Green focusing on education

WALTHAM -- Teenagers tend to bristle when they're told what to do. With his confident smile and wisecracking, 19-year-old Gerald Green appears to fit the profile. So, when his parents insisted he earn a college degree during what should be a lengthy NBA career, you assume Green rolled his eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and dismissed the notion with the typical teenage rejoinder, ''Whatever." After all, the fact that Gerald Sr. and Brenda wanted to insert an ''education clause" into a rookie contract that will earn their son approximately $2 million over the next two seasons seems admirably absurd.

But Green, selected by the Celtics in the first round of the NBA Draft Tuesday night after coming close to attending Oklahoma State, takes considerable pride in publicizing his parents' request. He has promised to earn a degree in physical education or sports management through classes online or at a local college during the offseason.

''If I don't get my education, [my mom] is going to fight me," said Green. ''Either I'm going to get beat up or learn."

Green can choose from plenty of local universities to supplement what he learned at Gulf Shores Academy in Houston. But his real education began yesterday afternoon when he met the Boston media for the first time seated next to Celtics coach Doc Rivers and executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge. In the NBA classroom, it's likely Green will learn most when beaten up by opponents and berated by the coaching staff.

While the Celtics don't want to rush Green, they expect him to absorb as much as possible between now and the preseason. Eager to earn playing time and add muscle to his 6-foot-8-inch, 200-pound frame, Green will move to Boston as soon as possible to work with the Celtics' coaches on strength and conditioning, and knowledge of the NBA game.

''My mental toughness and my physical toughness and my defense, those are the things that I need to work on," said Green. ''The defense is going to come because I'm being coached by a great coach. The mental toughness is something I have to work on all the time. You have to be willing not to give up on anything. I want to make sure that they don't think they made a bad pick. I kind of had an idea I might slide in the draft, but I didn't think it would be this low. But everything happens for a reason and I'm glad to be a Boston Celtic."

The Celtics never thought Green would drop to the No. 18 pick, so the coaching staff did not scout the wing player until the last minute. Rivers said he watched Green on tape for the first time Tuesday afternoon. With the start of the Las Vegas Summer League next week, Rivers and his assistants will make up for lost time.

First, the coaching staff will try to make Green comfortable with the Celtics' offensive and defensive schemes. Then, Rivers will evaluate Green's strengths and weaknesses. The coaches will pay close attention to how quickly Green learns offensive plays, knowing he had to master very few in high school. Finally, Rivers will figure out how to best develop and use Green this season. Along the way, Rivers will employ lessons learned from working with Al Jefferson last year.

''With Gerald, I just know he has the athleticism," said Rivers. ''I know he has a great shot. We'll find out if he's ready. We don't know if he's ready yet. We just know that he's a kid that is a talented kid. There's no doubt about that. We know someday he will be ready. We just hope it will be sooner rather than later.

''You have to be extremely patient with young guys. You have to push them hard, but you have to also understand that they're 18 or 19 years old and there's times when you have to treat them like that. So, that's not always easy when you're coaching other adults who are 30 and 35 and 29. You have to stay consistent with your team because your young guys are always watching."

Summer league play will be an interesting test for Green on and off the court, though there won't be the awe of facing big-name NBA players. If his easygoing demeanor is any indication, Green should have as smooth a transition as can be expected. To help with the adjustment, Green will live with his AAU coach, Rick Nelson, his rookie year.

Green isn't cocky for a kid who saw his draft stock rocket after an eye-catching performance at the McDonald's High School All-America Game in March (game-high 24 points, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range). Cable TV and ''whatever my mom wants" will be his first big purchases. Green plans to donate 10 percent of his salary to his church per religious custom. He displayed refreshing honesty when talking about the excitement of playing in the NBA, especially against role model Tracy McGrady.

''I might faint [when playing McGrady for the first time]," said Green. ''Doc Rivers might need to hit me in the head with a bottle of water. Nah, it's going to be a great experience for me, playing with that kind of competition. That was my favorite player growing up, so I'm going to be like, 'I can't believe I'm actually playing against this guy.' "

While youth tempers any expectations for the Celtics next season, Rivers sees definite benefits in already having developed players straight from high school. He figures the younger players can support each other through the learning process.

''I think it may help these guys to be around each other," said Rivers. ''If it was just one, I think it would be more difficult. Now, you have a group of [young players] that you can really focus time on and treat them all the same. So, maybe in a crazy way, it might be easier. I don't know if it makes us a better team. But in the long run it can make us a great team."

As the new Boston motto goes, time will tell.