June 29, 2007
NEW YORK - Gabe Pruitt never actually talked to Paul Pierce.
The 6-foot-4 point guard, who grew up in Los Angeles and played college basketball at Southern California, is probably too quiet to have ever entertained the thought of introducing himself.
But Pruitt - a projected first-round pick who slid to the second round and the Celtics with the 32nd pick in last night's NBA draft - already knows a thing or two about playing with the Celtics captain.
``Well, I've seen him a lot even if I didn't talk to him,'' Pruitt said after hearing the surprise announcement last night. ``I played with him a couple of times - mostly in the games over at UCLA.''
Pruitt was part of a sudden second-round rush by the Celtics last night. In addition to Pruitt with the 32nd pick, the Celtics also caught Glen ``Big Baby'' Davis - LSU's 289-pound man-child - with the 35th pick. The second pick was included as part of last night's trade with Seattle for Ray Allen.
By the end of the night, Pruitt was particularly relieved to see his name go up on the board. He had attended the draft with USC teammate Nick Young - taken by Washington with the 16th pick - anticipating a call from Detroit.
But the Pistons instead took UCLA's Arron Afflalo at No. 27.
``Detroit was the team I thought would take me, but things didn't work out,'' said Pruitt, who averaged 12.5 points for the Trojans last season. ``After that I didn't know what was going on.
``I had no idea the Celtics were interested in me,'' he said. ``I had no contact with them. But I think this is going to be a good learning process for me. Paul Pierce is a good West Coast guy, and I had seen a lot of Ray Allen, too. I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot.''
As draft fashion fields go, last night's scene was a relatively buttoned-down affair.
That rule held, anyway, until the Manhattan-raised Joakim Noah strolled in wearing a well-tailored cream seersucker suit with gold trim and a gold bow tie.
The Florida big man also let his hair down, all the way to his shoulders.
Celtics players generally are in attendance at the team's draft party, but last night guests of the club gathered on the Garden floor were left wanting for current Shamrocks.
However, there were a few ring-wearers in attendance to keep the folks happy. Bob Cousy mingled, while Robert Parish, part of the Celts' community relations department, relaxed in the lower seating section.
Parish isn't one to hide his feelings, so he can be taken at his word when he notes how much he likes some of the Celtics' talent - if not the way they have performed as a group.
``I like Big Al (Jefferson), and I like Paul, of course,'' he said. ``And I like Gerald (Green) a lot. I'm not sure he knows what he is yet, but I like the things he can do.''
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