Despite the total collapse of the $125-million Knicks, neither team president Isiah Thomas nor coach Larry Brown is going to swing from the Madison Square Garden rafters anytime soon.

Owner James Dolan and Thomas each spoke briefly to the team during practice yesterday at the FedEx Forum, where the Knicks (15-41) meet the Grizzlies (31-26) tonight. They offered a strong show of support for a 65-year-old Hall of Fame coach who has been getting no competitive response from his team lately, and Dolan promised no changes in the coaching or front-office staff.

"I think what both of them said was really good," Brown said. " has been real supportive, and Isiah's been real supportive. I don't know how they can be watching us play."

"The stuff about a 'firing' is ridiculous," an NBA official said. According to the official, Dolan didn't order Thomas to join the trip and was surprised when he showed up on the company plane.

The owner is scheduled to meet with Knicks beat writers today, as he customarily does twice each season. The timing couldn't be worse for Dolan, who couldn't have expected this result when Thomas signed Brown to a five-year contract worth an estimated $50 million.

Describing Dolan's remarks to the team, veteran forward Jalen Rose said: "The message was about reality. Obviously, he's disappointed about our record. He let us know he wants to see our effort pick up as a team."