Pruitt, Davis second choices

Gabe Pruitt watched the NBA draft from the stands at Madison Square Garden. He figured he'd hear commissioner David Stern call his name, and indeed, the talk beforehand was that he had a promise from someone in the first round.

Instead, Pruitt, a point guard from Southern Cal, heard deputy commish Adam Silver call his name when he was picked by the Celtics at No. 32, the second selectio of the second round.

If he was upset, it didn't show.

"I thought I'd be going to Detroit at 27," he said. "But they picked my good friend Arron Afflalo [from UCLA]. After that, I didn't know what was going on, so I was just sitting here, waiting patiently."

And Boston?

"No idea," he said. "I just found out a couple minutes ago. It was a surprise to me. I had no contact with them at all."

Pruitt left USC after his junior season and was honorable mention in the Pac-10 Conference. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.3 assists a game for the Trojans.

"It's a big relief that I've been selected now," he said. "It's a long waiting process. Just going through this was new to me and my family, and we learned a lot of new things and met a lot of great people. I don't regret any of it."

He said he has played against Paul Pierce in the legendary pickup games at UCLA, although he has never spoken to the Celtics' captain.

"I'm sure in the next couple days I'll get to know him very well and meet him," Pruitt said.

Before the draft, coach Doc Rivers said size was the Celtics' biggest need. That would explain why Boston had Seattle select Glen "Big Baby" Davis with the No. 35 pick acquired in the Ray Allen deal.

"We're real excited to get those guys in the second round," said Ainge. "Gabe Pruitt and Big Baby have great upsides.

"Pruitt is really athletic. He's a point guard with length, 6-4, long arms. He's kind of a tweener guard right now. He could play on a court with a Rajon [Rondo] and he could also play lead guard and handle the ball. Glen Davis was a [20-point, 10-rebound] guy in college and has a lot of potential. If he keeps himself in shape and works hard, then I think he's got a chance to be a really nice forward. He rebounds the ball with a big body. He's a great passer. He has a good feel and great feet. There's a lot of things he can do on the court."

Ainge spoke with Pierce last night and said the captain was "thrilled to death" and "very excited" about the acquisition of Allen, a seven-time All-Star. Ainge also claimed that adding Allen was not a change in direction for the franchise, but rather part of an ongoing effort to win with Pierce in his prime. "This is something we've been talking about [doing] for a year, to try to take advantage of this window of opportunity with a player we think is one of the best Celtics that's ever put on a uniform in Paul Pierce," said Ainge. "We want to maximize his career. We want to surround him with more veterans and more talent. That's what we've been trying to accomplish." . . . Watching the post-draft press conference with Ainge and Rivers at the podium, co-owner Wyc Grousbeck was asked about the status of Sebastian Telfair. The point guard who was charged with possession of a loaded weapon when caught speeding in mid-April looks like he could work his way back into the Celtics' good graces. "Sebastian is on the roster," said Grousbeck. "Sebastian and I talked shortly [after the incident]. It's a long way to November and we'll see what happens.". . . Newest Sonic Kevin Durant, last night's second overall pick, weighed in on the Allen trade. "Ray Allen is a great player and it would have been fun learning from him, but Delonte West and [Wally ] Szczerbiak are not bad at all, great players, looking forward to playing with them," said Durant. "Jeff [Green] is from D.C., so it's going to be an easy transition knowing those guys. I can't wait." Reminded that on Wednesday he said he couldn't be seen as a savior because Allen was still with Seattle, Durant added, "I knew you were going to say that. When you play since you were 8 or 9 years old, you know the game is not a one-man sport. I'm far from being a savior. I'm just trying to contribute to the team as much as I can."

Shira Springer reported from Boston, Peter May from New York.