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MavKikiNYC · 01-27-2006, 02:46 PM

Steph laughs at Isiah's suit
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, January 26th, 2006

The four stitches on Stephon Marbury's lower lip and the Knicks' miserable record should be the least of his problems. But the veteran point guard doesn't see it that way. In fact, Marbury says he can "laugh at" the controversy swirling around himself, his family, Isiah Thomas and the team.

Asked yesterday if the events of the past two days were a distraction, Marbury said: "I mean, it's not a distraction to me, and I'm in the paper about as much as Isiah. But I laugh at it. It's a joke to me. I just laugh at it."

Thomas, the Knicks president, is being sued by a former high-ranking Madison Square Garden employee for sexual harassment and discrimination. Marbury was named in the lawsuit for making derogatory comments toward the plaintiff, Anucha Browne Sanders.

Also, Hassan Gonsalves, one of Marbury's two cousins hired by the Knicks' community relations department, was fired for sexually harassing several women on the staff and defrauding the company, according to the lawsuit. The Daily News reported on Thursday that Gonsalves threatened Browne Sanders after he was fired, telling her, "We know you have kids. We know where you live."

Another cousin, Tasheem Ward, is still employed by the team and is well-liked and respected by his co-workers.

Marbury confirmed that Gonsalves was dismissed by Browne Sanders, saying, "Yeah, that happened." He declined, however, to discuss anything relating to the lawsuit or Browne Sanders. The moody point guard, appearing more jovial than usual, smiled as he repeated over and over, "I'm not at liberty to talk about that."

"That's a good line, right?" he added.

Thomas attended practice yesterday in Greenburgh but exited before the media were allowed to enter the room. He was not available for comment.

Marbury believes that the Garden's legal troubles have had no impact on the Knicks, who are 13-27 after losing to the Sacramento Kings in overtime on Wednesday.

"I think guys are probably more frustrated as far as losing," said Marbury, who suffered a cut lip in the loss. "But all of this other stuff, I think everyone is starting to understand this is New York. You can't really go to the bathroom the wrong way. If somebody smells it the wrong way, they're going to write about it.

That's just how it is. I think everyone is getting used to that, and they understand it."

Marbury is standing firmly behind Thomas, who acquired him two years ago from the Phoenix Suns. The deal, Thomas' signature trade as Knicks' president, has yet to result in a playoff victory or a winning record in the regular season.

The close relationship between Marbury and Thomas has created friction in the locker room over the years. Many former teammates felt that Marbury flaunted his ties with Thomas by occasionally sitting out practice or breaking off plays in games without being reprimanded.

Last season, when Lenny Wilkens still was the coach, Marbury gave an impassioned speech to his teammates about pulling together. His impromptu pep talk came right before a morning practice. But as soon as the team took the court, Marbury retreated to the locker room for a massage.

Because of Thomas, Marbury publicly endorsed the hiring of Larry Brown even though he and Brown had clashed at the 2004 Olympics. This season, Brown and Marbury have had two memorable hissing matches that played out in the media. But since last month's loss at Orlando, Marbury has played better and seems to have a better understanding of what Brown wants from his point guard.

According to sources, Thomas is surprised that Marbury hasn't handled the pressure of playing in New York as well as he thought the Brooklyn-born point guard would. Publicly, however, Thomas has gone out of his way to support Marbury even at the expense of losing some credibility with some players.

Marbury is returning that loyalty by saying yesterday that he believes that Thomas will be exonerated of all charges.

"What he always tells me is, if you're true to the game, the game is going to be true to you," Marbury said. "So, whenever you know the truth, the truth lies on top all the time. So, you feel bad that these things are happening, but at the same time, in the back of his mind, he knows what's right."

01-27-2006, 02:46 PM	#44
MavKikiNYC Diamond Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 8,509	Steph laughs at Isiah's suit BY FRANK ISOLA DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Thursday, January 26th, 2006 The four stitches on Stephon Marbury's lower lip and the Knicks' miserable record should be the least of his problems. But the veteran point guard doesn't see it that way. In fact, Marbury says he can "laugh at" the controversy swirling around himself, his family, Isiah Thomas and the team. Asked yesterday if the events of the past two days were a distraction, Marbury said: "I mean, it's not a distraction to me, and I'm in the paper about as much as Isiah. But I laugh at it. It's a joke to me. I just laugh at it." Thomas, the Knicks president, is being sued by a former high-ranking Madison Square Garden employee for sexual harassment and discrimination. Marbury was named in the lawsuit for making derogatory comments toward the plaintiff, Anucha Browne Sanders. Also, Hassan Gonsalves, one of Marbury's two cousins hired by the Knicks' community relations department, was fired for sexually harassing several women on the staff and defrauding the company, according to the lawsuit. The Daily News reported on Thursday that Gonsalves threatened Browne Sanders after he was fired, telling her, "We know you have kids. We know where you live." Another cousin, Tasheem Ward, is still employed by the team and is well-liked and respected by his co-workers. Marbury confirmed that Gonsalves was dismissed by Browne Sanders, saying, "Yeah, that happened." He declined, however, to discuss anything relating to the lawsuit or Browne Sanders. The moody point guard, appearing more jovial than usual, smiled as he repeated over and over, "I'm not at liberty to talk about that." "That's a good line, right?" he added. Thomas attended practice yesterday in Greenburgh but exited before the media were allowed to enter the room. He was not available for comment. Marbury believes that the Garden's legal troubles have had no impact on the Knicks, who are 13-27 after losing to the Sacramento Kings in overtime on Wednesday. "I think guys are probably more frustrated as far as losing," said Marbury, who suffered a cut lip in the loss. "But all of this other stuff, I think everyone is starting to understand this is New York. You can't really go to the bathroom the wrong way. If somebody smells it the wrong way, they're going to write about it. That's just how it is. I think everyone is getting used to that, and they understand it." Marbury is standing firmly behind Thomas, who acquired him two years ago from the Phoenix Suns. The deal, Thomas' signature trade as Knicks' president, has yet to result in a playoff victory or a winning record in the regular season. The close relationship between Marbury and Thomas has created friction in the locker room over the years. Many former teammates felt that Marbury flaunted his ties with Thomas by occasionally sitting out practice or breaking off plays in games without being reprimanded. Last season, when Lenny Wilkens still was the coach, Marbury gave an impassioned speech to his teammates about pulling together. His impromptu pep talk came right before a morning practice. But as soon as the team took the court, Marbury retreated to the locker room for a massage. Because of Thomas, Marbury publicly endorsed the hiring of Larry Brown even though he and Brown had clashed at the 2004 Olympics. This season, Brown and Marbury have had two memorable hissing matches that played out in the media. But since last month's loss at Orlando, Marbury has played better and seems to have a better understanding of what Brown wants from his point guard. According to sources, Thomas is surprised that Marbury hasn't handled the pressure of playing in New York as well as he thought the Brooklyn-born point guard would. Publicly, however, Thomas has gone out of his way to support Marbury even at the expense of losing some credibility with some players. Marbury is returning that loyalty by saying yesterday that he believes that Thomas will be exonerated of all charges. "What he always tells me is, if you're true to the game, the game is going to be true to you," Marbury said. "So, whenever you know the truth, the truth lies on top all the time. So, you feel bad that these things are happening, but at the same time, in the back of his mind, he knows what's right." Last edited by MavKikiNYC; 01-27-2006 at 02:47 PM.