Larry case gets
Gregg to Pop off



BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

To know what Gregg Popovich really thinks about the Knicks and Isiah Thomas all you need to do is ask him about an obscure third-string center on his team who spent the previous two years in New York.
"His time is ahead of him," Popovich said of Jackie Butler, the 6-10 former Knick. "I'm more concerned with getting him in shape and showing him what it takes to compete at the highest level."

It was a subtle dig, and one of several Popovich tossed in the Knicks' direction last night, less than six weeks after the San Antonio Spurs coach was called as a surprise witness in Larry Brown's arbitration hearing with the Knicks.

"A pain in the butt," is how Popovich described his last trip to Manhattan to testify before NBA commissioner David Stern. "I can lie to you if you want and say something really mature. But the truth is it was a pain in the butt."

Popovich is one of the coaches and close friends of Brown who are frustrated not only by the Knicks' decision to fire the coach and particularly that the club refused to pay his contract. Brown and the Knicks eventually reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount. Brown, who was owed $40 million, is believed to have received between $30 million and $35 million.

"In the press release they used the word 'arrangement,'" Popovich said of the statement released by Stern. "Larry's not supposed to talk about it. I don't know any more than you do. I read the statement I'm not sure what arrangement means. I guess most reasonable people would think it means compromise of some sort. I just hope that is not dangerous for coaches."

Brown gave Popovich his first NBA job nearly 20 years ago with the Spurs.

The Spurs, of course, are regarded as the league's model franchise from top to bottom and Popovich admitted that the Spurs success starts at the top.

"It starts with the owner," he said. "The owner, GMs and coaches have to be on the same page to make things work at the highest level, I believe."

He also suggested that Brown would have eventually turned the Knicks into a winner if given time. The Knicks gave him 79 games.

"His best work is grinding it out and as the job goes he makes things better," Popovich said. "That's been his history. So sure, a lot of us were surprised that he was let go that quickly."
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cmon Earl... its going to take some time to detox from the Knicks before you see Jackie. This isnt a first class organization. This team knows nothing about winning, or what it takes to prepare to play at a high level. Jackie has to learn all that and then I'm guessing you will see plenty of him

Okay, so if its Knicks-related it must be inferior?

Hmmm, that sounds like another agenda at work