#4 - Larry Brown and the Knicks

If you were to start a new franchise and you had the option of choosing any player or coach to build your team around, would you consider Larry Brown? Obviously you couldn't turn down the likes of a LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, or Tim Duncan-- all true franchise players, but where would you rank a franchise coach? There's no question that talent usually reigns supreme in the NBA, but if there's ever been a coach who can turn a pile of **** into a gourmet feast, Larry Brown is the man.

While the Knicks certainly aren't a heap of trash, there's a lot of major question marks on the roster going into the season. Talent isn't necessarily a question with a number of these clowns, but rather how LB will be able to get the most out of them. Going right along with Anthony's analysis of the Lakers from the other day, let's take a closer look at each member of the Knicks with respect to how they performed B.L. (before Larry) and how LB can utilize them best.

Guards

Stephon Marbury - I'm as big a critic of Marbury as anyone, but there's simply no denying his God-given abilities. In a way, he's sort of the Alex Rodriguez of the NBA-- esteemed reputation, big numbers, little team success to show for it, and he seems to shrink when the moment is its most pivotal. The question going into the season isn't how effective Marbury will be under Brown (because he's going to have his best season ever, watch), but how exactly Brown will get the most out of his best player. I had assumed all summer long that Steph would shift over to the two and LB would convince Isiah to bring in someone like an Eric Snow to serve as a more natural point guard, but that doesn't appear to be the case since Marbury is really the only point guard on the roster. Expect LB to entrust Marbury as the team's starting one to begin the season, preaching defense and leadership over everything else. The Knicks actually have a fair amount of weapons surrounding Steph-- they could easily win games with him sacrificing a handful of points.

Jamal Crawford - How Brown plans to use Crawford is anyone's guess. He could just slot him in at the 2; he could play him more at the 1 and take Marbury off the ball; he could bring him off the bench in a 6th man role; he could potentially not use him at all and instead give Penny, Houston, Ariza, and Nate the Great a chunk of the minutes; or he could even talk Isiah into getting rid of him. Nothing would surprise me. Crawford is a uniquely talented player, but he's going to have to really discipline his game if he wants to fit into Brown's plans. I really believe Crawford is one of the keys to the Knicks' success. If LB can get to Crawford, he could be a huge asset with all the matchup problems he can cause on both ends of the floor.


Penny Hardway - If you think Penny can still rediscover the magic he once played with, it's time to step back into reality. At 34 now and with a pair of battered knees, Penny is nothing more than a 15-20 minute sub-- at best. But Penny could fill that role nicely for the Knicks considering he's humbled himself and has been more enthusiastic about LB's hiring as anyone. Vets like Penny, players that LB can entrust and are willing to put in the work, are the ones that usually find success in his system.


Allan Houston - Houston did enough this summer to convince the Knicks to hold onto him, so there's got to be a little something left in the tank. Problem is, how do they plan on bringing two aging stiffs that play the same position off the bench? LB's never placed a major emphasis on perimeter shooting, so I'm not sure where Houston fits in. He could end up being the odd man out in the backcourt rotation.

Nate Robinson - He showed this summer that he can truly be an impact player in this league. And I know what you're thinking-- it was only summer league, but if you had the opportunity to actually watch Nate, you know that he could potentially be one of the toughest players in the league to defend this year. What impressed me most about him this summer was his tenacity in attacking the rim. As a former defensive back for the Washington football team, he's not afraid to bang with the big guys and this is going to result in easy baskets and trips to the foul line. if Brown is willing to open up the offense and let Robinson exploit his talents, he could be a huge factor for the Knicks right from the get-go. But if history tells us anything, Brown has a difficult time placing trust in his young players, especially ones that are going to have problems defensively. Best case scenario for Nate to start the season will be a role off the bench that he could parlay into bigger things as the season progresses, but I'm guessing only an injury to someone will get Nate into the rotation.

Forwards

Quentin Richardson - Another player like Crawford who could be a key contributor for the Knicks if LB gets him to buy into his system. Q-Rich is going to have to be willing to sacrifice numbers for the better of the team-- that means he can't launch threes at his discretion like he did in Phoenix, nor can he play half-hearted defense. Richardson has the tools to be a hush defender at the 3 and an effective inside/outside scoring option for the Knicks, Brown is just going to have to discipline his game

Channing Frye - Frye was expected to be the starting 4 up until Isiah acquired Eddy Curry this past week. Now it's unknown as to whether Frye will come off the bench with Curry sliding to the 4 and James holding down the 5, or perhaps Frye taking up a reserve role in favor of Maurice Taylor or Malik Rose as the starter. One thing is for sure-- Frye is not a good fit to start alongside Curry. The Knicks will just get pounded upon by bigger and more physical frontlines. Look for Brown to go with experience at the 4 and to choose between Taylor and Rose when the time comes. Frye will just have to earn his minutes.

Malik Rose - Rose is the kind of player that thrives under LB-- dedicated, hard-working, and savvy. Even though he gives up a significant amount of size at the 4 (he's listed as 6-7), Brown will rely on him for quality minutes, possibly even as a starter. The Knicks are sorely lacking an experienced, nitty gritty type of player who will focus all his energy on the glass and the defensive end-- Rose is the closest Brown's got, so look for him to see ample run.

Trevor Ariza - I've said it before-- Trevor Ariza has what it takes to be one of the premier defensive players in the league, almost like a Bruce Bowen or Trenton Hassell. Difference is, he's got the chance to be a pretty good offensive player as well. If you're looking for your sleeper contributor on the Knicks, look no further than Ariza. If Brown likes him as much as I think he will, Jamal Crawford could be packing his bags very soon.

Maurice Taylor - Mo Taylor is one of the better post-up power forwards in the league, but he's essentialy a disaster in every other aspect of the game. His knees prevent him from having any remote chance of slowing down a quality opposing 4, and that's likely to land him on the bench. Brown might risk the defensive limitations of some of these guys, but certainly not all of them.

David Lee - Lee is probably the odd-man out of the front court rotation from the outset, but he's the kind of rag-tag, hard-nosed player that LB loves (think Harpring, Geiger, Dale Davis). Unfortunately, he's young and Brown will give the older guys a chance to earn their spots in the rotation before Lee. Like Ariza, a player worth keeping an eye on should the Knicks struggle out of the gate.

Matt Barnes - I'm guessing LB had something to do with this pick-up last week considering Barnes is his kind of player. If Brown plans on developing the younger guys together as a unit, then Barnes is a terrific fit. He's a hustler and an outspoken leader, but expect most of his contributions to come during practice.

Centers

Eddy Curry - I've already stated that I'm not a huge fan of this trade in the long-term, but for this season, Curry could be the difference in the Knicks being a Playoff team and a lottery club. As much as Eddy needs to work on his defense, rebounding, and work ethic, the guy still provides them with a consistent low post threat that will make things easier for everyone on the floor. Q and Jamal should receive plenty of open looks from the perimeter, Steph and Nate should find penetration much easier, and whoever ends up starting at the 4 next to Curry (assuming Curry does indeed start at center and not power forward) should end up with a fair amount of opportunities to hit the offensive glass. The key with Curry, like it seems with everyone on the Knicks, will be Brown's ability to get Curry to put as much focus on his rebounding and defense as on his offensive contributions.

Jerome James - The off-season signing of James (a monster 4.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG last year with Seattle) looks even worse now that Isiah was able to reel in Curry. Instead of an overpaid starting center, the Knicks now more likely than not have an extremely overpaid backup center. What worries me most about James-- if Nate McMillan could only get this doofus to play with heart during the Playoffs and with free agency on his mind, then how will LB possibly get anything out of him? If I'm a Knicks fan (which I most certainly am not), I'd be thrilled if I could get the same production from James this year as last. I wish I was being facetious.

Antonio Davis - He wants out right away, and LB is willing to let him off the hook. Isiah has stated that it won't be that easy, but I expect him to relent this week. Davis, the Players Union President, is one player that has earned the right to request a buy-out, especially considering his main reason is to stay closer to his family.

Jackie Butler - He's big (6-10, 250), fairly athletic, but young (21) and raw. If he plays any quality minutes this season, I'd be utterly shocked.


One thing is certain for the Knicks heading into the season-- Larry Brown is going to play the guys that he thinks can help him the most this season. He's never been one to hand over minutes for the sake of developing younger talent, so don't be surprised to see the rookies squeezed out of the rotation. He's also been known to have no problem benching players that won't contribute like he wants them to. As I see it, there's essentially 13 players on the roster that have a shot at cracking the rotation. Brown won't go any deeper than 10 no matter what. Whatever happens, the Knicks should be an improved team this season. They have the talent necessary to make the Playoffs-- how much they can accomplish is going to be dependent on how far Larry Brown can coach this team. This might be his most difficult coaching job yet, but the upside of his effect could be very surprising and definitely an intruiging storyling to follow throughout the season. And one other thing-- did I mention these are the New York Knicks we're talking about? Who isn't going to keep a watchful eye on the Garden this year?

I would say this article is a pretty fair analysis 95% of the time. He's still holding the negative perspective that most non-Knick fanks wanna hear, yet pretty objective when discussing players strengths and weakness.

[Edited by - Killa4luv on 10-10-2005 10:21 AM]

I agree with the majority of the article, aside from the negative undertone that Killa mentioned.

Also, the author is stuck on that tired "Larry won't play the rooks" idea. Larry won't shuffle our rooks to the end of the bench like he did with Darko.

Yeah I felt he was pretty fair in most cases, but you can hear the anti Knick bias still come thru.

One thing that amazes me is how much people think that last year with Suns is really what Q is about. Did no one take nottice of how he played his whole career and how in PHX that totally changed. Its like they don't realize that the team wanted him to fill that role.

I also love how everyone wants to get rid of JC. Did they not notice that he was the 2nd leading scorer, assist and steal man on the team!!! He was very productive. As a 2 guard he's supposed to shoot a lot. The problem is that he makes some poor decisions on some of his shots and he doesn't drive to the hole enough. WIth that one correction he'd be a great player. IF he gets his FG% up I see no reason to be looking to trade the guy. As many in the media suggest.

The media guys HATE JJ too. Really I see him as a big plus now that we've got Curry. Not many teams have to really big Centers. JJ actually has talent, which is the strange thing. Its not his talent anyone questions, its always been his work ethic and desire. I think LB will get thru to him and he'll be just fine. I expect he'll get a good amount of minutes and be productive. Unlike the Sonics, we will actually spend more time attacking the basket and feeding the post for easy baskets. Do you realize the Sonics took 1,824 3's last year!!! I thought we took a lot but we only took 1,240 and Curry's Bulls took 1,433 threes. I can see this team being more post oriented and that should help our bigs to be more effective an stay in the game mentally.

I think this guy as well as most other writers are way off on how LB will approach Jamal. 1st comment LB made about the roster was about Craw and his skill as a playmaker and he believes he has the ability to run an offense. The 1st thing he said about Steph is he'd play him at the 2. Still waiting on a Q comment.

The most comical part about it is that he thinks Ariza will take Crawford's minutes. As soon as Ariza gets the fundamental skills of dribbling with his head up and shoooting down pact, he may just start to push Q. Ariza won't be spoon fed under Brown like he was under Lenny and Herb (ie Isiah).

bottom line is LB wants to WIN. If LB were coaching based on the limits of his patience, Billups minutes prolly would've went more to Lindsay Hunter and Detroit would've went nowhere. LB is going to work with JC and get him to understand his skill dribbling the ball and court vision is worth 10 x's more to the success of NY than his so-so scoring ability.

Larry and Crawfford will not be a good combo....mark my words. Crawff is not smart enough to play under a Brown's system. He couldn't even play under Skyle, Cartwright, Herb and Lenny, what makes any of us think that he will be able to handle Larry.......

Eddy Curry - I've already stated that I'm not a huge fan of this trade in the long-term, but for this season, Curry could be the difference in the Knicks being a Playoff team and a lottery club

.

I have a problem with the above mentioned quote. I mean he never explained why he didn't like the curry trade long term, I mean curry is a 22 year old center with tons of upside, how is that not a good thing, long term?

dido...u just lost 100% credibility with this post.

weak.

Posted by rvhoss:

Posted by diderotn:

Larry and Crawfford will not be a good combo....mark my words. Crawff is not smart enough to play under a Brown's system. He couldn't even play under Skyle, Cartwright, Herb and Lenny, what makes any of us think that he will be able to handle Larry.......