After a difficult summer and amid rumors he's leaving the team permanently, Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury stomped out of the team's shootaround in Phoenix this morning, reportedly because Knicks coach Isiah Thomas declined to put him in tonight's starting lineup after his lackluster defense in Miami this past weekend. According to the Post, Marbury has told friends "he feels he's best playing 40 minutes a night and would struggle in a non-starting role." Thomas, sounding like any parent with a runaway teenager, appealed for the return of the 30-year-old player through the press. "We hope he's at the game," he told the Post. "If not, make no mistake about it, we do want him as a member of this basketball team."

Marbury Bolts From Knicks [NYP]
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Stephon Marbury's Days With the Knicks May Be Numbered [NYDN]