According to a report in USA Today, in-limbo Knicks coach Larry Brown took full advantage of reporters waiting a block away from the practice facility, finally giving the Hall of Famer a chance to speak his mind.

"I'm not supposed to be talking," Brown said after getting out of the car.  "I feel like a dead man walking."

Reports of a potential buyout surfaced two weeks ago, but Brown said Tuesday that nobody from the organization has come forward to deny such a possibility exists.

"You hear anybody deny the story?" Brown asked. "I haven't met with anybody. I work the kids out. I don't know what they've done in the past with the coach. Have they always had police escorts? I really don't have any explanation of what's going on. I do my job. I love this part of it. I'll come back tomorrow and do it again."

Knicks guard Stephon Marbury has been mentioned in trade rumors this summer but he does not want to go anywhere.

"I want to be a Knick, I want to die a Knick," Marbury told The Post in an exclusive Memorial-Day interview.

"If I ever was to be cremated, I'd want my ashes sprinkled on top of the Garden."

While there are rumors that Marbury will be traded, those rumors will likely die down if as expected Larry Brown does not return as head coach.

Marbury also believes last year's team, which had a 23-59 record can be a playoff team and should not be broken up.

"I hope that every player on this team comes back next season," Marbury said.

"I honestly mean that. Every player. I think we have a great team. I think it will be so much different next year."

Even though the Eddy Curry trade has yielded the number two overall pick in this June's draft, it isn't being considered a runaway success by all NBA executives.

"Are the Bulls going to get a better player than Curry? No," one Eastern Conference GM said. "But for all the things that are going wrong in New York, Curry's underachievement just multiplies it. Everyone likes his offensive ability, and he still has upside, but he's gradually moving toward bust. Either he doesn't love the game, or he's uncoachable. Because he sure doesn't hustle on defense, and he just isn't maturing at an acceptable rate."

According to the New York Daily News, Larry Brown is looking at bringing aboard Patrick Ewing, currently with the Houston Rockets, as an assistant coach.  Ewing has wanted to return to the New York area, where he recently purchased a home.

If Ewing joins Brown's staff, that could mean that Brown is trying to move out two of Thomas' close associates, Mark Aguirre and George Glymph. Both Aguirre and Glymph came to New York two weeks after Thomas was hired and Brown inherited the two plus Herb Williams.

Of course, there is a strong chance that Brown will not be back. Brown's agent, Joe Glass, said that his client has no interest in negotiating a buyout, while sources indicate that Dolan would not hesitate to fire Brown and simply pay him the $40 million that Brown is owed over the next four years.

Bulls GM John Paxson said he felt the club was "lucky" to land the No. 2 selection in June's Draft.  He also further clarified the motives for the trade and what he hoped came out of the deal.

"We didn't do it with the belief that we were trying to win a deal or get the better of a deal," he said. "That's never been the issue with me....It was about our decision in trying to do the right thing for Eddy. When we realized that couldn't happen, we decided to make the deal."

A report in Tuesday's New York Post indicated that Larry Brown attempted to circumvent Isiah Thomas by requesting a meeting with James Dolan.  Brown's camp denied the report later in the day.

"It's a complete fabrication," Brown's agent, Joe Glass, said. "Larry has never called to have a meeting with Dolan without Isiah's presence."

One member of Brown's fraternity said, "Larry never has and never would go over anyone's head to an owner. A complete lie."

In a bizarre sidenote, police chased the club's five traveling beat writers and one Post photographer away from a grassy area by the practice facility's security gate.  The Knicks have refused to let Brown speak to the media following Monday and Tuesday's pre-draft workouts.

David Stern was asked a series of questions before Tuesday's Lottery; one was about the state of the New York Knicks.

"You'd rather that franchises not be in turmoil but in over 22 years as commissioner and with 30 current franchises, ...the franchise is what the franchise is," Stern said about the Knicks. "There are going to be ups and downs."

The decision to trade Eddy Curry was an emotional one for the Chicago Bulls and it depended on the team receiving the Knicks' pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

"Eddy's a very good basketball player, a very good center in this league, and I'm sure that over time the Knicks will be very happy."

Curry was drafted out of high school by the club and they watched him mature into a young man and a productive inside scorer.  The Bulls and Curry weren't able to agree on a deal that satisfied both parties in light of the questions surrounding his health.

Paxson confirmed what New York had been quietly saying ? that the Bulls would not accept any conditions on the pick. "It would have been a deal breaker," Paxson said.

With the Bulls being the only team attending the NBA Lottery tonight that made the playoffs, GM John Paxson can consider himself lucky.

''If there's a good way to get in it, this is the way to do it,'' Paxson said Monday.

The Bulls find themselves in Secaucus in place of the New York Knicks, who acquired Eddy Curry in exchange for their unprotected first round pick and then crashed to the league's second worst record, giving the Bulls the second best shot at the top pick.

After seeing New York's misfortune become his good fortune, Paxson isn't going to press his luck by bringing any good-luck charms with him.

''There's nothing I can put in my pocket that's going to affect the outcome,'' he said. ''I'm not going to have any lucky charms or anything. Not my style.''

During Larry Brown's first day of duties as Knicks' head coach since a report first surface that James Dolan intended to buy him out of his contract, a senior out of North Carolina named David Noel perhaps provided the most insight on the situation.

"The sense I got is there's going to be no change," said Noel. "He's doing the best job that he can to stay the coach.

"They did a great job of hiding anything that's going on, for the most part," Noel said.

Larry Brown first spoke of the situation on Sunday night, telling the New York Daily News, "I know everybody has a lot of questions. So do I. But I'm not the one with the answers."