PHOENIX - Stephon Marbury's career as a Knick isn't over, but his days as a team leader, even if it's mostly been by name, are all but done.

The point guard's latest episode of bizarre behavior, in which he suddenly left the team Tuesday morning before Tuesday night's game against the Suns, drew more groans than gasps from his teammates.

“Not everyone was upset,” one Knicks player said.

But although there are conflicting reports as to whether Marbury had permission to go, some teammates did try to stop him from flying back to New York after the team charter arrived Monday. But that's where he was Tuesday night when the Knicks, already without Zach Randolph (in Indiana for his grandmother's funeral) and Quentin Richardson (elbow), faced the Suns. Isiah Thomas started only two of his usual starters, with Mardy Collins replacing Marbury.

The Knicks play the Clippers Wednesday night in Los Angeles, and Thomas left the door open for Marbury to be back in time to play.

Thomas would not discuss possible discipline for Marbury, again the center of controversy for a franchise trying to get out from under a black cloud of offseason turmoil. During the summer Marbury was criticized for misguided statements defending Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and for very odd behavior in a live segment on a WNBC sports talk show, which became a YouTube instant classic. Marbury's admitted tryst with a team intern in 2005 also made him a key figure in Anucha Browne Sanders' sexual harassment suit against the Garden.

But any talk of him being traded is probably fruitless. It would be surprising if a team would take on the two years and $42 million left on his contract, let alone the excess baggage of his personality. It is also very unlikely that Garden chairman James Dolan would OK a buyout of that large a contract, though it would be the only logical route if the Knicks wanted to part with Marbury. Thomas made it sound as if that was not the plan, saying, “We want him as a member of this team.”

Marbury told news outlets he had permission to go home, but Thomas would not confirm it. His comment on the situation was “in house” as in “Whatever matters we have in house, we'll try to keep in house.”

Thomas clearly was concerned about Marbury's play in preseason, which fueled speculation he was planning to bench his $20-million point guard.

Marbury's worst performance of the season came in Sunday's 75-72 loss to the previously winless Heat. Down the stretch he made costly mistakes, such as leaving his feet to make an errant pass and allowing too much room for Jason Williams to drill the winning basket. Marbury's poor perimeter defense has frustrated Thomas most.

Marbury wasn't the only target of Thomas' anger. He also spoke with Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford and suggested either could be benched if his game doesn't improve, but clearly the point-guard spot concerned him the most.

“We need leadership from the point guard and we also need defense,” Thomas said. “Those are two things that he's definitely capable of doing and when he returns, that's what I expect out of him.”

(Optional add end)

Thomas acquired the Coney Island-born Marbury from the Suns on Jan. 4, 2005 in a megadeal that generated great, though short-lived, buzz for the franchise. Less than two years later, Thomas traded for Curry and changed the offense from perimeter-focused to one that starts in the post. Marbury bristled at Larry Brown's attempts to get him to change his game and be more of a traditional point guard. Last season, Marbury seemed to finally accept the role and flourished late in the season, when he was the Knicks' best player in March.

“I thought last year was one of the best years he played in this league, not necessarily statistically,” Thomas said. “He's capable and, again, we want him and we need him.”

Marbury also butted heads with Thomas early last season before he conformed.

“It seems like he and I go through this every November, and then a couple of weeks go by and we kind of kiss and make up and we get back to the business of trying to win basketball games,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, in the next couple of days this will be resolved and we'll do as we did before.”