The 2005-06 NBA season started with a marquee coach taking over a young team in transition (I know, it's rebuilding, rebuilding is such a dirty word you know?), featuring a star player with whom our marquee coach had previously clashed. Smart money had a blowup occurring by January, but with the coach getting the team to the postseason.

That Phil Jackson, something else isn't he…oh, you thought I was talking about Larry Brown? Yeah, so did I.

Peeps, I have to get this off my chest before we move on to teams actually doing something this season:

Larry Brown is overrated.

Yes, I said it.

Overrated. Repeat after me, New York Yankee-style:

O-verrr-Rated!

Clap clap clap clap!

I know the conventional wisdom had Larry (also known as Coach Right Way) as one of the all-time greats, especially after the Pistons spanked the Lakers in the 2004 finals. I was one of them. With the benefit of hindsight, we know a few things - that the Pistons were much better than we all thought, and that the Shaq-Kobe feud had torched team chemistry beyond all repair, with Karl Malone’s injury being the final straw.

But after two straight trips to the Finals, LB was known as the guy who wanted his team to play The Right Way. What we all should have asked was why didn’t anyone ask is Greg Popovich, Rick Adelman, or Phil Jackson if they coached The Right Way – especially after Pop outcoached Larry last year in the Finals? Is it possible that the “Right Way” talk went to his head?

Well, the results are in. It’s ugly, and I mean Chris Kaman ugly. The Knicks were a 33 win team last year, and they’d have to run the table to get to 27 this year (I'm thinking 23 wins tops).

Worse, they have no freakin’ excuse.

Isiah Thomas may have his weaknesses – ok – a LOT of weaknesses as a GM, but he’s brought in solid young talent with Channing Frye, Eddie Curry, and James Robinson to go with Trevor Ariza and David Lee.  Stephon Marbury has more issues than the New York Times, but only The Big O has averaged 20+ pp and 8 assists as Stephon has done. Throw in Quinton Richardson and Jamal Crawford and .500 should have been a lock.

Instead we get the unholy mess that is the Knicks, and now Brown recently whined that the players are “tuning him out”. Brother Larry, human beings have an annoying tendency to do that when they constantly get barraged with noise. Note to Coach RightWay, when you constantly run down your players in the press, it becomes noise. Isn’t it telling that Brown has gotten little public support from anyone? Even given Marbury’s obvious problems playing team ball?

Does Kevin Garnett really want to come into this zoo?

Out here on the Left Coast, Phil Jackson gets mixed reviews, but you don’t hear him and Kobe killing each other. Granted, the Lakers have fewer youngsters than the Knicks, but Smush Parker (who wasn't even in the league last year) and Kwame Brown have made solid strides this season – especially Kwame in the last month since Chris Mihm was injured.

Kwame Brown? The same Kwame who was sent home by the Wizards last year – even when they lost his replacement to injury in the playoffs? Lamar Odom is finally playing three good games in a row. The Lakers look like they’ll win 44-45 games – in a tougher conference - and will almost certainly make the playoffs.

Kobe is getting along publicly with Phil, AFTER Phil hammers him in a book. (I grant you that if Coach allows you to put up 35 shots a game, you shouldn't have a problem getting along with anyone.) Yet even the most ardent Kobe-basher has to concede that Kobe has made more of a committment to team ball, even while scoring a pace unseen since Jordan in 1987.

Meanwhile, Coach RightWay and Starbury have gone to the mattresses. No surprise, Larry Brown hasn't met a point guard he ever got along with. No surprise, since Larry was trashing Marbury at the Olympics. This is the same guy who couldn't appreciate Mark Jackson (only Number Two on the all-time assist list) until he traded him away, and then had to trade back to get him. Which coach would you rather have?

Given LB’s history, the Knicks will almost certainly rebound. Somehow, Thomas will move Marbury or Francis (although if a superstar doesn’t come back in the deal, they shouldn’t do it), and Brown will feel safer. The young players will mature, and Larry will be the hero.

But not to this writer.

Honestly, I’m hoping Step and Right Way stay together. Life has been boring since Kobe and Shaq have made up (kindasorta). A good blood feud is necessary in sports. And the potential of Stephon going Sprewell on Little Larry is just too good to pass up.

Meanwhile, a maturing Laker team is peaking going into the post-season.

Score a big one for the Zen Master.