Larry Brown continued to take shots aimed at Stephon Marbury on Tuesday.

"Look, I've been coaching how many years?" Brown said after practice at the MSG Training Center. "A long time. I never left a team in worse shape than I got it. Not once. Think about that. Think about me and think about the guy who's talking."

Brown praised the defensive effort of Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford, saying, "Jamal, to me, is becoming our best perimeter defender. When did we think that would happen?" He has been generally positive about Francis' effort. That leaves Marbury, who left early Tuesday and did not speak to reporters after practice.

Asked if he thought Marbury was focusing on his offense and ignoring the coach's pleas to make defense the priority, Brown said, "There's no doubt in my mind he is."