By BRIAN COSTELLO

After saying repeatedly Stephon Marbury is expected to return this year, Isiah Thomas waffled today.

Asked if there was any chance Marbury would not return to the Knicks this season, Thomas said, “I don’t know.”

The question was the last one Thomas fielded from reporters in a 10-minute media session after practice, so there were no follow-up questions.

Later in the day, when it became clear Thomas’ comment piqued the media’s interest, the Knicks public relations staff contacted Marbury. Jonathan Supranowitz, the team’s vice president of public relations, said Marbury told him he has not given anyone any indication he is not going to return and that he plans on returning “sometime soon after New Year’s.” It is possible this is another crack in the foundation of the floundering Knicks or it is possible Thomas gave the reply out of nothing more than frustration. He has answered questions about Marbury’s absence for weeks, and faced scores of questions about his failed lineup experiment Wednesday night in Orlando and the ineffectiveness of center Eddy Curry.

By the time the subject of Marbury came up, Thomas’ body language indicated he wanted to end the media session.

Still, the answer was a departure from what Thomas has maintained in the last week. Wednesday he said the Knicks are “expecting Marbury back at some point in time this year.”

Marbury has missed nine of the Knicks’ past 12 games as he grieves the death of his father, Donald, who died Dec. 2.

Marbury told a friend he had planned to rejoin the team in Orlando but was overcome on his first Christmas without his father. Thomas said the Knicks have kept in constant contact with Marbury.

“Our organization speaks with him daily,” Thomas said. “It’s very safe to say he’s having a very difficult time.”