Despite rough start, Knicks will be better under Brown, Billups says
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
By Danny Knobler

AUBURN HILLS -- They're undefeated without him. He lost his first five games without them.

So it was more than a little interesting to hear what Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups had to say about former coach Larry Brown, who finally won his first game with the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

"I knew that they would have a rough beginning,'' said Billups, whose Pistons will try to go to 7-0 when they host Boston tonight. "Anytime Larry Brown takes over a team, it's going to be rough early. I told (Knicks guard) Stephon (Marbury) that. It was rough for us early when he took over.''

It's hard to remember that now, but Billups is right. While Brown's first Pistons team didn't start 0-5, he did begin 6-4 with a team that had gone to the Eastern Conference finals the previous season.

By the end of that 2003-04 season, the Pistons were NBA champions.

"He's putting in so much new stuff and he's so relentless and so demanding that you don't ever know what's right and what's wrong,'' Billups said. "You're really out there just like a robot. But once they get over that, he's going to make that team better.''

The 2005-06 Knicks aren't the '03-04 Pistons, but Billups believes the Knicks aren't as bad as they're playing.

"They're not where we were, but they've got some talent on that team,'' he said. "They will definitely be a much better team, even halfway through the season.''

The Pistons will see Brown and the Knicks in a little more than two weeks, on Dec. 2 at The Palace.

Now we can all breathe ez because Mr.Big Shot has spoken.

I see a trade in the works for Chauncey, for the pure purpose of making him the Knicks spokesman, b/c he does know all.

ROFL.

Posted by Bonn1997:

Malik Rose for Chauncey? Offer Rose for every all-star until one team bites!

I think it's going to be Crawford creating for the final shot and if it's not there dishing to Q or Marbs.

At this point, I trust marbs to take the last shot as much as billups. (see detroit and Rip)