Larry Brown and the Knicks' highest-ranking officials will meet face to face in front of NBA commissioner David Stern at an arbitration hearing in Manhattan this morning, their first such contact since Brown was fired last June, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is reporting.

James Dolan, the Garden chairman, claims that he fired Brown for cause and is trying to void the final four years of Brown's contract worth approximately $40 million. The Knicks contend that Brown violated the terms of his contract by trying to make trades without Thomas' approval, criticizing players through the media and failing to return Thomas' phone calls.

Brown will argue that he is owed $40million, plus another $12 million in legal fees and damages. Brown had a clause in his contract that designated Stern to serve as the arbitrator.

Dolan was upset that Brown refused to acknowledge any of the infractions mentioned during his final meeting with team officials. In fact, the club wanted Brown to sign a document outlining the violations that he had committed with the promise not to make them again.

"I had 50 million reasons to stay with (Brown)," Dolan said. "If I thought there was any chance that we were going to have the Larry Brown that everybody thought we were going to get, I'd jump through hoops. But I don't believe there was any opportunity to do that."