Donnie Walsh expects to return to the Knicks, if only because the team president wants to finish what he started, according to his longtime friend and confidante, Larry Brown.

Walsh isn't nervous and doesn't seem conflicted about his contract expiring on June 30, Brown said. And despite Brown's contentious relationship with the front office when he coached the Knicks - specifically with Isiah Thomas - the Brooklyn product said Walsh should trust owner Jim Dolan, whose alliance with Thomas still casts a pall over the franchise.

"(Walsh) anticipates being back," Brown told the Daily News before taping an episode of "CenterStage" on YES Network, saying he regularly talks with Walsh, his former teammate at the University of North Carolina. "Regardless of what happened with me, Dolan's a good owner who wants to win, who cares about winning.

"I don't think Donnie would want to walk away because I know him well enough that I think he feels like he finally has things going in the right direction, and this city loves basketball. This league needs a great team in New York, and Donnie is remarkable at what he does. So hopefully, it gets settled. When I talk to him, he isn't nervous about it."