CB4allstar
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Stephon Marbury watches during the fourth quarter of last night's loss. David Lee grabs a rebound last night. Isiah Thomas' patience with Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis ran out 65 seconds into the third quarter last night. Before most fans had returned to their seats at the Garden to watch the second half, Marbury and Francis were on the bench and the great backcourt experiment was - at least for one game - over."No, I didn't understand that," said Marbury, who was visibly upset. "We were in the game for two minutes."The more Marbury talked, the more it sounded as if his archnemesis, Larry Brown, was calling the shots and not Thomas, his strongest advocate. But whether the events from the Knicks' 97-90 loss to Jeff Van Gundy's Houston Rockets represented the first signs of the Marbury-Thomas relationship cracking or was nothing more than a one-game aberration, will be proven in due time.But there clearly is a problem when the most expensive backcourt in the NBA becomes nothing more than a costly bench ornament. Marbury played three minutes and 38 seconds in the second half and Francis two minutes and 28 seconds."I was just digging in the tool shed tonight just trying to come up with the right tool to hang around," Thomas said after the Knicks fell to 4-8."We came out and we made two quick turnovers. (The backups) had been playing well. So before we got down 15, I wanted to try to get some pace back into the game. Jamal (Crawford) and Nate (Robinson) were playing well. It wasn't anything personal. I was just trying to reach and grab for anything I could to stay in the game."The Knicks were trailing 48-45 to start the second half before Houston converted two straight turnovers - a shot clock violation and Marbury's bad pass - into four quick points. The deficit was only eight points but Thomas called timeout and decided to make a move that seemed to surprise Marbury and Francis, two former All-Stars."The message is loud and clear," said Marbury, who stood by his locker and calmly answered reporters' questions. "I'm not going to go on the court and play like that anymore. I got a turnover. I'm going to be more conscious about not getting a turnover."Francis, playing against his former team, did not seem as upset. However, Francis was angry at Brown last season after Francis played 11 minutes against Orlando, just weeks after being traded by the Magic."That was a tough thing to deal with," Francis said of last night's benching. "But it was a decision that was made by the coach and I can't do anything about."Asked if he feels he is on a short leash, Marbury smiled and said: "If I had to go on tonight, I would say yeah."Thus far, the Marbury-Francis backcourt has been a bust. They don't seem comfortable or productive on the floor. During the first half of Saturday's loss to Boston, Marbury became agitated when he ran around a screen and Francis failed to pass him the ball. Marbury walked away and rolled his eyes. Although they are the regular starting backcourt, Marbury and Francis rarely play together once Thomas makes his first substitutions. In fact, Marbury made his second-half cameo as a replacement for Robinson. Three minutes later, Francis replaced Marbury."If we're out there playing the way he thinks we should be playing, our leash should be a little longer," Marbury said.Francis finished with seven points and two turnovers while Marbury wound up with three points, three assists and four turnovers. He took two shots - one fewer than both Jerome James and Kelvin Cato - in 20 minutes and dismissed the theory that he is playing tight at the Garden."I only took two shots," he said. "When you are pressing, usually you are just trying to score. I am doing what is being asked of me. That's all."Still, the Knicks' second unit continues to provide most of the scoring and energy. Crawford scored 25 points, David Lee added 15 points and 12 rebounds and the 5-9 Robinson had the defensive highlight of the season when he rejected 7-5 Yao Ming's shot in the third quarter. Channing Frye (22 points) was the lone starter to reach double figures and Eddy Curry had a rough outing against Yao again, being outscored 26-8. Tracy McGrady scored 24, including the three-pointer with 7:46 left that put Houston in the lead for good at 73-70. Queens product Rafter Alston added 17 points as Van Gundy improved to 7-1 against his former team.Two years ago, Lenny Wilkens was fired after Houston beat the Knicks. Last night, Van Gundy left more wreckage in his wake. Thomas said that Marbury and Francis will remain in the starting lineup but other than that, neither is guaranteed minutes."We definitely can all see he's not playing around," Curry said. "If guys are not producing he's going to yank them."</div>Marbury's acting like a little girl. If he wants to get minutes, then he has to be productive. He didnt play because Nate and Jamal outplayed he and Francis. That's all there is to it.Will the Knicks trade him?
