http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/41407.htm

PICKS MAY BE USED FOR BROWN

By MARC BERMAN

February 27, 2005 -- Knicks president Isiah Thomas talked with great enthusiasm Thursday night after the trade deadline about using his four first-round picks across the next two drafts on four young players.

But there is a possibility of using one of those first-rounders on one old coach — namely, Hall-of-Famer Larry Brown.

The Knicks can never admit it publicly because they'd be tampering, but two league sources said Thomas knows he is now in much better position to make a deal for a head coach — not just Brown — who might be under contract elsewhere.

Before Thursday, the Knicks were in no position to land Brown. It's been widely speculated that the Knicks would have to fork over their first-round pick along with cash this June if they wanted to get Brown from under his Piston contract, which runs another three years.

Problem is, the Knicks are forbidden from trading their own first-round pick under NBA rules. A team mat not deal its own first-round pick in two successive years. The Knicks shipped their 2004 first-rounder to Phoenix in the Stephon Marbury deal.

Now Isiah is well-stocked with picks that he can use to deal with Detroit or another club. When Pat Riley was freed from breaking the Knicks' contract to join Miami in 1995, the Heat gave the Knicks a first-rounder and $1 million. The Pistons might look greedy to ask for more than the late first-rounder the Knicks acquired from San Antonio Thursday, a second-rounder and $3 million in cash.

In any event, Isiah Thomas desperately wanted to gain extra picks at the deadline. At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, 90 minutes before the deadline, he had nothing close to a deal, according to a source. San Antonio was offering one first-rounder. Isiah demanded a second one and got it. The San Antonio deal would not have been made without the second first-rounder.

*

The Knicks are looking to add a guard from the CBA to fill out their roster, which is down to 11 healthy bodies after the 4-for-2 trades. Top CBA guards are Jemeil Rich, former summer-leaguer, Melvin Sanderson.

Antonio Davis and Gary Payton may be waived, but the Knicks likely will pass. . . . Maurice Taylor, banished to the injured list since Jan. 18 in Houston because of his poor defense, claims Jeff Van Gundy made him "a better defensive player."

"Jeff and [assistant Tom] Thibodeau really instruct us how to play the post and do things the right way defensively," Taylor said. "One of his mottoes was, 'help like you want to get helped.' That's what made Houston a great defensive team."

It's interesting that Taylor praised Van Gundy for helping him defensively after Van Gundy traded him and reportedly didn't have good things to say about Taylor.

Marc Berman needs to lay off the crack pipe!

Speculative and irresponsible.