First up is fitting in

"I'm excited," said Mihm. "I got a semi-feel of what the coaches here are looking for. I like the system. I like the discipline here. And the hard work. I'm excited and looking forward to integrating myself more and more.

"It's an adjustment [being traded]. Both Ricky and Michael have been traded before, and it helps coming over with them. They knew what to expect."

Stewart echoed Mihm's sentiments. He was excited about competing for a potential playoff team. He did not play in his Boston debut, but Stewart hopes his defensive disposition will catch O'Brien's eye after a few practices and result in playing time.

"They told us they accomplished the things that they have in the past two or three years because they play defense," said Stewart. "That's their main point of emphasis. And I think that's the type of player I am. I play defense. I rebound. I block shots. I do all that stuff first. I'm not much of a scorer, I never have been."

Walker an evaluator

Apparently, Antoine Walker does approve of some trades made by Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, just not the one that sent him to Dallas. Walker is among the few who liked Ainge's deal with the Cavaliers.

"It's a new look," said Walker. "Obviously, they're constantly trying to improve every game. Eric [Williams] was having a tremendous season for himself. Tony [Battie] was doing well. I know he's fighting through injuries. And obviously, Kedrick [Brown] was looking to play. But they got some good players in the trade. I like Ricky Davis. Chris Mihm can be very good. I haven't seen Michael Stewart play that much, but Ricky Davis can be a very special player for them.

"It's tough [for O'Brien]. When you're a coach and you win five games in a row, it hurts a little bit when you just get it rolling. But Obie's a teacher and a student of the game. But he traded for some good players. Ricky Davis is going to take a big scoring load off Paul [Pierce] and help him out tremendously on the offensive end. I think it's going to be a good move for them."

Nelson likes his man

Dallas coach Don Nelson is full of compliments for Walker, noting that the point forward has played better than Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. "He's been great for us," said Nelson. "He's been my best player, actually. I've got two All-Stars and they've been spotty. But Walker's been very consistent and he's played like an All-Star all year for me. I'm a happy guy. He's a really good player. We love him." Nelson did have some advice for his point forward in the wake of disparaging comments Walker made concerning Ainge. "I told him he should leave that behind him," said Nelson. "That's all done. Let's forget it and move on. He's going to have a great future with us. He should just remember this as a great steppingstone for him, a great opportunity for him when he was a young player. He was a great Celtic. He's right up there with the best of them. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to spend his whole career here. Still, he had seven great years here."

. . . Looking at the players Dallas sent to Boston, Nelson was both surprised and impressed by the progress of Jiri Welsch, who made his 14th start at small forward last night. "I'm a little surprised that he's moved into the starting role this early," said Nelson. "I thought he would be a year or two away. They're force-feeding him a little bit. I'm not sure that he deserves to be a starter at this point and playing 35 minutes a game. But it's going to help his career if they can push him in there because he can shoot and pass. I told him that all he needs to do is to put in the other ingredient and be a rebounder." . . . Tony Delk, the forgotten man in the Walker deal, also returned and played nine scoreless minutes . . . Pierce missed shootaround yesterday morning to undergo an MRI on his left shin. The results were negative . . . Welsch played with a left thumb sprain (old injury) and mild right ankle sprain (new injury).