Marbury's Impending Release is Quiet Because it Doesn't Change Much for the Knicks

In a nice touch that Ziller called "understated," New York Times' Howard Beck sure makes it sound like Stephen Marbury's fate is sealed:

Most of the Knicks' top rotation players from last season have been scrimmaging at the team's training center. The group has included Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, David Lee, Nate Robinson, Jared Jeffries, Wilson Chandler and Zach Randolph, as well as the free-agent pickup Chris Duhon. The most notable absence has been Stephon Marbury, who is expected to be waived before the season.

As Tom points out, it's weird that it took this long. The concept of money seems fairly meaningless over at MSG, and it's not like anyone thought Marbury had room for redemption. Maybe it was the collapse of the Zach Randolph-to-Memphis deal that finally dissipated last week. You've got to figure the new Knicks regime has two top priorities -- both of them pretty tall orders. They need to clean house, financially and character-wise, and then get a D'Antoni-style party in place. It just so happens that the "problems" -- Marbury, Randolph and Eddy Curry -- are also the most onerous contracts, which makes things a little more tidy. It would be a real pain if the cap and morals were two entirely separate fronts.

But what's missing here is the transition from tearing it down to living in a brave new world: Time, suffering, and inconclusiveness. Yes, the likes of Walsh and D'Antoni can work miracles, but you've got to wonder if the Knicks, or at least the media and fans, aren't misguided in expecting the organization to pull off both at once -- in effect, ignoring that yucky transition period. This might be the autumn talking here, but isn't it entirely possible that the two objectives could end up stepping on each others' feet? Teams have rebuilt out of nowhere, but almost never with as much of a grandiose mess on their hands as the Knicks have -- or with as specific requirements as D'Antoni, or maybe just his admirers, have for a team with his name on it.

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