In an exclusive, hour-long interview with The Post following his latest collision with controversy, Stephon Marbury yesterday said he does not want to play for a coach he can’t trust – and pleaded with Knicks brass to set him free.
Marbury might get his wish very soon, as Knicks president Donnie Walsh is investigating whether to discipline Marbury, seek a quick buyout or simply release the embattled player.
MORE: Rest Of Knicks A Big Mess, Too!
MORE: Complete Knicks Coverage
The final straw came Wednesday night in Auburn Hills, when the Knicks’ lightning rod chose not to accept coach Mike D’Antoni’s offer to become the starting shooting guard the rest of the season.
Walsh made no decisions yesterday, spending the holiday with his family in Indiana.
In Marbury’s Thanksgiving Day talk with The Post, the fallen star insisted his Knicks exile “needs to end.”
“We need to separate from the relationship,” he said. “The marriage is over. It’s a done deal.”
Marbury also revealed:
* He hopes to meet with Walsh today.
* D’Antoni told Marbury’s teammates of the guard’s impending exile before the season opener – without informing him.
* He never refused to play, and would have played had D’Antoni given the order.
* His suspicion of D’Antoni is so deep, “I wouldn’t trust him to walk my dog across the street.”
Walsh could attempt to fine Marbury for each game he does not play, starting with Wednesday’s loss to Detroit, when the decimated Knicks were down to two guards. That would amount to $199,000 per game (1/110th of Marbury’s $21.9 million wage, as the collective-bargaining agreement states).
The Knicks president also could just release Marbury and fight over the money owed later, citing a contract breach.
Wednesday marked the second time in five days D’Antoni asked Marbury to play only to get turned down.
Players Association attorney Hal Biagas, who represented Marbury during a buyout meeting two weeks ago, said the union would appeal any fine.
“He expressed concern he wasn’t comfortable, he never said ‘no,’ ” said Biagas, who discussed the matter with Marbury on Wednesday.
Yesterday, Marbury emphatically stated the Knicks would be out of line to fine him.
“If you say I gotta play, I’m going to play,” Marbury said. “If he said I have to play, guess what, I’m going to get on the court and play, period. If I refuse to play, I’m getting suspended. I never told him I’m not going to play. Those words never came out of my mouth. That’s insubordination.”
It’s also a technicality, and still unpopular to a fan base that believes Marbury has bailed out on the franchise he grew up worshipping, failing to see the bigger picture.
The Knicks are decimated after trading guards Jamal Crawford and Mardy Collins, losing Nate Robinson to a groin strain, and with newcomer Cuttino Mobley potentially possessing a heart defect that may prevent him from playing.
Marbury now clogs up a key roster spot that could be used to sign a guard.
“I didn’t create this,” Marbury said. “I’m sitting inside the car. I’m not behind the wheel in the driver’s seat. I have no control of the wheel of the car, if we’re turning or going straight. I’m sitting in the backseat. He’s not going to play me because my heart isn’t in it, because the way he treated me. That’s on him, not me.”
Marbury also did not believe D’Antoni’s expressed intention of starting him the rest of the season was sincere – and thinks he was being set up.
“They want to take my money,” Marbury said. “I’m not going to let them.”
In an ESPN interview Tuesday before the game against Cleveland, D’Antoni said Marbury was still out of the Knicks’ plans.
“We’re better off this way,” D’Antoni said.
It’s possible Walsh forced D’Antoni to change course the next day.
Marbury is further bitter that, two days before the season opener, D’Antoni told Quentin Richardson, the team captain, that Marbury was not going to play versus Miami – but the coach didn’t tell Marbury.
According to Marbury, Richardson told his teammates the news. Marbury, who has not played this season, found out his status from a teammate, not from D’Antoni.
“Mike created this from the beginning,” Marbury said. “Why did he create this environment? I came here ready to play, focused, taking on the role I was ready to take on. They said, ‘We don’t want you.’ I’m not in the plans. I said, ‘OK, no problem.’ “
Things have changed dramatically with the roster, but to Marbury’s mind, nothing has changed regarding how the coach feels about him.
“He told me [Wednesday] that I didn’t have a clean slate when training camp started.” Marbury said. “Everybody else got a clean slate.”
Marbury was disappointed to hear Richardson’s remarks following Wednesday’s loss, when the Knicks were down to seven players after Wilson Chandler’s ejection.
“I don’t consider him my teammate,” Richardson said of Marbury. “You don’t do that to teammates. Regardless of whoever he’s trying to stick it to, at the end of the day, we’re being left out there.”
Said Marbury: “Quentin doesn’t understand what’s going on in the business side, but I’m sorry he feels that way.”