Marbury sat in street clothes again Wednesday night as the Knicks edged Larry Brown's Bobcats 101-98 at the Garden. Marbury has yet to play and D'Antoni has no plans to change course.

"It may not be pretty short-term, but the worst thing you can do is go back on something he's committed to," the source told The Post. "Considering what happened last year, other players will be like, 'here we go again.' They'd never trust him."

Last season, Isiah Thomas lost a lot of the players when Marbury returned to the team after he bolted the team last November in Phoenix. Thomas played Marbury the next game in L.A. against the players' wishes.

However, if Marbury could help the team win, it's surprising his teammates would not support his reinstatement. That may say more about them than Marbury. Marbury played a strong role during their preseason success. Knicks president Donnie Walsh does not appear on the same page as D'Antoni, otherwise the lightning-rod point guard would have been waived Monday.