Steph speaks

Listening to Stephon Marbury speak Monday at the Knicks' media day before the team left to start training camp Tuesday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., one thing seemed glaringly obvious.

However this ends, or even if it doesn't, it's not going to be pretty.

"Now it's different because the business part of it has come into play," he said. "I have no feeling about what they're doing .... because once I get out on the basketball court, I'll show what I can do."

If he ever gets on the basketball court in any meaningful situation, that is.

One theory is that the Knicks could freeze him out and give him very little significant run, so that he becomes so disgusted, he'll accept less than the $21.9 million he believes he's already earned just to get out of Dodge and play somewhere else. At 31, he can't afford to waste a full season.

Bottom line, he gets playing time only at the behest of Mike D'Antoni.

The Knicks basically did that with a far lesser player four years ago, Shandon Anderson, freezing him out in training camp before buying him out for less than he was owed _ and although that was the Isiah Thomas Regime, Jim Dolan still wrote the check.

Another theory, of course, is if he doesn't get that playing time or doesn't get treated the way he believes he should, he'll create enough of a distraction that he'll force the Knicks' hand and get all his money to leave.

That's why perhaps the most amusing thing, other than some of what he said, was watching Marbury's teammates watch him. From how they reacted (and some admitted it later), they were clearly thinking things such as, "He's still here?" and "I thought we were beyond this."

A third scenario, of course, is that he gets plenty of training camp run, wins a starting job and plays like a guy on the final year of his contract, looking for the next one. As simple and sensible as that seems, the equally simple fact that Marbury said he and D'Antoni "haven't really really spoken" and that D'Antoni says they have suggests that two of the principles in this aren't on the same page.

And whomever is correct, D'Antoni holds the hammer.

"There are no emotions attached to this," Marbury said of his status. "I don't know my situation or their plans."

Party on, Steph.

***

Some other items arising from media day:

- Eddy Curry wore a baggy outfit, the usual sign of a guy who doesn't want to reveal what kind of shape he's in. To be fair, Eddy's never going to be an Adonis, but even beneath all the cloth, he doesn't exactly look svelte, either, confirming what D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh said last week of his questionable shape.

- Danilo Gallinari insists he can be ready for the Oct. 29 regular season opener despite the lower back injury that will sideline him for the start of camp.

- Part of Allan Houston's role on this team, if he's in uniform, he said, would be to re-establish the kind of culture he learned from the likes of Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley when he first arrived in New York.

"I feel like my job is kind of to assist in that," he said. "And if I can do that while I'm playing ... it's not going to help if I'm not out there gaining the respect of the guys. Whether it's practice or in game, that's really what it's about, being able to help them while I'm playing."

Houston, however, also said that he isn't sure whether he'll be ready to contribute on the floor in November or December or even by opening night, Oct. 29.

Plenty more to come from Saratoga Springs this week, perhaps even later in this space.