Larry Brown’s personnel deployments have often edged on the bizarre this season, but the legendary coach has been dead on target in his recent comments to the press about what has become an increasingly dreary season for the locals.

“I don’t get caught up with wins and losses,” he said after the Knicks’ 93-89 loss to Houston on Sunday afternoon. “I get caught up with guys trying to do the right thing, respecting their teammates, and playing with effort.It’s disappointing to lose and not be rewarded for that as a team. But from my perspective it’s a big step forward.”

Hardly scintillating prose,but these are the right words for a coach of a 14-32 team whose roster is teeming with young players. Next season the roster will likely be even younger with two first-round draft picks joining the fold.The Knicks may treat the word “rebuilding” with the same kind of ambivalence that many Democratic Party members treat the word liberal, but rebuilding is precisely what they’re doing, and success will lie in part in how they sell the endeavor.That plus some minor tweaks will determine whether the remainder of this season is little more than a drama fest or if it’s really the first step toward future playoffs.

Yes, wins and losses aren’t that crucial in the larger picture (though Denver’s losses certainly are as the Nuggets remain one or two muscle pulls away from the lottery), but why stop there? Why not articulate a gameplan?

The 2007-08 Knicks will be a team with center Eddy Curry and forward Channing Frye on the frontline, Stephon Marbury and either Nate Robinson or Jamal Crawford in the backcourt, and David Lee and presumably Jackie Butler coming off the bench. That team has openings for a starter at the small forward and two wing reserves, but it’s still a more promising team than most other Eastern Conference teams can boast.

In the meantime, victories this season aren’t as crucial as is progress in making that team a contender. To that end, instead of letting the focus remain on the mounting losses, the Knicks should be directing attention to the incremental improvements in Crawford’s and Curry’s games. Crawford’s shot selection and willingness to drive to the rim and Curry’s ability to play strong for a full four quarters will go a long way toward determining if the future Knicks can fulfill the potential that many see in them.

Crawford has shown signs this season of abandoning the chuck-and-duck tendencies that got him run out of Chicago on a rail. His 9-of-15 against Houston, for instance, was promising. Crawford is also capable of getting to the rim – and, by extension, the free throw line – which he will need to do since his primary value is his ability to score. Brutal as this may sound, his 40% shooting this season is his best since he began playing more than 30 minutes a game three seasons ago. He’s still primarily a jump shooter, but the Knicks would be wise to steer him toward the lane since he has the moves to break down all but the best defenders and get to the rim.

Curry’s air ball free throw during Sunday’s contest points out that his figurative heart may be more of a question than his literal one. The 23-year-old center has yet to attain the level of conditioning he had last year during his breakout season in Chicago. He will either have to improve his work ethic or the Knicks will need to limit his minutes. The upside, however, is that Curry is averaging 14.7 points per game, and his 6.5 boards per game – though low for a player his size – are a career high. With proper conditioning and resourceful limiting of his minutes, Curry should be more of a factor down the stretch in coming games.

Next season, Crawford and Curry will be – along with Stephon Marbury – the veter an leaders.Since radical roster revision is un likely, it’s best to get these two on board with the responsibilities of leadership now.

The next issue would be to get Brown to re-establish a set rotation. When he used one in early January, the Knicks went on a six-game winning streak, beating Dallas and Phoenix along the way. But since Marbury’s shoulder injury, Brown has reverted into mad scientist mode, experimenting with more lineup constructions and roles than there are tattoos on the baristas in the average Williamsburg cafe. Sunday’s starting lineup against the Rockets was the 29th different variation this season. After 42 games, Brown has to know his players’ strengths and weaknesses, and devise rotations to accommodate them.

Finally, if the Knicks are to articulate a long-term plan for success, they’re going to need a cap manager. Don’t laugh. Yes, the Knicks are already committed to being over the salary cap until the 2009-10 season, but that just puts a priority on using their resources wisely.Throwing money around aimlessly leads to $30 million contracts for useless spare parts like center Jerome James, who just missed another six games with a strained neck of all things. A cap consultant – a position that is commonplace in the NFL, where contracts are rarely guaranteed, making them far less of a risk than they are in the NBA – would help the Knicks navigate their relatively limited options and provide a third voice in the growing power struggle between Brown and team president Isiah Thomas.

These measures may seem like elaborate spin control, but without them, the story of the season is simply about losing. The Knicks’ next five opponents – the Clippers, Nets, Hornets, Rockets, and Mavericks – are playoff-bound, and four of the five games are on the road. Without some sort of alternative focus, the hue and cry will grow to make the sort of major changes that will only sink the franchise deeper into futility. At present, the Knicks have the beginnings of a rebuilding project, and whether or not they wish to use that word in earnest, they need to adapt to the situation and focus all involved on the long term – because the short term isn’t pretty.

mjohnson@nysun.com