Ubuntuless Marbury

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Knicks’ season slogan appeared on the dry erase board inside the visiting locker room at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday night. It wasn’t, “Yes, We Can,” but that was the gist.

Along the opposite wall, Stephon Marbury sat in front of his locker with his head down, texting on his P.D.A. The message staring him in the face — had he bothered to look up — failed to resonate. For the second time in a week, Marbury declined to plug a gaping hole in the backcourt.

Desperate for reinforcements, Coach Mike D’Antoni asked Marbury to play, according to a person briefed on their exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Marbury, despite having nothing wrong with him physically, also declined to play Friday in Milwaukee, when the Knicks were down to seven healthy players after making two trades. Quentin Richardson joined the brigade of the bruised in the second half of the Knicks’ 110-96 defeat Wednesday night when he fell hard to the floor, landing on his left forearm. He thought he might have broken his arm — X-rays were negative — but he returned in the fourth quarter and gutted out six minutes.

Afterward, Richardson said he told D’Antoni to put him in the game so he would not let his teammates down. Richardson was easing a compression sleeve on his forearm when he was asked how he felt about a healthy teammate who wouldn’t play. “You mean Steph?” Richardson said. Speaking without rancor, he continued: “I don’t consider him my teammate. He hasn’t played with us all year. He didn’t want to play with us. I don’t look at him as a teammate because teammates don’t do that.”

He added: “Regardless of if you’re trying to stick it to whoever you’re trying to stick it to, at the end of the day we’re short-handed. People are hurt. A teammate would get out there and help.”

Steph started McHale on the black hole's downward spiral as Wolves' GM, and, once McHale got rid of him, Marbury never really changed his tune.