NEW YORK -- As much as I regret it, the time has come at last to gently slam shut the cave door on Larry Brown's dreamy season in New York.

The revealed $18.5 million settlement between the Knicks and their evicted coach makes me long for more squabbles, controversy and pettiness, but NBA commissioner David Stern's silly gag order has taken the carnival out of covering Camp Cablevision.

Hopefully, Stephon Marbury can recover from being inhibited by Brown and return to his plateau as the league's premier point guard.