NEW YORK -- Larry Brown is employed again, and the New York Knicks might just become a team to watch after nearly a half-decade of malaise and mediocrity.
Brown's "dream job" became a reality Thursday when the Knicks introduced him as the 22nd coach in franchise history.
"When I was announced as the Olympics coach, I thought that was the single greatest honor I could ever have, but I think standing here in Madison Square Garden with Isiah and my family here, this tops it all," Brown said.
Not since Pat Riley took over the team in 1991 has there been such a summertime buzz surrounding the Knicks to match what's been transpiring lately.
"Welcome Back Larry!" flashed the marquee in front of the Garden.
Less than 10 days after his divorce from the Detroit Pistons, Brown has made the Knicks relevant in the local sports scene again, and the fans who have watched the franchise stumble and slump into insignificance finally have something to give them some promise.
"We are extremely lucky and very fortunate to have a man grace our sidelines such as Larry Brown," team president Isiah Thomas said.
Sure, the Knicks' roster is sub-par compared to the top echelon of teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference. But with Brown's proven track record of turning losers into winners, those feelings of hope have some legitimacy behind them.
"I can't promise wins and losses, but I promise every single day, as a staff, we'll do our very best to make people proud of our franchise and our players and the way we play," Brown said.
The Knicks were Brown's favorite team when he was growing up in Brooklyn, and the eighth stop on his NBA coaching carousel will truly be a "dream job" -- just what Brown called it earlier this year.
He'll join a long list of distinguished coaches -- including Joe Lapchick, Red Holzman, Riley and Lenny Wilkens -- who have guided one of the NBA's charter franchises.
In 22 seasons as a professional coach, Brown has compiled a 987-741 record. The title he won with the Pistons in 2004 was his only NBA championship.