Stephon Marbury remains on the Knicks sideline. AP

New York Times beat writer Howard Beck is on top of Stephon Marbury's situation in New York.

Beck said that Marbury was doing fine in the preseason and early in the season. But when Mike D'Antoni approached Marbury to play, Marbury basically refused.

Beck said that when D'Antoni went to Marbury, the Knicks were in dire straights because of injuries. Beck believes D'Antoni approached him earnestly. Whether Marbury gave him an adamant no is up for an arbitrator to decide.

An amicable parting seems less likely after this spat as they wait for this to play out.

Beck thinks the person that is hurt the most is Marbury. But the Knicks need to go out and get a useful body for their banged-up backcourt.

Beck said that the Knicks should have taken care of this a long time ago.

Beck also isn't sure that Marbury fits well on other teams. Take Miami, who is reportedly interested. The Heat have a lot of young players. Do they want Marbury to influence them?

Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio brings it as usual with all the buzz around the NFL:

-- Florio thinks the Bucs will let defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin go work with his son at Tennessee. Head coach Jon Gruden has ties to the Vols and would likely not want to ruffle feathers there.

-- Florio doesn't think Notre Dame can wait for Gruden. Florio says Tampa Bay is a great spot for Gruden right now and he doesn't see him leaving.

-- Florio thinks Antonio Pierce will likely cooperate with the police in a case against Plaxico Burress.

-- Florio says that Marvin Lewis will be back in Cincy even if the Bengals win just one game this week. The team is concerned more with profits than wins, and Lewis fits that mold. They don't have to pay a GM.

-- Florio doesn't think there's any way Romeo Crennel can save his job in Cleveland. Florio says the only question is will Phil Savage save his job. If Savage goes, Florio thinks Bill Cowher would consider taking over the Browns.

-- Florio said Pete Carroll would only take a job if he had total control.

Notre Dame has some talented young players like Michael Floyd. Peter Cooke/ Cal Sport Media

Dan heard that Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden may be interested in the Notre Dame job. 

If you were Gruden and that job did become available, would you go there? Notre Dame has been a tough place to coach the last few years.

Dan points out that Notre Dame football means a lot historically.  

There's also the small matter of Charlie Weis' future. Is he definitely gone? Would the possible interest of someone like Gruden affect how the school thinks about Weis?

The big question about Weis is his ability to manage a game. He never called a time out with the Patriots. And now he seems to have trouble with game management. Maybe he's better as a coordinator. Or maybe his personality fits the NFL better than college.

Lots of intrigue in South Bend. The next coach either cements his legacy as a great coach or runs into serious trouble.

E-mail us, call 877-3-DP-SHOW or hit the "Comments" below with your thoughts on the Irish.

What's up DanNation? Hope everyone is adjusting to normalcy after their first day back from Thanksgiving vacation. We have an exciting show today. Here's the rundown ...

Michael Phelps: The Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year will join Dan to talk about life after the 2008 Olympics and what challenges lie ahead after his incredible accomplishment in Beijing this summer.

Jay Glazer: The FOX NFL guru is close to Plaxico Burress and will give the latest updates on the Giants receiver who accidentally shot himself last Friday. Will he ever return to the NFL? Will he go to jail? And what about his teammates who were present the night of the shooting? Glazer should be able to help answer the tough questions.

Here are some other topics we'll address:

Baseball's Hall of Fame ballot is in the news. Guess which player might steal the show in this year's class.

There's a great story today about a new way to incorporate baseball into the after-life.

We'll also talk about Stephon Marbury's status with the Knicks, the latest on Charlie Weis and Lane Kiffin officially taking over the Vols.

Giants receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself on Friday night. Anthony J. Causi/Icon SMI

Tiki Barber had some interesting comments on his former teammate Plaxico Burress and whether athletes should have guns.

Barber said he's not comfortable carrying a gun or having one in his house. Barber said that athletes do get targeted when they go to clubs. When he was playing, he had bodyguards -- actually off-duty police officers -- accompany him when he went out. He wouldn't have tried to protect himself.

"Plaxico Burress is not a bad person, he just makes bad decisions," Barber said.

Barber thinks that the Giants are done with Burress. They don't need him to win right now. They have a number of young, talented receivers who want to get on the field. Eli Manning had his first 300-yard game on Sunday without Plax.

Barber says Burress' teammates likely resent that they have to answer questions about this instead of football. They care about him as a person, but probably are angry they have to deal with this down the stretch run.

Every Monday through Friday we scour the Web for the best radio interviews in the nation so you don't have to.

Shooting from the hip

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images The Giants' Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg last Friday.

Plaxico Burress dominated the airwaves across the country on Monday, evoking almost as much comic response as serious analysis. WFAN's Boomer and Carton ask what would have happened if Burress had accidentally shot something else besides his leg. Down in Miami, 790 The Ticket's Sid Rosenberg had an interesting interview with Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano. They make a great case that the Giants are just as good without Plaxico Burress.

One angry Patriot

New England defensive tackle Vince Wilfork wasn't happy about Steelers safety Ryan Clark's hit on Pats receiver Wes Welker on Sunday. Fast forward to about the 11:00 mark in this WEEI (Boston) interview, and Wilfork says Clark is brave when the receiver can't see him coming, but that doesn't prove anything. Wilfork says Clark definitely deserves NFL discipline.

Deep in the heart of discontent

Across the state of Texas, people aren’t too happy about the new BCS rankings, which pushed the Sooners into the number two spot ahead of the Longhorns. Brad and Craig at Houston’s 790 the Sports Animal say although there’s plenty of blame to go around, the problem isn’t just the BCS; it’s the Big 12’s decision to use BCS rankings to break ties.

LeBron James wasn't pleased with Charles Barkley's comments on the DP Show last week. Jeff Zelevansky/Icon SMI

Reggie Miller had a lot to say about Plaxico Burress, Charles Barkley, LeBron James and more. Here are some of the highlights of his interview.

-- Miller thinks that Barkley could have been more tactful with his comments toward LeBron James on the show last week. But Miller thinks Barkley has a good point. LeBron is "kind of holding [the Cavs] hostage," Miller said.

-- Miller thinks everyone need perspective on the LeBron situation. "People, it's two years away," Reggie says.

-- Reggie thinks winning a title in New York means less than winning in a town like Cleveland.

-- Reggie also understands why LeBron is commenting on 2010. What are you supposed to do when someone asks you the question and sticks a microphone in his face.

-- Miller said he would never carry a gun to a club and he wouldn't stick around if a teammate had a gun. Miller did say he went to clubs with armed bodyguards.

-- Miller thinks that Plaxico Burress' actions were just stupid. Miller is focusing on the fact Burress was hurt and out in the club. Miller says he should have been rehabbing, not partying.

-- Dan asked Reggie about teammates who just didn't get it, like Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. Miller said lately both of those athletes have turned a corner and are staying out of trouble right now.

-- Reggie doesn't blame Stephon Marbury too much for what happened in New York. The whole thing is a mess. What is Marbury supposed to do after the coaching staff came in and let him know they didn't like him from the start.

 -- Reggie thinks Marbury would fit nicely with the Spurs backing up Tony Parker.

Rick Neuheisel's UCLA Bruins face USC this weekend. Jeff Gross/Getty Images

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel told Dan his passion bucket is still full. He says he's not embarrassed at all by his team this year, because they're in every game and the effort is always there. The only big problem is turnovers.

Neuheisel said the best team he saw so far this year is Oregon State. But the best team he's seen overall is USC on film preparing for this weekend's game.

Dan asked Neuheisel what he will tell his kids before this week's game against the Trojans. "This is why you go to UCLA," Neuheisel said. Neuheisel got Dan pretty amped with some pregame inspirational talk.

Neuheisel also said that the economy will force college football to search for new revenue streams, which would likely mean playoffs. As fans and alumni have to cut their spending, athletic department are going to have to do something. Neuheisel said playoffs are the "the most glaring" new revenue stream possible for schools.

Dan asked Neuheisel about Plaxico Burress carrying a gun. Neuheisel said when he was an assistant in the NFL, the league sends experts out to ever team to lecture them on firearms.

Neuheisel said that guns most often lead to negative things. He can't understand why any pro athlete would carry a gun."Deer hunting I understand, in the club I don't," Neuheisel said.

Lane Kiffin will take over the Tennessee Volunteers. AP

FOX's Charles Davis is a Tennessee alum and says that Lane Kiffin sold the school's administration on the staff he would bring in. Davis says he heard Kiffin promised Tennessee he would bring in his dad and Bucs coordinator Monte Kiffin.

Davis says Kiffin is a "boom-or-bust" choice. He's young and aggressive and actually showed signs of improvement in Oakland. But Kiffin has never run a major program.

Davis also had some interesting comments on the BCS standings. He said he was surprised Oklahoma jumped past Texas in the coach's poll, because coaches always say "head-to-head" is the most important factor. And the Longhorns beat the Sooners.

Dan asked Davis if the two best teams in the nation will play in the national title game. Davis says that he's not sure, because he thinks USC's defense would give a lot of these powerhouses problems.

Davis pointed out that Oklahoma jumped ahead because of its non-conference schedule. The Sooners beat TCU and Cincinnati. The 'Horns didn't beat anyone. Davis says that's not necessarily Texas' fault. A very good Tulsa team backed out of a game against the Longhorns this year.

Davis had a very interesting tidbit on Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. He said he talked to two sources at the school and the buyout is the worth of Weis' whole contract, more than $20 million. There were reports it was less, but if Davis is right, can the Irish really fire Weis?

LaDainian Tomlinson is averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Donald Miralle/Getty Images

SI.com's Peter King brings his usual interesting opinions to the show. Here are the highlights of his interview with Dan:

-- Dan asked King about the Chargers' loss to the Falcons. King says LaDainian Tomlinson is not the back he used to be and the Chargers offense is very disappointing.

King says Tomlinson may have only one more year left in him. L.T. has become "just a guy."

-- King says that the key factor for MVP is which player helps their team win the most. That's why he doesn't think Eli Manning deserves the award, because there are so many other good players on the Giants and they may win without him. King has Peyton Manning at No. 1 by default right now.

-- King and Dan discussed Falcons rookie Matt Ryan as a potential MVP candidate. King lost sleep over that very question. Who knows where he'll stand at the end of the season?

-- Dan asked King his top team in the AFC. He said Steelers. But he thinks the Broncos are dangerous. King said, "Jay Cutler is Dan Fouts."

-- King says that aside from Plaxico Burress' legal issues, the Giants also have to think about linebacker Antonio Pierce's role in the accidental shooting and what happened to the gun afterward. King said this could become a big distraction, with newscasters in the locker room instead of just sports people.

-- King says he doesn't think Plax will play this year and he won't play with the Giants next season. King says that Burress has had a history of chafing against authority.