Marbury MIA

My, my. Isiah seems to be challenging Marbury to step it up. From Howard Beck at the Times;

Marbury traveled with the team from New York to Phoenix on Monday, but he left Phoenix early Tuesday morning, possibly to return to New York. He also has a home in the Los Angeles area, where the Knicks play Wednesday night. The Knicks would not say where Marbury had gone, but Thomas at one point said, ”We look forward to seeing him tomorrow.”

Thomas declined to say whether Marbury left of his own volition or whether he was asked to leave. Thomas called it ”an in-house matter,” a phrase he invoked 12 times in a seven-minute interview after the team’s shoot-around. The coach also repeatedly stressed that Marbury is welcome to return, though in what role he would not say.

Tension between Marbury, once considered the face of the franchise, and Thomas – who acquired Marbury in a 2004 trade – seems to stem from Marbury’s contributions to the Knicks’ poor start (2-3). He has been indifferent on defense and erratic on offense, most notably in the final minutes of Sunday’s 75-72 loss to the Miami Heat.

Marbury is averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 assists in five games this season, while shooting 40 percent from the field. However, those are not the things that most concern Thomas.

”We need leadership from that position at the point guard, and we also need defense,” Thomas said. ”And those are two things that he’s definitely capable of doing. And when he returns, that’s what I expect out of him. I expect him to lead from that position and I expect him to defend from that position. Those are the only two things that I require from that position.”