NEW YORK (AP) -- Days before the New York Liberty open their first training camp under Bill Laimbeer, the former NBA player said he was looking forward to getting the players on the court and vowed the team will be more fun to watch this year.

''Obviously, going to training camp isn't fun,'' Laimbeer told The Associated Press. ''You got to work. I got a lot to put in. I'm going to do things a lot differently than they were (done) in the past. They got a lot to learn.''

Laimbeer was hired as coach and general manager in October to turn around a team that struggled to post a .500 record the last two years under John Whisenant. New York followed a 19-win campaign in 2011 with 19 losses last season, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference both years and losing in the first round of the playoffs each time.

Enter Laimbeer, who returns to the WNBA after stepping down as coach and GM of the Detroit Shock early in the 2009 season to pursue opportunities in the NBA following a stretch in which they won three championships in six seasons.

''Last couple of years it's been like pulling teeth for this organization, both the fan base and some internally, watching the team play,'' he said. ''I (coach) a fast, more up-tempo game. Defense is a given, we'll be attacking. Rebounding on this team was horrible. I've shored that up in many ways.

''I guess it's going to be fun to watch and figure we're going to win our fair share of games.''

Laimbeer's hiring has energized the fan base of a franchise that reached the WNBA Finals four times in the league's first six years, but has not been back since losing to Los Angeles in its last appearance in 2002. Forgotten is the fierce rivalry Detroit and New York had over the years while meeting in the postseason three times. The Liberty won a first-round series in 2004, knocking out the then-defending champs on a buzzer-beater in the decisive Game 3, but then came up short in hard-fought three-game series in the first round in 2007 and the conference semifinals in 2008 during the Shock's run to their last title.

''That was then, this is now,'' Laimbeer said. ''Whenever I go talk to people, the consistent theme is 'Oh I really hated you, but now we're really glad you're here.' The same thing when I was a player, after the fact. There's an animosity to some degree, but the respect factor is there as well.''

Laimbeer has immediately put his stamp on the Liberty, signing free agents Katie Smith and Cheryl Ford and hiring assistant coaches Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Barbara Farris. He coached all four in Detroit, though McWilliams-Franklin (2010) and Farris (2006-07) also played for the Liberty.

And considering New York already had former Detroit players Plenette Pierson and Kara Braxton on the roster the last couple of years - and trainer Laura Ramus since last season - there's an undeniable Shock flavor on the Liberty.

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Laimbeer: Liberty will be fun to watch in 2013