<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">WALTHAM -- As North Carolina forward Brandan Wright neared the end of the infamous three-minute run during his workout for the Celtics yesterday morning, he probably wished there was another player or two by his side. Instead, he found himself struggling to finish the conditioning test as close to 30 media members watched. Strength and conditioning coach Walter Norton Jr. shouted encouragement, but it did not have the same impact as chasing another player or hearing footsteps close behind. At the end of every predraft workout, the Celtics have prospects run up and down the length of the court for three minutes. The number of times they go from one baseline to another counts as one repetition. Wright finished with a score of 24. Running in an earlier heat beside Michigan's Courtney Sims and director of player development Michael Crotty, Florida's Joakim Noah completed 27 repetitions. (For the record, Crotty, a former Williams point guard, finished 28 repetitions.) But Wright had to go it alone when he opted for a noncompetitive workout. Some players (or, in some cases, agents) prefer individual drills rather than multiplayer scenarios. So after Noah and Sims left the court, Wright went through 40 minutes of drill work with assistant coaches Armond Hill and Dave Wohl while Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers watched. "When you do individual workouts with the one person, it's more focused on you," said Wright. "The coaches, the staff can actually see what you can do, not comparing you to anybody else. "This sport is about competing. I come from Carolina, where you have to compete game in and game out. When the time presents itself for me to go up against guys, I'll be ready."</div> Source: Boston Globe
