|
Rich
Posts: 27410
Alba Posts: 6
Joined: 12/30/2003
Member: #511
USA
|
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/story/354434p-302174c.html
Brown shows Knicks knack
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
You can find southern hospitality in all corners of this coastal town, except on the basketball court where Brown is working. Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy may be long gone from the Knicks' locker room but the concepts of preparation, attention to detail and responsibility are back.
"Hold up, hold up" Brown yelled throughout the workouts as he frequently interrupted yesterday's scrimmage to point out a physical or mental breakdown. And no one was spared. Stephon Marbury was questioned about ill-advised passes and poor decisions as much as rookie point guard Nate Robinson.
Jerome James was admonished for standing still, Jamal Crawford took heat for a defensive breakdown and Trevor Ariza was bluntly told to improve his shot selection.
"Trevor," Brown told the second-year player after Ariza misfired on a jumper from the corner, "you haven't made a jump shot yet. Drive the ball!"
"I've been yelled at plenty of times so I know how to handle it," said Malik Rose, who played for a Brown disciple in San Antonio, Gregg Popovich. "I mainly keep quiet. You can't argue back. With him, when he says something, you can't say, 'Well I was doing this.' You just have to take it."
With the Knicks coming off a 33-49 season and in desperate need of leadership, Brown's way of doing things is a needed change. His players in Detroit grumbled about Brown's practices, which isn't surprising considering they were a veteran team. There was no arguing with the results, as the Pistons reached two straight NBA Finals and won one title.
Brown often has credited Rick Carlisle for establishing a winning program in Detroit. In New York, Brown inherits a different roster and culture. The Knicks haven't won a playoff game since 2001 and many of the players, even the veterans, haven't been coached.
"This is the not the same situation I walked into in Detroit," Brown said. "Those guys all knew how to play. There weren't a lot of things I told them that they haven't heard or done before."
Before the three-hour practice, Brown praised his players for the effort and attitude the first week of training camp. He also recited a quote from Favre, who on Sunday said: "I've played long enough to know that if you do things the right way, if you practice and study and prepare and believe, eventually it'll go your way."
A few hours later, Brown stopped a scrimmage to express his displeasure with the way Robinson was running the offense.
"You guys forget everything we worked on for six days," Brown said. "Nobody is setting a screen, cutting and we end up with a (bad) shot."
"You've got to get used to it," Robinson said afterward. "He said you need a great point guard to be a great team. I just take that into consideration that he wants me to be great. They don't call me Nate the Great for nothing. I've got to live up to the name and live up to the expectations that he wants. He's hard on me and I love it."
Brown reminds his players that it's called coaching, not criticism. And he's not going to change his style anytime soon.
"I don't look at it like I'm on them, I'm trying to teach them," Brown added. "When they do something right I try to tell them they do something right. When they do something wrong you try to coach them. This is the way I was taught and the way we've always done it."
Flashes
NUMBERS GAME: Maybe Antonio Davis won't be a Knick after all. Eddy Curry originally grabbed No. 32 out of respect for Davis, who Curry felt would want No. 34. But two days ago, Curry was handed No. 34 - Charles Oakley's old number.
Allan Houston, Quentin Richardson, Maurice Taylor, Penny Hardaway and Channing Frye all sat out the scrimmage.
Originally published on October 11, 2005
|
10/11/2005 8:44 AM
