http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-
spmarb314366133jul31,0,2611332,print.story?coll=ny-knicks-print
GREG LOGAN
July 31, 2005
The first order of business for Larry Brown is a meeting with Knicks
guard Stephon Marbury later this week in the Los Angeles area, where
Marbury trains.
Meeting with reporters yesterday after the Hoops 4 Hope youth
basketball clinic at Southampton Recreation Center, Brown hinted he
might shift Marbury out of the traditional point guard role. On his
first day as Philadelphia's coach in 1997, Brown moved Allen Iverson
from point guard to shooting guard.
Asked if he will do the same with Marbury, Brown said: "I don't know.
I grew up when you had two guards, two forwards and a center. I would
love that. Not put any one guy totally responsible. The growth of all
the players would be more dramatic.
"You'd give the ball to your two-guard once in a while. It would make
[Jamal] Crawford better if he handled it a little bit."
Brown wants his point guard to pass early in the shot clock and trust
that it will find its way to the best player. But Marbury often looks
to drive first and then, if he has no shot, kick to the open man.
Because Crawford has point guard experience, it sounds as if Brown
wants to get away from labels and play a system in which the ball
moves but Marbury still gets his shots.
Marbury and Crawford also will be expected to focus more on defense.
Brown worried about Quentin Richardson's ability to defend some of the
top two-guards in the league, suggesting he might come off the bench
behind Crawford.
Despite Marbury's career averages of 20 points and eight assists, the
question always has been whether he makes his teammates better. "I
think he has the ability to do that," said Brown, who coached Marbury
in the Olympics last year. "I thought his growth in Athens on a daily
basis was tremendous ... As long as I know somebody wants to be
coached and he cares, you've got a heck of a shot."
the meeting...
LB: "hi steph"
steph: "uhhh"
LB: "steph, i'm moving you to SG."
steph: "uhhh"
LB: "cool. see you at camp."
steph: "uhhh"
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