Sports

LEARNING CURVE – YOUNG KNICKS DEALT BRUTAL EARLY SLATE

Wait until January.

With a young roster trying to learn a complicated new system and a vicious schedule at the outset, Knicks president Isiah Thomas admitted he’s “nervous” about the club’s start to the season. But he believes by January, Larry Brown’s band will be clicking.

Thirteen of the Knicks’ first 19 games are on the road, including two West Coast trips. The Knicks, who open tomorrow in Boston, didn’t win a game last season in the Pacific Time Zone.

“Our schedule at the beginning and the end, particularly April, I’m a little nervous about it,” Thomas said during yesterday’s State-of-the-Knicks Address.

“It’s going to take us a while to find our identity, how we’re going to play. Traditionally, Coach Brown’s teams start out kind of slow and January, February they pick up. I’m interested how we move off the dot.”

However, Thomas said the goal is still to make the playoffs, not develop the new slate of youngsters, including three rookie first-round picks.

“Anytime you don’t make the playoffs it’s disappointing,” Thomas said. “That doesn’t mean you pack up your tent and quit, [but] I’d be disappointed.”

Thomas won’t mind if Brown chooses to play the veterans and it appears the coach is leaning that way for at least November.

“You always win now,” Thomas added. “You win the game. You develop by learning how to win. You don’t develop by losing. I know this about Coach and any other coach, at end of the day, they’re going to put the five guys out here who are going to win the game. I hope that’s what he does. It’s not about developing young players.”

Thomas believes the Pacers, Heat, Pistons and Nets are the East’s four best teams and a dogfight will ensue for the final four playoff spots. The Knicks likely will vie for one of the final two seeds, but face an April schedule in which they play seven of their last 11 on the road against tough competition.

Thomas is being cautious about making predictions.

“After watching this season, next year we could say we should be here, we should be there,” he said. “All these guys have just gotten together. The teams that have been together for a while and have systems in place, those teams will beat you at the end of the game.”

Brown, too, acknowledged the possibility of a slow start. The Knicks committed at least 29 turnovers in three of their last four preseason games, testament to confusion existing over Brown’s offense that requires defensive reads.

“Even with Detroit, we started slow,” Brown said. “You ask guys to do things maybe they’re not accustomed to doing. At first, it’s hard to understand. After a while, they buy into it. Hopefully that will be the case.

“We don’t have an easy beginning, 13 of 19 on the road,” Brown added. “We’ve had injuries, a late trade. In my heart, I believe we’ll get better as the season goes on.”

Thomas said he’s not averse to making another trade, though this group needs a chance to develop chemistry. All 15 players he inherited when he took over Dec. 22, 2003, are gone.

“We always want to get better,” Thomas said. “New York being a different kind of pressure, if it’s a better piece, yeah. We want the best players.”

e-mail: marc.berman@nypost.com

NBA Championship odds

CURRENT OPENING

TEAM ODDS ODDS

San Antonio 5-2 4-1

Miami 7-2 9-2

Phoenix 8-1 6-1

Detroit 10-1 5-1

Denver 12-1 12-1

Dallas 13-1 10-1

Houston 15-1 16-1

Indiana 16-1 16-1

Cleveland 18-1 25-1

Minnesota 18-1 16-1

Sacramento 18-1 18-1

Seattle 18-1 16-1

Lakers 25-1 20-1

Nets 25-1 25-1

Philadelphia 25-1 25-1

Boston 30-1 25-1

Chicago 30-1 25-1

Washington 30-1 30-1

Memphis 35-1 25-1

Knicks 50-1 50-1

Golden State 60-1 60-1

Clippers 70-1 70-1

Orlando 70-1 60-1

Milwaukee 80-1 80-1

Toronto 80-1 60-1

Portland 100-1 80-1

Utah 100-1 100-1

Charlotte 250-1 250-1

Atlanta 300-1 300-1

New Orleans 400-1 300-1