http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spkside174555113dec17,0,7605738.story?coll=ny-knicks-print

ATLANTA - If the Knicks are going to turn their season around, point guard Stephon Marbury not only has to get on the same page with coach Larry Brown, but he has to read from it for his teammates. At least, that's the bottom line as Herb Brown sees it.

"Once Stephon Marbury - and this is me talking, not Larry - Stephon Marbury [must realize] that Larry Brown wants him to be an extension of Larry Brown on the court," said Herb Brown, 69, older brother of the Knicks' coach. "Every coach wants the point guard to be an extension of the coach on the court so the coach doesn't have to stand up and call every single play.

"Once Stephon realizes that, the future is unlimited. I really believe that ... Stephon has to adjust to a new style of play, and he also has to explain all of this to the new players. He has to get the new players to be comfortable with it. So he's in a teaching situation as well."

The Brown brothers, who grew up in Long Beach, got together for dinner Thursday night in Atlanta, where Herb is an assistant under coach Mike Woodson. Herb said they didn't talk much basketball, but he follows his younger brother's career closely and, having worked together on and off in the past, he understands what Larry demands.

The Knicks' coach recently said he might start calling the play on each possession as a means of simplifying things. "He does not like to do that," Herb said. "I don't think he's saying that because Stephon's not doing it. I think he's got to do it because these kids don't know exactly what they're supposed to do at any given time. But you'll see they will start getting better."

As bad as the Knicks look now, Herb believes in his brother's ability in a rebuilding situation. "I'm sure he thought he would be a little more successful at first, but he didn't go in there with rose-colored glasses," Herb said. "He knew what kind of a roster they had, and he knew the salary-cap constraints. This is the kind of situation he's always been successful in, so he's going to be successful."

Herb has been successful in his own right, coaching the Pistons to playoff appearances in 1976 and '77, working as an assistant for several teams and developing an extensive resume in international basketball. He began his career as an assistant at C.W. Post in 1960 and became Stony Brook University's first coach from 1964-69.

Now Herb has something else in common with his brother. He's going to be inducted on April 30 into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Commack. Larry's already there, making them the first set of brothers to be so honored.


[Edited by - attaboy2005 on 12-17-2005 12:00 PM]

Leading 101

I think this is exactly the problem that Marbury is confronting right now. He has never been a leader, partly because most of the time he feels he is all alone. There are two great points about how Marbury should be a leader here: be the extension of the coach and make your players, especially the young ones, know their roles. Larry can tell them all he wants, but its Marbury who is out there playing with them. Its Marbury the one that has the most experience in the league (lets not count AD or Penny). Marbury has to buy completely on Brown's plan even if he doesn't like it because it has been proven that it will make you a better player, like Billups, Snow, A.I., etc. And he has to translate Brown's vision to the players. They see him as their leader and are still expecting them to lead him. Marbury has to decide to do that. It can be done, its more work for Marb, but its posible. If he could only realise this...

All of Herb Browns criticisms are real and they are right on par. I love Steph, he's one of my favorite players in the game today and ever but the fact is, he doesn't know how to run a real organized offense in the NBA and under Larry Brown. I'd love to keep Stephon and slide him over to the 2 and bring in a PG like Chucky Atkins who can setup the offense effectively and shoot the deep ball instead of trading Marbs away but at this point, I'll take whichever happens. Point is, Herb Brown is right on with his remarks, Steph has to be more of a leader out there and be the brains on the court and right now he's neither one and you really wonder if he'll ever GET IT.