Why Larry Brown's a 'Big Fan' of Current New York Knicks

Longtime NBA head coach Larry Brown had a glowing review of the modern New York Knicks, comparing them to his championship group with the Detroit Pistons.

Larry Brown has taken in more NBA basketball than perhaps entire sections of Madison Square Garden on game day. Even if his prestige and knowledge weren't apparent in his single season on the New York Knicks' sidelines, a tenured source like Brown being intrigued by the team's modern affairs should no doubt provide optimism for this upcoming season.

“I’m a big fan of these Knicks,” Brown said in an interview with Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post. “I love the players they have. I love (head coach Tom Thibodeau). I love watching them play and I’m excited to see what they can do this year. I really am.”

Brown will be one of thousands, if not millions, who look at the Knicks' modern affairs with great interest. New York is coming off its most lucrative season in a decade with 47 wins and a postseason series triumph and is set to bring back almost all of the roster that reached those heights. 

The 83-year-old Brown, whose last NBA duties came at the helm of the Charlotte Bobcats (2008-10), is one of 10 coaches with at least 1,000 wins to his Association name. His most notable effort was the oversight of a championship run with the Detroit Pistons in 2003-04, a trek that ended with a surprising five-game victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown got Detroit back to the Finals in the following season and joined the Knicks after a seven-game loss to San Antonio. Alas, the Motor City magic failed to transfer, as the Knicks won only 23 games in Brown's tumultuous single season.

Brown spent a single season with the Knicks after his championship with Detroit / David Butler II, USA TODAY SPORTS

With New York well removed from that disaster, Brown sees reminders of that Detroit title run peppered on the Knicks' current roster.

"Brunson reminds me a lot of Chauncey (Billups),” Brown told Vaccaro, comparing the Knicks' point guard to the MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals. “The way RJ Barrett has improved every year reminds me of Tayshaun (Prince). Mitch Robinson, if he can stay on the floor, there’s no telling how good he can be. He has a lot of the qualities that Ben (Wallace) had."

Much like the state of the modern Knicks, Detroit was not favored in an Eastern Conference packed with contenders, such as the 61-win Indiana Pacers and Vince Carter's New Jersey Nets. The win over the Lakers was considered shocking with Karl Malone and Gary Payton joining fellow Hall-of-Famers Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. 

But Brown lauded the Pistons' chemistry and focus on the defensive end, noting that Thibodeau places equal, if not greater, attention in such areas.

“We kind of had a team that liked each other, and had a mentality they wanted to make their teammates better every game, every practice,” Brown continued. “We were defensive-minded and hard-working, and knowing Thibs and what he believes in, I know these Knicks are the same way.”