Brown stays in green: Team picks up forward's 2004-'05 option

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brown stays in green: Team picks up forward's 2004-'05 option
By Steve Bulpett/Celtics Notebook
Monday, October 27, 2003

Though he knew it was coming, Kedrick Brown [news] still expressed relief
yesterday that his option for next season will be formally picked up in the
next couple of days.

     Now in the third year of his rookie contract, Brown will be guaranteed
another $2,332,388 for the 2004-05 season. After that, he'll be a restricted
free agent. The Celtics can either extend him (starting at $3,193,040) or
match an offer from another team.

     But first things first.

     ``His agent's coming in town for opening night,'' Celtics director of
basketball operations Danny Ainge said, ``so we'll probably do something
Tuesday or Wednesday to get it done.''

     Said Brown, ``It's going to be real nice to have it done. I talked to my
agent (Saturday) and he told me the situation. Right now I'm real happy that
I'm getting that finally done. I think I deserve it. I've been working really
hard this summer, so I'm looking forward to it.''

     After two seasons getting to know the pine, Brown is a likely starter at
small forward. He's had perhaps the best camp of any Celtic, but then again he
was looking good before badly twisting his ankle in the second preseason game
last year.

     ``He was really ready at that point in time when he got hurt, and then he
just stalled,'' C's coach Jim O'Brien said. ``Now he's been involved in
everything we've done and he hasn't missed any time. I think he's really
ready. I think he's prepared himself with hard work over the summer, and
whatever playing time he gets, which I think will be substantial, he has
earned it with his defense and his attention to his body.''

     Added Brown, ``I just feel more experienced. I'm just more comfortable.''

     It also helps that Ainge is a supporter.

     ``It's nice to have a guy of that caliber in your corner,'' Brown said.

     ``Since Day One - since the first time I talked to him - I knew he liked
me as a player.''

     Roster takes shape

     The Celtics have to file their roster by today, which isn't a real
problem with the maximum 15 players already under contract. When all shakes
down, it's most probable that rookies Brandon Hunter [news] and Kendrick
Perkins [news] will join Chris Mills (out for the season with ankle problems)
on the injured list. . . .

     Forward Jumaine Jones (strained hamstrings) will be checked again, but
it's unlikely he'll be put on the IL.

     ``He knows the offense, but he's not going to have his first practice
until we're three games into the season,'' O'Brien said. ``And it's very, very
hard for somebody to make up time. You do everything you can, but practices
will not be as long as they were in training camp and there won't be as much
team teaching.

     ``It's something that Kedrick had a difficult time acclimating himself to
after last year's injury.'' . . .

     Tony Battie missed practice again with a twisted right ankle, but both he
and O'Brien expect he'll be fine for the opener against Miami Wednesday.

     ``I thought he'd be back (yesterday),'' said the coach.

     O'Brien knows Sox' pain

     Still down about the Red Sox demise? O'Brien knows your pain. The
Philadelphia native went through the excruciating collapse of the 1964
Phillies, who blew a 6-game lead with 12 games to go.

     ``We were talking about that in a staff meeting,'' O'Brien said. ``I was
trying to tell the rest of the guys how traumatized I was. I was 12 years old
and a big-time Phillies fan. A big part of my life was the eight or 10 times a
year that we went to Connie Mack Stadium.

     ``We were always bad and then all of a sudden we have this lead, and then
it was gone. Not only that, but during all the '60s the Celtics are killing
the Sixers.

     ``So I was traumatized. Everybody down there really needed some kind of
hug.''
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx