The Pistons front office? Don't get him started
By Chris McCosky

As Larry Brown was walking off the court at the SBC Center in San Antonio last June, trying to process the heartbreaking loss to the Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, all he could think about was coming back the next season and winning back the championship that had just slipped his grasp.

Six months later as Brown, now coaching the New York Knicks, makes his first return to The Palace tonight, he knows that his ouster from the Pistons was already in motion as he was walking off that court in San Antonio.

Parker: Boos for Brown? Just think about that, then refrain
By Rob Parker

To:Pistons fans
From:Rob Parker
Re:Larry Brown's return to Detroit
Don't boo.

Not even a little bit.

In fact, Pistons fans at The Palace tonight should show a lot of class by standing and cheering Larry Brown.

The longer and louder, the better.

Sure, Brown left for the New York Knicks last summer after parting company with the Pistons, whom he coached for two seasons. Without question, it could have been handled better, especially in Brown's case. He said one thing and did another. Then again, a divorce is never pretty.
Still, you should remember the good, not the bad, on this night.
The reality is, he did everything this organization could have asked him to do.


Thomas, Brown share spotlight
Former Pistons great will see his name put on court the same night his coach returns to Palace.
By Joanne C. Gerstner

The marquee event at The Palace tonight will be the return of Larry Brown, who will face the Pistons for the first time since he ceased being their coach and joined the Knicks.
But there is more emotion on tap than simply a redux of "playing the right way."

The Pistons will honor their Hall of Fame point guard, Isiah Thomas, now the Knicks' president of basketball operations. Thomas' retired No. 11 and name will be placed permanently on the sideline of The Palace court.



Doing things the right way tonight
by Mitch Albom

Did you hear? The circus is in town. Tonight's the night Larry Brown comes back to Detroit.

First, right off the bat, let's say the Pistons and their fans owe Brown a nod of thanks. He did help bring the team a championship.

But Larry's with the Knicks now, which makes him the enemy on several levels.

No hard feelings, just good memories
Brown brings Knicks to the Palace
By Krista Latham

Tonight, Brown will make his first appearance at the Palace since he was fired last summer and replaced by Flip Saunders. By joining the Knicks, he left one of the NBA's elite teams for one that should be happy reaching .500.

The Knicks started 0-5 and are 5-9 today. The Pistons are the NBA's hottest team. But Brown said the whiplash of moving from a championship contender to rebuilding mode has been minimal.

Saunders gets coaching award

Flip Saunders of the Pistons on Thursday was named Eastern Conference coach of the month for November.

Saunders, in his first season as coach of the Pistons, led the team to an 11-2 record, and became the first coach in Pistons history to start his tenure at 8-0.



Brown back in town
No matter how he left, players appreciate what Brown did for Pistons
by Dana Gauruder

Listen to Larry Brown, and he'll claim he never wanted to leave. Listen to the Pistons organization, and they'll claim he never wanted to come back.

Listen to the fans, and they'll voice many passionate opinions, most of which Brown doesn't want to hear. Listen to the Pistons players, and they'd rather focus on getting another win.

Brown returns to The Palace tonight for the first time since he was either fired or quit, depending upon one's point of view. Brown was last seen here during Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but his two-year stint as the Pistons' head coach came to an end in July when he and Pistons owner Bill Davidson bitterly parted ways.



Brown looks forward to return to Palace
By A. Sherrod Blakely

Facing a former employer is nothing Larry Brown, now coaching his eighth different NBA team, hasn't experienced before.

However, Brown's return to The Palace tonight with his new team, the New York Knicks, will be different than most of his previous reunions.
The teams Brown left behind in the past often struggled during the first season after his departure.



For Brown, a Trip With Much Baggage
By Howard Beck

Larry Brown is returning to his previous place of employment, a ritual as inevitable and predictable as his compulsion for leaving jobs in the first place. When one has coached eight N.B.A. teams over three decades, there is always a homecoming on the horizon.

Detroit, however, is another matter entirely.

Brown has gone home many times in his career, but never to a place that has held such a strange mix of memories and emotions as those that reside at the Palace of Auburn Hills.



Motown reunion
Larry's health an issue as he returns to Detroit
By Frank Isola

The uncertainty regarding Larry Brown's health, a major factor in the Detroit Pistons' decision to sever ties with the Hall of Fame coach last July, could become a troubling issue for the Knicks.

On eve of his emotional return to Detroit, Brown revealed that he'll need additional surgery to correct a bladder condition and that he has decided to postpone the procedure until after the season. Brown added that he's "pretty confident" he'll be healthy enough to coach all 82 regular season games but he wouldn't guarantee it.




Pistons primed without Larry

by Peter Vecsey

HOOP DU JOUR: REGGIE Miller caught me by surprise Thanksgiving. Out of nowhere he reminded TNT's viewers how the Pacers failed to make the playoffs under Larry Brown his last season and that Indiana won 59 games (58-24, actually) the next marking period under rookie Larry Bird.

Switching to the pristine Pistons, Miller offered us his before-and-after appraisal of Brown. It was nothing we haven't heard before from mere commoners. Instead of taking his opinion to an intuitive level and going up strong with it, Miller pulled up at the 3-point line. Instead of coming out from behind his freshly transplanted Happy Face, he poured softener on his fabric.

Motown Emotions
By Mark Berman

Never has anyone sounded so fine about being fired. Meet Larry Brown.

Brown isn't on course for a third straight NBA Finals appearance like the Pistons team he used to coach. By late April, Brown's first season with the Knicks could be finished.

But when Brown makes his riveting return to The Palace of Auburn Hills tonight, he harbors no regrets that it ended ugly. He holds no bitterness about not being wanted back by Pistons crusty owner Bill Davidson, tired of his coach being a drama queen.

Pistons Honor Thomas
by Mark Berman

One Knick will be honored tonight by the Pistons and it won't be Larry Brown. Knicks president Isiah Thomas, who, just like Brown, had a tiff with Detroit owner Bill Davidson, will be feted at halftime at the Palace as part of the Pistons' "Flashback Fridays."

A ceremony will unveil Thomas' name and the No. 11 he wore for the Pistons, permanently secured on the sidelines of the court. (Thomas already has had his jersey retired to the rafters). Also, 10,000 commemorative figurines of Thomas will be distributed and a video tribute will be played. Thomas also is expected to address the crowd.

Nets down play lost to Pistons
By Nick Parish

Accent the positive.

That's the vibe coming from the Nets following Wednesday's 93-83 loss to the Pistons. That loss, featuring missed layups and blown defensive coverages, put the team under .500 (7-8) and soured the cream of a homecoming after a successful West Coast swing — if you see the glass as half-empty.

The Nets don't, though, and won't dwell on the loss. The Pistons, they said, have their game together, with a starting five that's well established. New Jersey, still developing, did plenty right to hang with them most of the game.




Flip the SCRIPT
Instead of grinding, Pistons having fun
By Barbara Barker

Larry Brown is a hugger, and there's no doubt that when he walks into The Palace of Auburn Hills tonight, a few of the Pistons will embrace him. Many more will shake his hand and fondly recall their trips to the past two NBA Finals under Brown.

All of them, however, will breathe a liberating sigh of relief when Brown eventually walks over to the Knicks' bench.

Larry's health still a concern
by Greg Logan

Once again, it's all about Larry Brown in Detroit.

The former Pistons coach revealed yesterday in a conference call with reporters that he expects to have more bladder surgery following the season, and he also indicated that he was compelled by Detroit management to return to the bench sooner than he might have liked following a bladder operation early last season.



Saunders is still a fan of Marbury
By David Waldstein

New Pistons coach Flip Saunders has been watching the tapes and has come to the conclusion that his former point guard, Stephon Marbury, is starting to grasp Larry Brown's system.

"You know, he's had a lot of coaches in the last few years, and that's tough on him," Saunders said. "The biggest thing is, he'll adjust. He's already done that. Looking at the film over the last week, he's playing a lot better."

Brown is facing off-season surgery
By David Waldstein

Larry Brown's uncertain health status was the principal reason he is coaching the Knicks and not the Pistons, and now, on the eve of his first game back in Detroit with his new team, concerns over his health have arisen again.

While discussing his much-anticipated nationally televised return to The Palace for tonight's game against the Pistons, Brown revealed on a conference call that he will likely require surgery after the season to address lingering complications from hip surgery a year ago.