Brown wants Knicks to pay up

Former Knicks coach Larry Brown filed a grievance with the NBA against the team, saying New York owes him the remainder of his salary after firing him, according to published reports yesterday.

Brown, who says the Knicks should pay him $40 million, filed the grievance Wednesday, the New York Daily News and New York Post reported. The Knicks, who fired the coach after one season, claim they're not obligated to pay the full amount because Brown violated terms of his contract.

The Knicks contend Brown broke Madison Square Garden policy with his roadside interviews, a decision the team believes could save them millions.

Brown's contract had a clause that designates NBA commissioner David Stern as the arbitrator in any financial dispute he has with the Knicks.

``I've been requested by both sides to help arbitrate," Stern told the New York Post. ``I don't think there's any timetable to what we're doing."

In Brown's lone season in New York, the Knicks stumbled to a 23-59 record -- second worst in the NBA and matching the most losses in club history. But Brown's public feud with Stephon Marbury and criticism of other players may have angered owner James Dolan more than the losing.

With owner Paul Allen playing the role of Monty Hall, the Portland Trail Blazers staged their own version of ``Let's Make a Deal" during Wednesday night's NBA draft.

The flurry of trades landed Portland four first-round picks.

First, they traded Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff to the Celtics for the No. 7 pick, Randy Foye, then they swapped him to Minnesota for the No. 6 pick, Brandon Roy.

They also traded the No. 4 pick, Tyrus Thomas, to the Chicago Bulls along with forward Viktor Khryapa and a conditional second-round pick for the No. 2 overall pick, LaMarcus Aldridge.

Portland also acquired the 27th pick, guard Sergio Rodriguez from Spain, from the Phoenix Suns for cash considerations. With the 30th overall pick, Portland took Joel Freeland, a 6-foot-10-inch forward from England.

Aldridge, a 6-11 power forward/center who played as a sophomore last season at Texas, is known for his defense and could provide immediate help if the Blazers fail to re-sign free agent center Joel Przybilla. He averaged 12.4 points last season and was selected the Big 12 defensive player of the year.

``I really didn't know where I was going to end up," Aldridge said.

The Blazers finished last season 21-61, the worst record in the NBA. And the team's ownership situation is in limbo, with Allen claiming the franchise is losing too much money.

Allen, nonetheless, participated in the draft, ensconced at the team's practice facility just south of Portland.

The Milwaukee Bucks extended Andrew Bogut's contract through the 2007-08 season. They exercised the third-year option on the 7-foot center's deal. The Bucks picked Bogut first overall last year. ``We drafted Andrew last season with the expectation that he would be a part of this franchise for a very long time and this is just another step in that process," general manager Larry Harris said in a statement . . . The 6 1/2-month-old son of Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom died Wednesday night, a spokesman for the team said. Jayden Odom apparently suffocated while sleeping in his crib in New York, according to John Black. ``Lamar is very distraught," Black said. ``Both he and the baby's mother are asking that people respect their privacy at this time."