By MARC BERMAN
Can the Knicksâ season take any more grief?
The death of Stephon Marburyâs father, Donald Sr., who suffered an apparent heart attack at the Garden while watching the Phoenix game last night, threw the Knicks into a legitimate state of despair beyond the wins and losses.
Donald was rushed to St. Vincentâs hospital where he passed away. Marbury didnât know about it until after the game. Thereâs no telling when he will return to the team.
It was such a bizarre scene after the game. The locker room was shut to reporters for 25 minutes, as they wondered what kind of new incident had transpired. When the reporters arrived, almost every Knick had cleared out, the ones who were left were ashen. Most of his teammates bolted, obviously to give Marbury his space to grieve.
Marbury was in the off-limits training room. Reporters were not told what was going on, though the expression on Knicksâ officials faces indicated something was very wrong.
Speculation was rampant another argument had taken place with him and Isiah Thomas, who was extremely sad during his postgame press conference. The door, usually open, was shut to the training room but Garden president Steve Mills could be seen through the cracks by the shower area, obviously consoling Marbury.
Marbury finally emerged, said a Bible verse about Jesus to the room and was whisked away by security and escorted out of the Garden where he headed to St. Vincentâs Hospital. It wasnât until 20 minutes later when word started leaking to some reporters Marburyâs father had passed away.
Even before his fatherâs death, Marbury had admitted to confidants this was the most trying time of his career â his feud with Isiah Thomas, the deaths of his aunt and a coaching mentor, the boos at the Garden. Now he must console his mother, Mabel, whose lost five of her siblings the past few years. Marbury may need an extended leave of absence before he is fit to return.