"We didn't even know who was starting with 30 minutes left on the clock" - Channing Frye calls the 2005-06 Knicks the most dysfunctional team ever

While many former NBA players have talked highly about the opportunity to be coached by the legendary Larry Brown , Channing Frye's experience with the Brown-coached New York Knicks in the 2005-06 season was decidedly negative. Revealing insights into the team's bizarre working environment, the 7'0" former center described it as the 'most dysfunctional team' he had ever encountered in the NBA, expressing deep regret about his time there.

"I have never been a part of a team so dysfunctional. Would tell me, 'Channing, you're doing great, you'll get some minutes,' then I'd be ready, and I didn't play the whole game," Frye said. "We had the most starting lineups in the history of the league. There were games here we didn't even know who was starting with 30 minutes left on the clock."

Channing observed Larry stopping his growth

Brown joined the Knicks after leading the Detroit Pistons to a championship in 2004 and then again to the NBA Finals in 2005. As a result, he had high expectations of bringing similar success to NY, which had reached the playoffs just once in the past four seasons.

Despite possessing a deep roster that included Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Eddy Curry, and Jalen Rose, the team performed poorly—ranking among the worst eight teams both offensively and defensively. Notably, their performance became worse, as evidenced by them ranking 14th in offensive rating during the '04-05 season.

Shedding light on how coach Brown shunted the momentum of plenty of his players, Frye emphasized how he felt confident after dominating the No. 1 pick of the 2005 draft, Andrew Bogut. However, Larry instructed him to employ a different approach that conflicted with his natural playing style—a decision that also baffled multiple Knicks players.

"I was starting to be like a face-up jump shooter doing my thing. I remember the day I scored 30 (points) on the No. 1 pick - Andrew Bogut. Obviously, I had a thing, 'I should've been the No. 1 pick,'" Frye added. "The next day at practice, the coach goes, 'Channing, you can't shoot any more jumpers.' Everyone on the team was like don't listen to him. He's like, 'No, no, no, if you shoot another jumper, you're gonna sit on the side.'"

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Knicks ultimately fired coach Brown

It wasn't just Channing who had issues with Larry. Marbury also admitted that Larry's team-oriented approach was why New York stumbled to a 23-59 record, the worst in the franchise's history. Stephon, who had already had problems with Brown during the 2004 Olympics , was never shy about expressing his frustrations.

It's safe to say that with 40 different starting lineups, Larry seemed lost with the Knicks that season, and the players still remind him of it.

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