Knicks won’t rush Stephon Marbury

Isiah Thomas said Tuesday that Stephon Marbury will have “all the time that he needs” to mourn the loss of his 69-year-old father, Don, who died Sunday night of a heart attack after watching Stephon and the Knicks play against the Suns. After experiencing chest pains early in the game, Don was rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan and died a few hours later.

“It’s a terrible time that any individual has to go through and I hope that we give him the proper amount of time to grieve and go through his significant loss,” said Thomas, who spoke with Marbury by phone on Monday.

It’s unclear if Marbury will return for tonight’s road game against the Nets (8-9). His father’s funeral is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Thomas would only say “we’ll wait and see” when asked if Marbury would be on the court to lead the Knicks (5-11) against Jason Kidd and the cross-river rival Nets.

“I know he’s a strong guy, and he has a strong willpower, so I think he’ll be all right,” said Zach Randolph, who missed three games after his grandmother died last month. “He needs time to relax with his family and get his mind right.”

When Randolph first stepped back onto the court five days after learning his grandmother died, the power forward said it was “difficult to focus” on basketball. Randolph said his attention would waver from blocking shots and rebounding to memories of his lost loved one.

The Knicks’ new power forward thinks Marbury, who is averaging 14.7 points and 5.2 assists, may have the same trouble focusing when he returns, considering the controversy and tragedy that has followed the star-crossed Coney Island guard this season.