BRUCE Brown

Over five preseason outings with New York, Brown logged thin and uneven minutes. On October 5 against Philadelphia, he scored 2 points in 10.3 minutes in a loss. Three days later versus Washington, he added 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 10.1 minutes, another loss. He did not play at all in New York's October 12 loss to Minnesota. On October 13 against Toronto, he had his most active showing of the stretch, 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 17.9 minutes, though the Knicks lost that game too. Two days later, in a win over Toronto, Brown did not see the floor. The sample was small, and the playing time never settled into a consistent pattern.

Last season, playing for Denver, Brown appeared in all 82 games, averaging 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.2 blocks in 24.4 minutes per night. He shot 47.5 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 76.2 percent from the foul line, numbers that added up to a 56.2 true shooting percentage. His usage rate sat at 14.2 percent, reflecting a role as a connective, lower-volume piece. His plus-minus for the season was -0.9. Playing all 82 games stood out: whatever the role, Brown was available every night for Denver last season.

In late April of last season, Brown's game log shows five matchups against Minnesota in an eleven-day span. On April 20, he had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 16.5 minutes in a loss. Three days later he put up 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 23.1 minutes, also a loss. On April 25, he scored 6 points with 1 rebound and 2 assists in 20.7 minutes in another defeat. April 27 brought a win, with Brown scoring 7 points in 20.4 minutes without a rebound or assist. The stretch closed on April 30 with 1 point, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 14.4 minutes in a loss. His minutes in that run were higher than his season average.

Brown is a 6-4, 202-pound guard-forward out of Miami, now 30 years old and entering his 8th NBA season. He was with the Knicks this season, wearing No. 11, after averaging 24.4 minutes a night with Denver last season. His preseason workload in New York never exceeded 17.9 minutes in any outing, well below that 24.4-minute mark from last season. He is not on the injury report and has no injury history listed. With the Knicks placing him on waivers on October 17, his next stop is not yet known from his recent game log or notes roundups.