Celtics will slowly work Brown into mix
WALTHAM - It seemed odd for rookie forward Glen Davis to be explaining to 14-year veteran P.J. Brown what to do on an offensive play. But as the new guy on the Celtics, such is life for Brown.
Brown practiced with the Celtics for the first time yesterday, but the 6-foot-11-inch, 239-pound forward/center isn't expected to make his season debut tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats at TD Banknorth Garden.
"It was an adventure, I will say that," said Brown of practice. "We got a lot of things done. My brain is a little bit like scrambled eggs right now trying to learn the system, learn the plays and all that. Other than that, I thought it was an OK day. I'm glad I finally got it under my belt.
"I felt OK. We got going up and down [the court] a little bit. I jumped in there. I didn't know what I was doing. I was a little winded at times. But I was better than I thought I would be."
Brown, 38, hasn't played since the 2006-07 season, but he said he has been running and sprinting to stay in shape at his offseason home in Slidell, La. He acknowledges there is a difference between being in shape and being in NBA shape.
"I'll never get away from [conditioning]," Brown said. "I will never let that go. I'm going to try to keep it tight, man. Keep it right, keep it tight."
Brown has averaged 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds during his career. He averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 10 playoff games with Chicago last season.
"I'm glad I'm here," Brown said. "I feel good about our team and they seem to feel good about me. So, I'm looking forward to the next 20-something-odd games."
It was hard for coach Doc Rivers to see what Brown can do because practice lasted about an hour. Brown also worked on offensive sets after practice with Davis, Brian Scalabrine, rookie Gabe Pruitt, and assistant coach Armond Hill, who led the drills, and spent time with assistant coach Clifford Ray. Brown said the Celtics' offense was more complicated to pick up than the defense.
"We'll have him pick up the stuff, slowly get it and everything will be good," Rivers said.
Brown has intrigued the Celtics since he became a free agent in the offseason. But the need for Brown became stronger because of veteran center Scot Pollard's lingering left ankle sprain.
"If Scot was healthy we may not do this," Rivers said. "Another thing is if you can try to improve your team with a player, you try to do it."
Tony Allen is expected to miss his second straight game tonight with a left calf strain he suffered Monday against the Clippers. "I feel a little better," Allen said. "A tight calf. It was sore [Wednesday] and super tight [yesterday]. The pain went away a little bit."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com
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