NEW YORK -- Guess it's safe to say Stephon Marbury no longer is interested in earning any Brownie points . . . or continuing his tainted NBA career in New York . . . or pretending he doesn't care what coaches, teammates and columnists say about him.

Guess it's safe to say they don't come with any less self-esteem than Larry Brown. Coaches have to die before receiving the kind of acclaim this Hall of Famer has, yet he's compelled to defend himself against Marbury's blither and blather.

Guess it's safe to say we know exactly who's answerable for uniting these two postulating posteriors and not having the commanding presence to demand their silence when their public bickering began months ago.