Let the next round of battling begin.

While the Knicks claim they do not have to pay the $40 remaining on fired coach Larry Brown, Brown's agent sees things differently.

"The contract is what the contract is," Joe Glass said yesterday. "It's all very clear and I'm sure it will be handled appropriately in the proper time frame."

"The contract is very explicit and it protects him from any arbitrary decisions," Glass said. "His rights are all spelled out and they will be protected."

Brown has a clause in his contract stating that if there is a dispute about the money owed him, NBA Commissioner David Stern becomes the arbiter. Glass would not say if he had contacted the NBA yet or if he had heard from Stern.