By MARC BERMAN

MINNEAPOLIS – It should come as no surprise that Isiah Thomas said at this morning’s shootaround at Target Center he’s about to make a starting-lineup change in the backcourt tonight vs. the Wolves and break up the ill-conceived Stephon Marbury-Steve Francis tandem.

Thomas said he was “close” to finalizing the decision and it’s very clear Francis is out and likely Jamal Crawford in.

“Marbury and Francis have shown they are much better players than they are (playing),” Thomas said. “My job is to figure out how to get the most out of them. I’m getting good play but I’m not getting the most out of them.”

The Knicks did a great job of steering Francis away from the media. They did not let the reporters onto the court after the shootaround, keeping them in a dark hallway. Marbury emerged and talked about Isiah giving him more freedom to attack the basket (sounds familiar?).

Then they shuttled us into another hallway for Isiah as Francis sneaked onto the bus.

The big question now is what’s Francis’ future. He’s got three years and $42 million left on that pact. When Jared Jeffries gets back in two weeks, how do you justify even playing Francis at all?