So proud of his off-season conditioning program, Stephon Marbury is producing a 45-minute fitness video due out for the Christmas shopping season.
The question for Mike D’Antoni isn’t whether Marbury has rebuilt himself into a superstar. It’s whether Marbury has rebuilt himself into the starting point-guard role he’s held his whole career.
All indications during Camp Saratoga was D’Antoni desperately wants his new pickup, Chris Duhon, to start at point guard and envisions Marbury as sixth man, playing more wing.
When the 197-pound Marbury was asked about his competition with Duhon, Marbury predicted he’ll be in the starting five opening night Oct. 29 at the Garden against Miami.
“You can’t assess it yet,” Marbury told The Post. “When the 29th comes, when the lights come on, it will be different. It doesn’t matter now who is on the court at what position. I know when that the game starts, I’ll have the ball or I’ll be receiving the ball to make plays for others and myself.”
Because D’Antoni has a high-school crush on Duhon, Marbury’s prediction may turn inaccurate. Most league scouts regard Duhon as a very good backup point guard, not a starter.
But a source said when D’Antoni watched tape of Marbury’s 24 games last season, he felt the club ran the ball more fluidly when Marbury was on the bench and Nate Robinson was in. The knock on Marbury is he dribbles too much and doesn’t make enough vertical passes to make the high-tempo hum.
When Donnie Walsh was asked last week about the point-guard situation, he named Duhon, Robinson and Mardy Collins without mentioning Marbury. The Knicks president said he views Marbury as much a wing man as a point guard.
“I’m a point guard,” Marbury disputed. “I can play other positions, but my natural position is a scoring point guard.”
Mount Marbury has yet to erupt, but signals point to that possibility if he’s unhappy with a bench role. Before training camp, he told The Post he wouldn’t want to be a reserve this season after getting himself in the best shape of his life. Marbury, wisely, has kept his mouth shut on the subject since.
“They know I’m ready,” Marbury said. “Everybody knows I’m ready.”
Marbury looked super during the two-a-day Saratoga practices and claims he can dunk this season.
“I knew I had to be a lot lighter for this type of basketball,” Marbury said. “I feel golden. This is easy because I prepared myself. It’s the easiest training camp I ever had by far.”
Walsh refuses to buy out Marbury’s $21.9 million contract, but that could be a scenario if Marbury is disgruntled. That would be a shame because D’Antoni goes with a tight nine-man rotation and reserves can get 25 minutes and up. D’Antoni is very open to using a three-guard alignment since the team’s strength – with all the injuries – is guard play.
If Marbury truly bleeds blue and orange and loves the speedball offense as he claims, he will want to be here. One of his best alternatives – Miami – no longer is in play after Pat Riley inked Shaun Livingston.
Marbury thinks D’Antoni’s philosophy in asking the guards to get the ball in position to shoot within eight seconds is brilliant. Marbury says if the shot isn’t there after eight seconds, they still have a chunk of shot clock left to get an open look.
Marbury’s weight loss to his lightest since Lincoln High – after long hikes and jogging the Hollywood Hills – motivated him to do the video.
“It’s for all different types of people, not just basketball players,” said Marbury, whose video is called “Starbury & Aim Sports Medicine Presents: The Rebuilding of the Mind, Body and Soul of a Superstar.”