Cavaliers assistant coach Mike Malone, the lone Knicks staffer not retained by Larry Brown when he took over as head coach last summer, said he had a "sour ending" with the Knicks.

Malone said he never received a phone call from the team after being let go.

"After four years of busting my butt, when Larry Brown was hired I'm not saying they owed me a job, but I deserved a phone call from Isiah [Thomas] or Larry," Malone said. "I got nothing. I've never said two words to Larry Brown."

Malone said he still reported to work for several days after Brown's hire.

"I deserved the courtesy," said Malone, who added that Gregg Popovich helped him get his current job.