BROWN'S PRAISE SHOCKS CURRY
By MARC BERMAN

HOUSTON — Knicks struggling center Eddy Curry admits to being "stunned" Larry Brown called him the team's franchise player Saturday.

It's unusual for Brown to use positive reinforcement to motivate his players, and several Knicks had grown tired of his negativity with the media and with them. While Brown didn't tell that directly to Curry, the Knicks coach told reporters Saturday after huddling with Curry, "He's our franchise right now."

Sadly, he's far away from that right now, as he proved again last night in the Knicks' 90-83 loss to the Rockets. "The Franchise" scored 9 points and had 7 rebounds before fouling with 9:03 out with 9:03 left.

"I'm kind of shocked by it," Curry said. "It's good to know he looks at me like that. It's kind of shocking actually he looks at me like that because of how he is. He's not the kind of person to come to you and say, you're the franchise player, whatever. For me it's only, "Eddy you got to do this, got to do that." It's good to know he thinks of me like that."

Curry believes he can live up to Brown's expectations. "In the end, it will help me to be where he thinks I can be and where I think I can be — one of the best players in the league," said Curry, averaging 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Brown again repeated yesterday the team's "future" is Curry, 23, and Channing Frye, 22, whom the Knicks refused to trade last week to the Lakers in a package for Lamar Odom.

Brown is trying to raise Curry's battered self-esteem. The 6-11, 300-pounder is lost on defense, failing to grab rebounds, block shots or rotate quickly enough on defense. His offensive production has suffered because he commits too many offensive fouls.

In getting Curry, the Knicks may have given up the No. 1 overall pick in this summer's draft. They entered last night breathing down Charlotte's neck for league's worst record. The Bulls hold the Knicks' pick and could enter the lottery as No. 1 seed.

Brown said assistant George Glymph actually used the words "franchise player" to Curry's face. Brown claims he told Curry he was "the cornerstone."

"I told Eddy, we obviously traded for him and gave up a lot because we really believe in him," Brown said. "He's the cornerstone. That's what I said. I look at him as our future, him and Channing. I don't know if he knows how good we think he can be."






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>>> thats about the only encouraging thing I have heard all year, that LB see's these two as the cornerstone, AND that he thinks they are both special.

Sigh......I guess if Larry says it....then he must be right.

Kinda like this.


Larry is trying pump up Eddy.

Posted by LongIslandKnicksFan:

Don't even get my started on the Bush administration.

"Oh no I di-Ent!"