Q&A with Johnson and Brown

["Josh Farber" <nbaj2k@home.com>]

Here's the Q&A with Johnson and Brown


Joe Johnson


No. 10 pick, Boston Celtics

Q: Are you surprised by the pick?

Johnson: No. When I worked out for Boston, I felt like it was my best
workout and I'm fortunate to have the chance to play with these guys.

Q: How do you see yourself fitting in?

Johnson: With Antoine (Walker) and Paul (Pierce) there, I can see myself
playing big guard. It really doesn't matter. I just want to get there and
have fun.

Q: Why did you sign with SFX?

Johnson: It's a great company and they've done a great job with all their
clients, and I just want to thank them for that.

Q: What did you show in the workouts?

Johnson: I think my lateral quickness and how I handle the ball and make
other players around me look good. I think they liked it a lot.

Q: Were you nervous?

Johnson: Yeah, I had people telling me I was late first round. I was nervous
until he called my name.


Kedrick Brown
No. 11 pick, Boston Celtics

Q: When did you start hearing that you might be going in the first round?

Brown: Late, because I just found out I was coming here like a week ago, so
it was like a one-minute thing.

Q: Can you talk about your injury?

Brown: I hurt my foot in junior college. I had turf toe, and working out two
times a day and lifting weights every day, it was kind of hard on my foot.

Q: Can you talk about your thought process in deciding to come out early?

Brown: I didn't think about it until the end of my season. My junior college
coach did a lot of research for me, and I really thought I was going to LSU.
At that time I was at the top of my game. I was at the peak, so I thought
this would be the right thing for me.

Q: How do you think you'll fit in with the Celtics?

Brown: I think Boston's a great team that I would like to play for. Antoine
Walker and Paul Pierce, they're young guys just like myself, and I think
Paul Pierce and I have similar games, so if they play all three of us at the
same time, I think the other teams will have matchup problems.

Q: Can you describe your game?

Brown: It's more like a slashing game. Good defense, rebound, block shots,
good perimeter skills.

Q: What position do you see yourself playing?

Brown: I think I'm going to start off as a small forward, but as time goes
along, I keep working on my ballhandling skills, my perimeter shot, I think
I can eventually slide to the two-spot.

Q: Is it unnerving that Boston selected you without contacting you at all?

Brown: I trust the people close to me. I put trust in my junior college
coach and I put a lot of trust in God, and things will work out for me.