nydailynews:The Knicks' organization cringes every time Larry Brown publicly criticizes a player, and yet Brown's tactics seem to be working.
Both Stephon Marbury and Trevor Ariza said they were motivated after being singled out by the head coach.
When asked if players have to adjust to him, Brown said: "Yeah, you get a new girlfriend, you have to adjust. Think of how many coaches Stephon Marbury has had in his career. But I have to adjust to players as well.
"The only thing is, they only have to adjust to one guy. I have to adjust to 15. My goal is to make 'em better, make 'em become a team. The message is clear every single day, what we expect, what we need to do to accomplish our goals. I've never had problems with players who care about winning, do the right thing, and respect their teammates."
Marbury has played well since Brown called him out. Yesterday, Marbury produced 23 points, 15 assists and only one turnover.
"I coached him (31) games and I questioned two shots he's taken in (31) games," Brown said. "In one game I didn't like the way he played. Steph's been great. He's getting better. I don't know what motivates players."
Tough love was all they needed I guess, but it's still too early to be for sure if they are going to remain like this. But atleast the effort is there.
