When Mike Brown was JB Bickerstaff’s babysitter…

This Monday night, the Knicks travel to Detroit. An important match for New York, which remains at three losses in a row, and also closes the Pistons in the standings, still the leaders of the Eastern Conference, at three wins ahead. Regardless of the angle of attack, it is indeed a shock for this part of the country, especially since this is the first time this season that the two teams have crossed paths.

Perhaps the most original angle to approach this meeting is the relationship between the two coaches, Mike Brown etc JB Bickerstaff. It turns out that in the 1990s, the former was the nanny of the latter!

We’re in Denver and Bickerstaff’s father, Bernie, is the general manager of the Nuggets, the franchise where Mike Brown began his coaching career as a video assistant. In addition to watching the pictures and preparing them, the Knicks coach, then in his late 20s, had an additional role: taking care of the GM’s teenage son. The two are nine years apart and then find themselves at the zoo, or even on the floor to play one-on-one.

“It was not common for a man in his twenties to take care of a 12-13 year old kid”

“He was strict”Detroit coach remembers for The Athletic. “He had a great way of entertaining things while always remaining organized and thorough. Nothing got away with him and he was deathly afraid of my father. Nothing was going to happen to me.”

“I respected him, even at that age, because he was elegant and kind to me, more than many other adults – at a time when he was old to me”he continues. “It was unusual for a man in his twenties to take care of a 12-13-year-old kid. He made time for me. We played one-on-one. I felt relaxed and knew I could trust him.”

For his part, Mike Brown recalls that young Bickerstaff was a “a very good player”, that he never imagined a day on the bench. However, thirty years later, the former Cavaliers would present him with the ultimate trophy.

“I think he is currently one of the favorites for coach of the year”says the technician from New York. “The first name that comes to mind is his and Joe Mazzula. They’re both doing great things with teams that people didn’t believe in. I’m not surprised by what he’s doing in Detroit because he’s so passionate, so hard-working and so intelligent.”

Years passed, the two grew up, even matured and coached several teams in the NBA, but the relationship remains. “I always try to help him in some way because his father gave me the first chance. That’s my kid.”concludes Mike Brown on his colleague.