MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Hubie Brown held his first practice with the Memphis Grizzlies and his edict was clear: Play hard all the time, or don't expect to play at all.

	Hubie Brown answers questions during Wednesday's news conference.

The 69-year-old coach was back at work as an NBA coach Wednesday for the first time in 15 years. He replaces Sidney Lowe, who resigned Tuesday after an 0-8 start left Memphis as the league's only winless team.

Brown gave up his TV broadcasting job to take over the Grizzlies because "it is the ultimate challenge.''

He was drawn to Memphis by Jerry West, who became president of basketball operations last year.

West describes Brown, a former NBA coach of the year, as "one of the premier basketball minds in the business'' and an outstanding teacher.

Looking for a new coach after Lowe's sudden departure, West's first call was to Brown.

"When Jerry West calls, you listen up. There's not going to be any massaging. There's not going to be any blowing smoke,'' Brown said at a news conference, with West and Michael Heisley, the team's majority owner, sitting beside him.

Brown said the Grizzlies must develop better chemistry, tougher defense and a style of play.

"You give me any team worth a grain of salt and they have a distinct style of play,'' he said. "I don't care what sport it is.''

Brown, a former coach of the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks, said the Grizzlies need "two teams of five guys that will respect one another.''

"They will be unselfish with one another, and they'll pay the price and give the effort,'' he said.

Brown also intends to respond to criticism that the Grizzlies are sluggish and unmotivated, particularly on defense.

"The defense must make a major transition,'' he said. "We know that the team ranks 29th in three or four critical defensive areas. Now that's not going to change over night. What has to happen here is days of practice, days of drills, days of the staff working with people and getting the right people in the right places.''

Hard work and discipline can turn the Grizzlies around if the "talent base'' is broad enough.

"Is the talent base enough to do that?'' he said. "Well, we'll see.''

Brown said he could not predict how long it will take the Grizzlies to play to his standards, but it's imperative "from day one that we only talk about offenses and defenses that work against the good teams.''

"The first thing is we're going to work on discipline,'' Brown said. "Either you play or you sit, OK.''

It's important, he said, that the coach and his staff "take a young player and show him how much he's got to work in order for us as a group to go on.''

The Grizzlies depend heavily on their two top rookies from last year, Shane Battier and Pau Gasol; this year's first-round draft choice, Drew Gooden; and a newcomer from the Russian league, Gordan Giricek.

Brown said he was not concerned about complaints directed at particular players. Point guard Jason Williams has been criticized as unpredictable on offense and lacking emotion on defense.

"Today is a new day for everyone one of those kids in there,'' he said.

Brown said he has lined up a staff of assistants who know how to work with young players.

"I only bring guys who can teach,'' he said.

His assistants are Hal Wissel, a shooting coach and former scout with Dallas; Lionel Hollins, a holdover from Lowe's staff; Tony Barone, the Grizzlies former director of player personnel; and Brenden Brown, the new coach's son and a former scout for the Grizzlies.

Michael Anderson and Scott Roth, former assistants with Lowe, will remain scouts.