Being that it’s the off-season, hoops news is what you make of it and few do a better job of that than former CBA coach, author, and Phil Jackson confidant Charley Rosen. Blunt and irreverent, Rosen’s candid and crusty take on the game as it’s currently played in the NBA makes him a welcome change of pace from the frequently mundane, inarticulate, and hero-worshipping drivel that passes for analysis and commentary on The Worldwide Leader and it’s competitors these days. His latest mailbag piece for Fox Sports ought to be especially interesting to Knicks fans since he takes a stab at explaining what the Larry Brown/Starbury dynamic will be like.

Of the mismatched Knicks coach and would-be point guard, Rosen says the following:

They’ll certainly play harder, and with the exception of Stephon Marbury, guys who resist Brown’s program will sit. By moving Marbury to the shooting-guard position, however, Brown will replicate how he dealt with Allen Iverson. AI, remember, simply refused to be a pass-first point guard, so Brown simply surrendered, shifted Iverson to the No. 2 slot, and let him fire away and pass only under duress. Following the same blueprint with Marbury is the only alternative to trading him — which is a difficult undertaking since Marbury has little value to any other sensible franchise.

The funny thing is, for all the talk there is about Brown making his squads “play the right way,” he’s had no difficulty allowing his more petulant superstars, like Iverson, to flout both the on and off the court rules that the rest of the team had to adhere to. That wasn’t really a problem in Detroit since the Pistons don’t really have any superstars nor was it a problem when Brown coached Indiana (1993-97) since the Pacers were led by consummate pros like Reggie Miller and Rik Smits.

It was, however, a problem in Philly, where Brown never quite figured out what to do with AI. While Starbury is no longer considered to be the foundation of the franchise — at $10 million per it’s Brown — he does present some of the same problems — a me first mentality, shoddy work habits, disinterest on defense — that Brown faced, and ultimately never solved , in AI. Eventually, dealing with Iverson wore Brown down so he quit.

The only difference is that thus far in his career, Starbury has shown little of the grit, determination, and ability to make plays in the waning moments of important games that AI has. Which means that Brown has the worst of both worlds: all the problems with none of the payoff. Helluva situation, huh?

Welcome to NYC, coach Brown.