Larry's Livid

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">December 14, 2005 -- The auditions are over. A desperate Larry Brown, sick of the instability and the losing, announced yesterday he's settling on a permanent starting lineup and shortening his rotation to about nine men starting tonight vs. Orlando.
For any other coach, that's normal. For Brown, it's a bombshell.

"I think now I'm going to settle on a lineup, settle on a rotation a little bit more," Brown said. "By doing that, we'll see a bit more continuity on both ends. I'll shorten the rotation, so guys will know when they're going to play. I have a better feel of who should play together."

Brown indicated his probable starting lineup will have Stephon Marbury and Quentin Richardson in the backcourt, Trevor Ariza and Channing Frye at forward and Eddy Curry up front. Average age: 23.4 years.

If the Knicks are going to lose, at least the young guys will cut their teeth.

Brown has befuddled his players, using 14 different starting lineups in the first 20 games, and using an 11- to-12-man rotation.

Brown's revelation came after the season's worst loss ? Monday, in a revolting defensive showing against the Bucks, who humiliated the Knicks 112-92. Brown's club fell to a disgraceful 6-14 at the season's quarter mark, with Orlando on tap tonight at the Garden.

The Knick coach made more damning remarks about Isiah Thomas' roster yesterday, indirectly taking a poke at Marbury's floor leadership, and for the first time he even questioned the team's toughness.

In referring to when 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson, battling for rebounding position, got splattered by Buck center Dan Gadzuric, Brown said, "We didn't match their physicality. Nate gets knocked down and nobody reacts. It was like, 'No big deal.' Your toughness can't come from the littlest guy on the court."

On his lineup, Brown yesterday made two things clear: he won't play Richardson at small forward again, moving him to starting shooting guard. Robinson, after five straight starts, goes back to the bench.

Brown has settled on Ariza as his starting small forward and ? in a shocker ? newcomer Qyntel Woods as the backup three.

Indeed, the young guys get the better of this, as it could mean the benchings of Malik Rose, buyout candidate Antonio Davis, Maurice Taylor and Jerome James, who could be traded under league rules beginning tomorrow. Penny Hardaway is clearly on the outs.

Brown said Robinson and Crawford will be backup guards and would like to play them together. Brown said he may just use one or two big men off the bench.

Brown sounded down about the roster and is clearly looking forward to tomorrow, when he expects trade activity to pick up, with 2005 free-agent signees able to be shipped. It's becoming abundantly evident Marbury is not living up to Brown's expectations as a cerebral floor leader.

"You hope that guys [who have] been in the league long enough to recognize when someone is zoning you, someone's pressing you, when there's a late clock when you're going 2 for 1," Brown said. "You can't keep stopping and trying to coach it."

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