Stephon Marbury is about to begin his second season playing for Shanxi in China, but before he left, the Post got in a phone call and learned Marbury’s most recent thoughts on his former coach — one, you’ll recall, he didn’t exactly get along with when their careers overlapped in New York.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Marbury said. “That’s all I got to say about D’Antoni’s situation. I don’t pay attention to his coaching. It hasn’t changed since he won 50 games or since all the how many games he’s lost here. If he had different pieces, he’s a very effective coach. But without any players that play with the realm of how he coaches the game, it will never be.
“It’s a matter of time,” Marbury added. “It’s a countdown now. He put a countdown on his head. Now (the fans) know we’re never going to win a championship like this.”
And yes, he said “we’re.” That’s because Marbury still considers himself a Knicks fan “even after what they did to me.” (Actually, here’s that full quote: “I just have one question for all Knick fans. When am I going to get blamed for this? I’m still a Knick fan even after what they did to me.”) In any case, Marbury added that D’Antoni doesn’t teach defense (a fair enough criticism) and that star players interested in winning titles, as opposed to just making money, shouldn’t want anything to do with D’Antoni (a debatable criticism, as the right players can make his system look good).
D’Antoni, in Denver to play you-know-who and the Nuggets tonight, declined comment to the paper.
Marbury: ‘Countdown’ to Knicks firing D’Antoni has begun [NYP]