Marbury said that, after being dissed by D'Antoni, Rivers has been a godsend. "He's unbelievable, breathtaking, he's a real man," Marbury said. "He tells you right in the face as soon as it happens. There ain't no bull." Marbury also tweaked D'Antoni's lack of priority on defense. "Night and day," Marbury said of the emphasis on defense between the coaching staffs. "When you preach defense - and you look it up, preach means delivering a message - that's what you perform up to. When you preach defense, [it] wins championships. You don't even think about it. It's something you just do." New York Post
Marbury knows he could've at least made starting point guard Chris Duhon's transition to New York smoother. Duhon's first season in New York has been a bust, with coach Mike D'Antoni admitting he burned out Duhon after deciding to sit Marbury after preseason. "If I was playing with him, I would've helped him out tremendously, and I was willing to do that," Marbury said. "I just wanted to play. I hated watching. I worked hard for seven months, then [D'Antoni] shut me down. It wasn't to be. I can't complain, because it worked out for the best. I'm playing 17 minutes. I was playing no minutes." New York Post
"I feel bad as a Knick fan," said Marbury, who agreed to a buyout Feb. 24 after not playing a single game this season. "I'm still a Knick fan. I love New York. I did it the best way I knew. Maybe it wasn't the best way people wanted me to do it, but I did it wanting to win." New York Post
