Note From The Underground

In the preseason coach Rick Pitino went out of his way to laud veteran guard Dee Brown (right) for his attitude and conditioning. Then he named Brown co-captain alongside Antoine Walker, which gratified Brown, stripped of his captaincy the previous year by coach M.L. Carr. At the same time, Celtics sources say, Pitino has been trying to deal the new-look Brown, hoping his value increases with each compliment.