni cursing fans who chanted his name, Marbury said, “We need to support D’Antoni for the decision he’s making. If this is the right direction, we got to respect that and honor that.”