Hubie Brown is 70 years old, has been involved in the NBA for more than 30 years, and doesn’t agree with the popular opinion that the league and its players have changed drastically.

“Everybody still wants to win and the good players still want to learn,” Brown said before the Grizzlies faced the Nets last night at Meadowlands Arena. “Those are the most important things.”

That’s why Brown, in his first full season as head coach in Memphis, had little trouble adjusting to being a coach again. He left the Knicks in 1986 and didn’t return to the sidelines until the middle of last season, when Memphis GM Jerry West tabbed him to straighten out his woeful squad.

The move surprised many and was met with questions, including those by talented but volatile point guard Jason Williams.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Williams, who again was playing well this year before strained back muscles forced him to the bench last week. “But I wasn’t looking forward to it. I figured he would be out of touch with the players and what we wanted.”

Williams was wrong.

The Grizzlies have played markedly better since Brown’s arrival. Despite Williams’ injury, the Grizzlies had won two straight before last night’s game and were 8-8.

“Last year, we were the second-youngest team in the league and now we’re fourth,” Brown said. “When you have a team that is so inexperienced, you have to emphasize every game so that they don’t get discouraged.”

So far, it’s worked. Brown uses a rotation of 10 different players each quarter because he doesn’t have a set of five that is talented enough to beat most teams.

“We’re trying to develop talent because that’s all we can do,” Brown said. “Then maybe you can trade a couple of those guys for a better player and then sign a free agent. That’s the only way to compete with the Lakers and Sacramento and Dallas.”

None of those things has happened yet, but Brown said it’s not a frustrating situation.

“It would be if I didn’t work for a creative GM,” Brown said. “But Jerry has proven himself over the years and I know he’ll figure it out.”

Until then, Brown will stay relentlessly positive in hopes that his scrappy team continues to improve. He’s already made a believer out of perhaps his biggest convert.

“He’s been great to play for,” said Williams, who has a sparkling 4-1 assists-to-turnovers ratio. “The best relationship I ever had with a coach was with [Florida’s] Billy Donovan, but this is even better. It’s great having him around.”