GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The tryouts are over and the verdicts are in -- they're just not public yet.

Yesterday a fed-up coach Larry Brown said that after a 13-game evaluation period he knows whom he wants on the Knicks next year and who should get a ticket out of town, and he added that owner James Dolan and president Isiah Thomas are on board to make it happen.

In fact, Brown, who said on March 17 that the final 18 games would be an audition for next year, came to his conclusions long before yesterday's declaration.

"I know what we have, guys," Brown told reporters at the team's last scheduled practice. "You guys know what we have, come on. There's no audition. That audition stuff, that's been over a long time. ... I think if you can see it, obviously we're around it a lot more."

The complaints about playing time, the perceived lack of interest by several players (which Brown referred to last week when he said some players were "tuning us out"), the laughter in the locker room and on the bench during bad losses, has been noticed by outsiders.

Brown indicated it was even worse for those inside the organization who have seen it up close.

"We're going to get this thing worked out," he said. "We're not going to have situations where I have to answer questions like that, about playing time, about our attitude or anything like that. I want to answer basketball questions."

Brown, of course, didn't list the players he wants off the team, but essentially said it should be evident who he's talking about by now. It has been fairly obvious through his comments that the players he is unequivocally in support of are: Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Channing Frye, Malik Rose and Jackie Butler.

Conversely, Brown has at various times publicly criticized -- even ridiculed -- Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Eddy Curry, Nate Robinson, Jerome James and Trevor Ariza; and has shown a lack of faith in Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor through his substitution patterns.

It is widely assumed the Knicks will attempt to trade Marbury over the summer, and would be just as willing to move any of those previously mentioned players, except for Curry. But that's easier dreamed of than done. Most of them have huge contracts -- especially Marbury -- and it will be very hard to trade them.

But Brown said Thomas and ownership are behind him.

"I've got an owner that's committed to do what's right and I've got a general manager committed to do what he thinks is right," the coach said. "I'm confident that we'll be a lot better and have the kind of team that cares about the right things."

On Monday, Francis, who did not practice yesterday because he was feeling ill, pointed to inconsistent minutes as a reason for his struggles since joining the Knicks Feb. 23. Brown disputed that yesterday, and then tossed out a warning shot, reiterating that Francis will have to earn a spot in the proposed three-guard rotation next year.

"There's no reason why he can't compete for that spot," Brown said.

Jalen Rose, whose contract expires after next year, was asked if he felt he was on Brown's to-trade list. He said -- perhaps naively -- that he didn't think the Knicks would have traded for him in the first place if they didn't want him.

"Having played for Isiah and Coach Brown in Indiana, if they didn't appreciate who I was as a player on and off the court, I wouldn't have gotten a second term," he said. "So, because I got a second term with both of those guys, it shows they appreciate what I bring to the table.

"So I don't really worry about situations like auditions. I had my audition in Indiana. If they didn't like me, they wouldn't have brought me in."

http://www.nj.com/knicks/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/114490445343940.xml&coll=1


[Edited by - McK1 on 04-13-2006 09:58 AM]

additionally from Stop Yer Whinin - NYPost

And regardless of who does make it back next season, Brown said he hoped to have a nine-man rotation including three guards, two small forwards and four big men. Just as important, he doesn't expect to deal with the turmoil that has engulfed the team this season.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/66954.htm

on the fence I suppose. This could be quite the purging

Posted by tkf:

what about lee and nate?

gonna have to give something up to move the big contracts.

look at the Bulls... they are less concerned about the playoffs and more concerned about the culture and CLEARLY defining exactly whats expected of players. Dumping Tim Thomas and sitting Sweetney probably hurt them in the short term, and possibly cost them the playoffs. In the long term? I agree 100% and the guys that play for their organization and coach understand anything less than a max effort is unacceptable regardless of what you make or who you are.

this is going to sound nuts but do you think there's ANY possibility of this happening:

steph/francis + nate for maggette + livingston?

i know they're super high on livingston but man, they are built to win within the next 3 years...and they're under the cap so the $$$'s don't have to match. i'd be willing to give up both our picks as well to get this done.

francis/steph for jwill + toine is a possibility b/c miami would do it.

what does a buyout give us, and everyone knows how shandon played hard ball. I think it's cheaper to just keep him on the team and keep him out of practices and games.

If you want to get under the cap sooner rather than later and keep your youth, you have to make some truly tough decisions.

Buyouts aren't something that happens all the time, so you guys suggesting it shows more how little you know about the business of basketball.

Shandon's buyout blew up in our faces.

Posted by rvhoss:

as you can probably tell, I'm completely confused today...I'll know more after tonight when they beat the cavs sans lebron.

I know you want to believe in Marbury but all the personality issues aside, I'd be pretty concerned about Steph's legs. He couldn't practice last year with offseason surgery was a possibility; he's on the bench now; he's been having trouble finishing layups; he's got pretty limited lateral speed and like brown says, he's not getting any younger... I think he's well past his prime now, without having ever really "gotten" his role in an offense or defense.

I know with age comes wisdom and with some guys they get better as they get craftier, but I see no signs of that from Steph and with the better part of his game built on explosive power I really wonder what's gonna carry him through the rest of his career.

As Isiah said, "in 5 years, when curry and frye are 27 I don't know where Steph will be. I hope he's still playing basketball."

but is marbury in the last year of his contract? He's owed like 45 mill, can that be simply bought out?

Think Al Jefferson, Toine and JWill for Marbs, Franchise, Nate, JJ and Lee.

[Edited by - rvhoss on 04-13-2006 11:34 AM]

So far it's all hearsay. I haven't seen it.