'05 draft picks glad Larry's gone

BY GREG LOGAN
Newsday Staff Correspondent

July 6, 2006

LAS VEGAS -- Nothing in their basketball experience could have prepared Channing Frye, David Lee and Nate Robinson for their wild and wacky rookie season under Larry Brown. The Knicks fired the 65-year-old Hall of Fame coach two weeks ago with $40 million remaining on his contract, and the first player comments since then left little doubt that Brown lost control of the team.

Naturally, the Knicks' trio of 2005 first-round picks praised team president/coach Isiah Thomas yesterday for his positive approach and clear definition of roles in the first four days of practice by the Knicks' summer-league team, which begins play tomorrow. But Frye said last season under Brown was a "circus." Lee questioned his midseason benching, and Robinson, whose showmanship upset Brown, said it felt like the coach "was trying to take my joy."

Frye, who made the NBA all-rookie team in limited playing time, pulled no punches when asked to compare Brown and Thomas.

"It's not even comparable," Frye said. "It's just a positive environment every day. I'm happy Isiah is here and very excited about what we can do with the guys we have.

"I was excited for a change. It's going to bring some 'positivity' to the team."

According to persons with knowledge of Knicks exit interviews in April, the players were near-unanimous in their condemnation of Brown's methods during a 23-59 season. Certainly, Brown wanted to make drastic roster changes to get his kind of players, but he used a league-record 42 different starting lineups.

"If I told you to do something different every day at the newspaper or the TV station, how would it work out?" Frye said of Brown's roster roulette. "But that was his coaching style and he made the decisions he made, and our record showed it."

The on-and-off feud between Brown and point guard Stephon Marbury also had a negative impact, in Frye's estimation.

"Thank God, we have Isiah right now and there's not as much media attention on what's happening between the coach and Steph," said Frye, who is fully recovered from a sprained left knee suffered near the end of the season.

"It was a weird year between the media and what was going on with the team. Everything was just a giant circus."

Robinson said he felt he was in a "tug of war" with Brown, who described him as "a highlight reel, not a point guard." While Thomas has given Robinson a simple blueprint to follow, the 5-9 point guard claimed Brown gave him conflicting instructions from day to day.

"It was like, 'I'm trying to do everything you ask me, and it seems like it's not good enough,' " Robinson said. "It's like, 'We're butting heads here because, Coach, you told me to do this yesterday, but today, you told me not to do it.' ... At first, it was like he was trying to take my joy."

Lee was in the starting lineup during the Knicks' six-game winning streak at the beginning of January. But after starting 13 straight games, he didn't play at all in four of the next 20 and started only one of the final 43.

"We won six in a row there, and I was a little surprised when, all of a sudden, I'm not only not starting, I'm not playing at all," Lee said. "It was a little strange, and toward the end of the season [playing time] was so up and down. I really didn't understand what was going on."

Maybe Brown had a long-term plan. His way was successful at every other stop in a 34-year coaching career, just not with the Knicks.

"He did what he felt was best, and it just didn't work out," Frye said. "I'm not saying if it was good or bad. It just seems like Isiah's the right person for us right now."

Notes & quotes: First-round draft picks Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins signed their rookie contracts after yesterday's practice ... Balkman suffered a sprained left knee in the Tuesday evening practice and is listed as day-to-day.



http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/k...headliness

interesting to hear this from the guys that didnt say a single thing in public to the media last year

your 2006/2007 new york knicks...our bundles of joy

That's really sad to hear. I thought Frye and Lee (Nate is a lost cause) had more class than to pile onto the Company line.

Frye played 24 min a night and probably would have averaged more if not for his season ending injury. That's 4 minutes less than the #1 overall pick and the same as the #2 pick in his draft class. Yeah, LB really screwed him with a lack of minutes.

Lee was the 30th pick and he still averaged 17 min and played in 67 games. How many picks that low get that much run in their rookie year?

I'm sure we'll be hearing everyone else say the same things (I don't think they're allowed to say anything else, especially with the omnipresent Knicks PR person accompanying them to every interview, Company policy you understand) for the next 4 months. All I can say to that is, you better put up when the time comes or else.

The more the players talk about how they disliked LB, the more evidence there is to the theory that they're the ones who quit way before anybody could suggest that LB did. And if your players have already quit on you, then how can you be the one to quit on them?

Even the most obtuse people on this board have to admit that the players, with their lack of effort and lack of committment to LB's system were the cause for the downfall of season and not LB. Oh wait, LB yelled at them and said bad things about them so it was his fault. What a bunch of pu$$ies.

Posted by islesfan:

What a bunch of pu$$ies.

i like to think of them as pansies...



can you figure out which one is eddy?

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by islesfan:

What a bunch of pu$$ies.

i like to think of them as pansies...



can you figure out which one is eddy?

The big one?

Posted by McK1:

bitches

That's Little Larry.

actually lee didnt play well in a couple of those games in the winning steak. I remember in cleveland he got outplayed by richardson of all people. but I guess he does have a point about later in the season, when the personelle moves made no sense at all.

Posted by islesfan:

That's really sad to hear. I thought Frye and Lee (Nate is a lost cause) had more class than to pile onto the Company line.

Frye played 24 min a night and probably would have averaged more if not for his season ending injury. That's 4 minutes less than the #1 overall pick and the same as the #2 pick in his draft class. Yeah, LB really screwed him with a lack of minutes.

Lee was the 30th pick and he still averaged 17 min and played in 67 games. How many picks that low get that much run in their rookie year?

I'm sure we'll be hearing everyone else say the same things (I don't think they're allowed to say anything else, especially with the omnipresent Knicks PR person accompanying them to every interview, Company policy you understand) for the next 4 months. All I can say to that is, you better put up when the time comes or else.

Frye definately woudlnt have averaged more if he hadnt got injured. anyway you actually may be right about all these remarks simply being the result of a secret dolan spin job. since the rookies are being, perhaps, supsiciously candid, and condemning about their description of larry. One would think that, out of proper etiquette, the wouldnt bash him that way.



[Edited by - slimpack on 07-06-2006 12:59 AM]

Now guys want to bash Frye and Lee. LOL!!! Its comical.

Isles, you are missing the point, this wasn't about minutes per game, its aboutt having a clearly defined role, that doesn't change in conflicting ways from day to day and having 'good play' get rewarded with playing time.


I love how everything that goes against Brown is a secret Dolan ploy. So you think they really knew their roles, but are jsut saying this for Dolan? yeah, Frye really seems like that kind of guy, and so does Lee.

These guys have guaranteed contracts, and they are grown mean, they can simply say no comment.

ROFL!!!!

BTW, Frye didn't bash him at all, if you heard the audio you can see he was reserved in his criticism of LB, just overjoyed at the idea of working for a sane coach.

Posted by Killa4luv:

Now guys want to bash Frye and Lee. LOL!!! Its comical.

Isles, you are missing the point, this wasn't about minutes per game, its aboutt having a clearly defined role, that doesn't change in conflicting ways from day to day and having 'good play' get rewarded with playing time.


I love how everything that goes against Brown is a secret Dolan ploy. So you think they really knew their roles, but are jsut saying this for Dolan? yeah, Frye really seems like that kind of guy, and so does Lee.

These guys have guaranteed contracts, and they are grown mean, they can simply say no comment.

ROFL!!!!

BTW, Frye didn't bash him at all, if you heard the audio you can see he was reserved in his criticism of LB, just overjoyed at the idea of working for a sane coach.

Killa, why are you so surpised people disagree with your point of view. This is a forum full of opinions, no one is going to change their minds about something becuase of an article. It really shouldn't be that surprising.