Mark Duncan / AP file

Larry Brown went 23-59 in his first season as Knicks coach.

updated 9:27 a.m. ET May 17, 2006

NEW YORK - Larry Brown will not accept a buyout to step down as coach of the New York Knicks, and the team will have to fire him to end his run, his agent said.

Joe Glass, Brown’s longtime representative, responded again Tuesday to recent reports claiming the Knicks were looking to part ways with their coach after one dismal season. The New York Post and Daily News reported Sunday that owner James Dolan is considering buying out Brown’s contract.

“There’s been no discussion of a buyout and there won’t be a discussion of a buyout,” Glass told the New York Post for Wednesday’s editions. “We’re not going to accept a settlement. He’s coaching the Knicks or they’re firing him — one way or another. There’s not going to be a $25 million buyout.”

Brown — who signed a five-year deal with the Knicks worth a reported $50 million — has said all along he believes he will return. ESPN reported Tuesday that Brown has told a friend he believes he’ll be fired.

“Doesn’t sound like a very good friend to me. No comment,” Glass told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Brown, a Brooklyn native, described his hiring last year as a “dream job,” and the Knicks hoped his happy homecoming signaled a return to the playoffs. But despite a league-high payroll of more than $120 million, New York finished with the league’s second-worst record, going 23-59 and matching the most losses in franchise history.

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