A Three Hour Tour, The Larry Brown Way
by Tom Kertes

GREENBURGH, NY, October 14, 2005 -- As the saying goes, the devil is in the details. More often than not, so is winning.
If there was one immediately noticeable difference in Larry Brown’s first Knicks practice at the team’s Madison Square Garden Training Center, it’s the minute attention paid to the littlest things. What probably would have been an hour and half session went well over twice that due to the constant stoppage. As ran by Brown, a controlled scrimmage is REALLY controlled. “I don’t necessarily like to do that,” Brown smiled afterwards. “But right now, that’s what it takes.”

Still, if there is such a thing as a BRISK three-hour practice -- particularly when it follows right on the heel of Brown’s notoriously difficult training camp -- this was it. The attitude, the joyful noise, the players’ level of enthusiasm…it all just had a different feel somehow. “We are having fun, dude,” rookie forward Channing Frye, who went all out and then some despite just being cleared to practice due to sore right foot, smiled. “I mean, Larry Brown, the Knicks, the NBA…This is the LIFE!”

Taking advantage of Stephon Marbury (day-to-day with a skin infection) not working out, neophyte point guard Nate Robinson -- constantly airborne, constantly making plays -- was clearly the engine out there. “The kid can fly,” Brown smiled. (In more ways than one: the 5-9 Robinson dunked without any visible effort at the end of a breakaway.) Jamal Crawford, paid special attention by Brown and clearly relishing it, was another standout as was -- in something of a surprise -- a beyond-bouncy Penny Hardaway. “I’ve been in the league, what, twelve years now,” he said. “But I’m absorbing a lot. I swear Coach Brown is teaching me a brand new way to play both offense and defense. It’s awesome.”

And awesomely detailed as well. “Every day I learn something,” Frye practically shouts from excitement. “How to play a man over a screen, which is the right way to roll, keeping a proper base. Step up on the screen, step into the passing lane …Stuff I already knew but now it’s done differently, in the right fashion. And overall, it’s like there is a certain new way to think about the game. Dude, I’m telling you, this year we’ll probably have our bumps and bruises at first -- but we’re all getting miles better.”

“The team chemistry is great,” adds Frye. “Everybody is always hanging out, joking around together. People are out here busting each other’s butts but, at the same time, it ‘s like ‘dude, you’re doing a good job. That attitude will be a big plus when the chips are down.”

“This is crazy over here, man,” newly acquired center Eddy Curry nods toward Brown with a inscrutable smile. “I just came in -- I heard all about it but I had to see it for myself. I have never practiced this hard in my life, not even close. It’s constant up-and-down, constant movement, constant running, constant court-work. It’s real different. It’s crazy.”

“Even though I just came in, I’m feeling real good,” added Curry. “I’m surprised that able to go for such a long time without getting winded, but that’s mostly due to Coach Brown. The man’s so inspirational, I love being out there. So I just can’t stop.”

“My buddy Jamal (Crawford) told me I was going to love it in New York -- and especially that you guys (the writers) are great. We’re going to have a good time, I think.”

“A lot of guys have stood out for me so far -- it was a good camp,” said Brown. “The young kids have gotten better -- they’ve all been well-coached in college -- the veterans have tried hard. I’m going to play a lot of guys over the first few preseason games -- they deserve it. So don’t read too much into minutes or who starts. We are still in the ‘discovering what we have’ state.”

“I was just teasing Curry, telling him I look at him as if he was a college freshman,” smiled Brown. “And I don’t mean that in a bad way, not at all. He came into the NBA right out of high school, he’s only 22, and he wants to get better. He’s young and he’s playing a difficult position. He has to learn to play every shot like it’s a missed shot. I don’t want him to get cheap fouls on the offensive boards. But he’s so quick and he jumps so well. It’s always fun coaching a talented young kid like that.”

Whatever rebounding and defensive questions might follow the personable young center, he has the answers: “Just keep moving, keep getting in better shape, and keep listening to Coach Brown,” says Curry. “I feel that if I do that I will improve tremendously -- and the New York Knicks are going to have a great year.

3rd thread about this awesome article!

Do you have a link?

y'know those guys were getting a bunch of pg reps cause Steph's out with "skin infection."

fish: I created a thread before on the marbury crawford issue.. I remember IT wanted crawford and we could not get him, we ended up getting marbs, and then craw later. I always wondered if it would come down to us having to chose between the two.. I know It likes craw a lot, maybe as much as marbs.