It's about time.

The Associated Press and the New York Post contributed to this report.

Stephon Marbury has been waived by the New York Knicks, ending a turbulent five-year stint in which the former All-Star couldn't lead his hometown team to a single playoff victory.

Marbury is one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, set to make close to $21 million this season, but has not played a game for new coach Mike D'Antoni.

He's eligible to play in the postseason for any team that signs him because he was waived by March 1.

Marbury left the Times Square offices skipping across the street in glee, posing for a photographer before heading off, according to a report in the New York Post. Marbury did not comment to a handful of reporters.

Marbury is expected to sign with the Celtics. Marbury told he Post earlier this month he has a verbal commitment from Boston.

Marbury has been banished from the team since Dec. 1, days after refusing D'Antoni's offer to be the starting shooting guard the rest of the season during a hotel meeting in Detroit on Thanksgiving Eve.

Marbury is the last Knick from their last playoff team in 2003-2004, but his hometown stint was an abject failure after that initial burst he gave the Knicks after the Jan. 5, 2004 trade.

Marbury will be remembered more for his feuds with Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas and Mike D'Antoni than what he did on the court. Fearful of Marbury's past, D'Antoni came out of preseason and decided he did not want him as part of the program. D'Antoni turned to Marbury on Thanksgiving Eve after Jamal Crawford got traded and Cuttino Mobley failed his physical and needed to retire.

D'Antoni skipped practice to testify at the hearing. The Post reported Monday the sides would try to avoid the hearing over Marbury's refusal to play to work out a settlement. Walsh denied the story yesterday.

Monday, Walsh said he'd prefer Marbury does not sign with a playoff-bound team. The Knicks could face the Celtics in the first round if Boston is the top seed and the Knicks are the eighth seed.

"Those are things you have to put in your head when you're thinking about it," Walsh said Monday. "It's all part of the general picture because it could impact on you. It's a competitiveness issue."

Before the hearing, Walsh said, "I won't be contentious. I don't have those kind of feelings in this situation at all. It's more contentious here than anywhere else."

Yeah, this has been a long time coming. I wonder if Boston will pick him up now?

why would boston want him...i mean yes he is talented, but he is a bigger headache then ron artest and t.o combined.

im lovin what donnie walsh is doin with the knicks. marbury and thomas gone, adding role players like larry hughes and al harrington, randolph gone, giving knicks a chance to win 35 games, and opening up enough cap room to land 2 free agents in 2010 (hopefully king james).
the knicks are on their way back and hype is back in the garden.

larry hughs...come on know that was a great trade on the bulls part get rid of a pain and gain three players (probably crap anyway) hughs can play, but he has a smaller attitude problem compared to marbury.

i feel u on his attitute, it isnt the best. he isnt as athletic as he was with philly back in the day, but in a run-and-gun offense hughes can be a plus, he shoots fairly well, and his defense is solid. the only attitude on the team i dont really like is the sometimes over aggressive nate robinson. eddy currys lazy behind is the last piece left to get off this team, after that the isiah thomas chapter is behind us.

u do know that a chapter or era isnt over till the person who it is named after is gone lol

true. eddy curry was brought in by isiah though who wasted a 1st rounder that year to get curry. im jus talking bout gettin rid of the scraps he left behind

yea, and hey i think that was a great idea on trading a 1st round pick to the bulls who got tyrus thomas...in return a center who may had a heart problem.

curry has got more than a heart problem, he has an eating too much and cant run the floor problem. tyrus thomas is runnin with a young and up and coming team with noah, rose, deng, and gordon. not to mention averaging 10pt/6rb per game this year.

yes he is with a great young team...but just because u have young players doesnt mean its a great idea to put a young coach in who never coached before.

When is the next time the collective bargaining agreement will be opened? I saw a blurb where Stern says he expects the salary cap to decrease. In addition given the relative weakness of the union, if I were an owner I would be seeking to get rid of guaranteed contracts. That's part of what stretched Marbury situation out so long.