A Work in Progress, but Knicks Stay Upbeat
By HOWARD BECK

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10 - Four games into the Larry Brown era, there is a gaping hole where the Knicks' victory total should be and a uniform look of bewilderment spreading from the franchise player all the way down to the 15th man.

Stephon Marbury concedes he is struggling to adapt to Brown's motion offense, and Brown admits that his lineup is inherently flawed. Square players are being squeezed into triangular holes - and round players are being squeezed out of the rotation entirely. The results are predictably painful: four straight losses, to Boston, Washington, Golden State and Portland. With five more games to play on this six-game trip, matters could grow worse quickly.

Yet if failure is supposed to beget turmoil, the Knicks will choose to disappoint on that front as well.

They held a brief, spirited practice Thursday morning at the University of San Francisco, and the mood inside the gym was generally as bright as the sky on a mild fall day in the Bay Area.

"It's a good day to be living," forward Maurice Taylor said. "It's not a good day for basketball. There's a difference."

Everyone associated with the franchise expects that, eventually, the days will be good for basketball, too. It is all a matter of when. On Friday night at Golden State, the players will again try to give Brown his first Knicks' victory.

By all accounts, they are striving to make that happen. Despite some mild rumblings about playing time and role changes, the Knicks remain unified and hopeful.

"We need to stay together," Antonio Davis said. "A win always helps, but we have to stick together, first and foremost. I just hope that these losses are bringing us closer together and not separating us.

"The thing that I like so far is that guys care," Davis added. "Nobody's sitting and being complacent with what's going on. I think everybody's fighting, trying to make it better. So that's a good sign."

There were fingers pointed after Wednesday's loss in Portland, but in each case, the speaker was pointing at himself.

Brown blamed himself six times during a five-minute postgame chat with reporters. A few minutes later, Marbury said he was struggling to adapt to Brown's system. On Thursday, Brown mentioned four more times that the onus was on him.

"This is a work in progress, and I've got to do a much better job," he said. "It's not their fault."

The Knicks are shooting just .393 from the field (.237 from 3-point range) and are averaging four more turnovers a game (20.8) than assists (16.3).

The offense has sputtered at inopportune times, leaving the Knicks vulnerable to the same sort of late-game collapses that made them 33-49 last season.

After the Portland loss, Marbury blamed himself for "some stupid turnovers," including an ill-advised cross-court pass in the second half.

"I think it's just from trying to learn the sets, do everything the right way and try to play a certain style," he said. "The style is good. I think when you get into your sets all the time, you'll always get a good shot."

But, he added, adapting to Brown's system "is hard, because it's a new style for me, as far as the way how I play. But it's not something that I'm asked to do that I can't do. It's just it's something new."

But everyone agreed that the Knicks lost to the Trail Blazers primarily because of poor defense and a lack of rebounding in the second half. Brown also noted that when the Knicks faced adversity, they tended to turn to individual efforts and ignore the offense entirely.

The composition of the Knicks roster also remains a problem. While Brown has stopped short of saying that he needs new players, he is clearly struggling to find the right roles for the ones he has.

"We're playing a small forward out of position, we're playing a two guard out of position," he said, referring to Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford, "and I'm not sure just exactly how to use Steph with that kind of three man and two man. There's a lot of guys that are playing that are really trying to get themselves in shape."

Having promoted the struggling Crawford to the starting unit, Brown said: "Who do you have come in as your backup point? And who do you bring in as a real starting small forward? It's something I'm just trying to figure out."

Whether he was just thinking out loud or sending a plea for help to the team president, Isiah Thomas, only Brown knows. For now, he will continue to tinker with the pieces he has. He strongly hinted that Penny Hardaway, stashed on the inactive list since opening night, could be activated for Friday's game. Hardaway could serve as the primary backup point guard.

Despite the 0-4 start, Marbury said the Knicks were better off than last season.

"It don't feel like last year because we know our capabilities on the basketball court and what we have to do," he said. "Last year, we didn't know how we were going to come play. Whereas this year, we know what we have to do, we're just not doing it."

REBOUNDS

Jerome James reinjured his left hamstring in practice Thursday and is probably headed for the inactive list. He could remain there for some time. James missed most of training camp with the same injury, and his weight and stamina have been constant issues. Larry Brown dropped James from the rotation Wednesday night.