While the trade between the Pacers and the Bulls was the big news around the league, but in New York all the talk was about the possible acquisition of Suns point guard Stephon Marbury.

"They're trying to move Steph?" was the reaction of Knicks All-Star Latrell Sprewell. "Are you serious? It's not like the Knicks need another point guard, though."  None of the Knicks current point guards even remotely resemble the package a player like Marbury brings to the table.  But is he even really on the table?

"The Suns are not shopping Marbury," said one Eastern Conference general manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "A lot of teams are calling about him because of the changes going on in the Suns organization, but they're not shopping him. It would be embarrassing for them to trade him so soon after they just traded him for Jason Kidd."

But don't blame the Knicks and other teams for trying to acquire the gifted guard, with recent events involving him not to Suns management's liking.  As Chris Broussard of the New York Times reports Marbury was arrested and charged with drunken driving on February 8, an offense that did not sit well with Suns management.  It was then Marbury who missed the Suns' morning shoot-around the day that coach Scott Skiles resigned, leading to interim coach Frank Johnson to only play him 14 minutes, including none in the second half.

The Knicks also look to miss their other aquisition targets, with Denver's Nick Van Exel seemingly either staying with the Nuggets or becoming a member of the Boston Celtics and the Timberwolves laughing at the Knicks proposal of Charlie Ward for Dean Garrett.  Their other targets, Warriors pair Erick Dampier and Marc Jackson, also seem likely to be a fruitless effort despite Jackson expressing his desire to play for New York prior to Golden State's game against the Nets.

The Knicks figure to be the first team to face Jalen Rose's Bulls after today's trade, "wow, that's crazy" Sprewell's response after being told.  But as Broussard puts it 'perhaps not as crazy as the idea of Marbury joining the Knicks before Friday.'