NBA Marbury's future remains unresolved following a meeting with the team president

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Stephon Marbury's future with the New York Knicks was "not resolved" Monday during a meeting with team president Donnie Walsh, according to the players' association lawyer representing him.

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AP

Stephon Marbury

Marbury arrived at the team's practice facility at 2:25 p.m. and met with Walsh for about 20 minutes. His representative, Hal Biagas, walked out of the building shortly after 3 p.m. and into the car where Marbury was waiting.

"(We'll) try to keep this in house and so no comment at this time," Biagas said. "We'll keep you posted as things happen."

Walsh suspended Marbury for one game without pay and docked him an additional game's salary last week after the Knicks said the point guard refused coach Mike D'Antoni's request to play in a loss to Detroit last Wednesday.

Biagas wouldn't say if Marbury, who was penalized nearly US$400,000, was reinstated or if there had been any progress toward a buyout.

"We had a conversation," he said.

Marbury wants out of New York and lashed out at teammates and coach Mike D'Antoni in Monday's New York Post.

"I sat there for three weeks and didn't say one word," Marbury told The Post. "I didn't hear one of my teammates say, 'Why isn't Stephon Marbury playing? This is a good system for him, even to play with the second unit and bring more firepower.'

"When things got bad and then worse, guys like Quentin Richardson say, 'I don't consider him a teammate. He let his teammates out to dry.' He didn't care I was his teammate when I was banished. They left me out for dead. It's like we're in a foxhole and I'm facing the other way. If I got shot in the head, at least you want to get shot by the enemy. I got shot in the head by my own guys in my foxhole.

"And they didn't even give me an honourable death."

Knicks players have grown tired of the controversies caused by Marbury, especially because they'd like more focus on their improved play this season. New York (8-8) ended November at .500 or better for the first time since going 7-6 in 2004.

"I don't know what to say to that, more than I'm sorry he feels that way and I don't get the impression that we've done that," David Lee said. "But moving forward, as I said, this has just got to get taken care of whenever it gets taken care of."