FROM AN OG's PERSPECTIVE
:afro:
The most likely thing here is that there was miscommunication, between both parties: D'Antoni and Steph. D'Antoni could easily misconstrue Marbury's concern, about his place with the team, as a refusal to play. It's easy for Steph, who claimed he was told by D'Antoni that he did not have a clean slate, after hearing, publicly, that he had an opportunity to earn a spot on the team, to feel he could not trust D'Antoni.
There are clearly deeply-seated bad feelings, perhaps as a carry-over from their Phoenix days, between both individuals. D'Antoni, according to the Berman article, was forced to offer Marbury playing time, after the latest trades, by Donnie Walsh, who, if you remember (from media reports, earlier this season), claimed he was unaware of Marbury not being offered a role and would leave roster decisions up to D'Antoni. This tells us that D'Antoni has never wanted to play Marbury, has been playing with Steph's head and is not approaching Steph in good faith.
Furthermore, in this article, Marbury uses one of the terms that D'Antoni has used in the past: "clean slate," when he says that, prior to the Cavs game, he was told, by D'Antoni himself, that he "did not have a clean state, coming into the regular season," and that the other players did. Marbury also stated that he, along with the rest of us (who thought otherwise), had no idea that he would no longer be a part of the Knicks' rotation, that he heard about this after Q-Snitch served as D'Antoni's messsenger boy and announced the details to the rest of the team.
As for Q, he's clearly acting inappropriately, as he has in the past, with his off-the-record leaks to the press. What can I say? He knows how to charm his way into the graces of those in charge. Perceptive people, and real students of the game, however, can see right through him. He's a scrub, with no game and a golden tongue.
As someone older than most of the posters on this site, with a few more years of real world experience, than most, working with, and around, powerful people, I can tell you that this organization is at fault. Walsh is a good guy here, but he's allowing D'Antoni to act unethically, in regards to Steph. I think Walsh needs to pull these men into his office and extract the truth from D'Antoni and Marbury, as to their feelings, after which he should try to resolve the issues at hand, with the end result either being Marbury being bought out or playing out his contract with the Knicks.