Marbury Buyout?: Reports from New York this morning continue to suggest the Knicks will be buying out and waiving guard Stephon Marbury before training camp opens next Monday. Whether or not this actually happens has a lot of moving parts, but in all seriousness, no one inside the Knicks organization will mirror these comments. It's inevitable that the Knicks part ways with Stephon, but where is the benefit to the Knicks? Steph is in the final year of his deal earning $21.9 million. There is a modern belief that you're guaranteed to pay Steph $21.9 million, the question becomes how much can you get him to knock off in order to be free of the Knicks? Would knocking $2 million off the deal be enough to get James Dolan to write off another deal? Is telling Cablevision shareholders that you saved $2 million enough? From a basketball side, Stephon is said to be in the best shape physically of his life, his ankle injury is said to be fully healed, and he's said to be killing the ball from outside. True, there is last year and the circus Stephon became, but it was that way with Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph too. Most of last year was because of Isiah Thomas, does that mean Steph has to go? It's easy to say cut the guy loose, but it's commonly believed that as soon as Steph clears waivers - which no one has the ability to pick up $21.9 million - he'll land in Miami or similar playoff caliber team in need of a point guard. With Steph in the best shape of his life, and playing for a contract it seems almost silly for the Knicks to not at least try him on in training camp. But if you listen to the reports, the ball may be in motion to sever ties and start fresh. If waiving Stephon is indeed the chosen course, and no one with the Knicks will admit that on or off the record, Stephon Marbury could be released before week's end. Just don't put money on it.

Shawn Happy With Situation: There has been a ton of speculation that the Miami HEAT would be looking to trade Shawn Marion after he opted not to become a free agent in July. Since that decision, Marion's name has been linked to a number of "speculative" scenarios simply because people refuse to believe Shawn is long-term for South Beach. Shawn took some time this week to talk to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, indicating that he and the HEAT were still talking extension. Sources close to Shawn said in early June that Shawn would have gladly opted out of his deal, if he had assurances that leaving his $17.8 million on the table would have turned into $60 million in a new deal. The HEAT ultimately opted not to make the deal, and Shawn opted for his final year. As an ending deal, Shawn and his game are incredibly attractive, especially to capped out teams with eyes for Shawn next summer. Miami is rumored to be looking towards Carlos Boozer or Andre Miller in the summer of 2009 likely at the expense of Marion's ending deal which could give Miami as much as $10 million in cap room, especially if things do not improve over last year. Shawn is viewed as expendable because he and rookie Michael Beasley are such similar players; however HEAT sources say that moving Shawn is not in the picture, now or in the foreseeable future, simply because the HEAT do not know how The Beazer is going to handle and adjust to the NBA game. Shawn says he and the team continue to talk about an extension, and those talks will likely continue through camp, but as Shawn said this week – it is what it is. If the HEAT struggle, or Beasley becomes a consistent night-in and night-out monster things could change, but the smart money says Miami has plans for Shawn Marion's future cap space: keeping him in Miami for the season.

The Ben Gordon Update: After a lengthy conversation with several league sources yesterday there is absolutely no movement on Ben Gordon and the Chicago Bulls. All the bluffing from Ben's camp has not yielded a change in Chicago's position. The Bull's have their very best and final offer on the table, and there do not appear to be any sign-and-trade offers that Chicago would consider. The choice is now on Ben Gordon. Do you wait out the Bulls, like Anderson Varejao did with the Cavs? It did not yield any more money; in fact, it cost Andy money. Do you take the six-year, $60 million offer reportedly still on the table? In a surprise move the Bulls seem to be open to keeping that offer out at least through the end of the week. The deal would be a solid contract for Ben, considering that beyond the hype Ben's camp is creating, Ben is a sixth man and $60 million for the sixth man says a lot about how the Bulls view Ben. There is no scenario in which Chicago is not in the driver's seat on this issue, so it does seem that the ball is absolutely in Ben Gordon's court, though there does not seem to be any movement coming. The Bull's open training camp on Monday and there will be a Ben Gordon jersey ready. Whether or not he's there to wear it is something else.

Shareef Hangs Them Up: Sacramento forward Shareef-Abdur Rahim decided to retire yesterday. Citing a badly arthritic knee, Shareef had been struggling to get healthy for the past year and half. Shareef has always been a solid guy in the league, always taking time for fans and the media. Do a Google search; you find a lot of fan photos featuring Shareef on Facebook and MySpace. He was a true team guy supporting his team, even while it was clear he'd likely played his last game. My favorite Shareef moment was in 2006 after having his jaw broken and wired shut, Shareef gave interviews to the press mumbling through his clenched teeth. That's the kind of guy Shareef is, always trying to make it work out. The Kings issued a statement yesterday saying they were looking at ways to keep Shareef involved with the team. There was talk that he may join the coaching staff or the front office in a player development role. So while Shareef won't be lacing them up this season, the league has not seen the last of the third overall pick in the 1996 draft class – a class that featured Allen Iverson (1), Marcus Camby (2), Stephon Marbury (4), Ray Allen (5), Antoine Walker (6), Kobe Bryant (13), Peja Stojakovic (14), Steve Nash (15), Jermaine O'Neal (17), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20) and Derek Fisher (24)