Asking for change

New Bobcats coach Brown has his work cut out for him

CHARLOTTE -- Larry Brown says he asked the front office for three things when he took this job:

Three point guards who could dribble through a press ... two small forwards who can guard ... and five athletic big men.

Brown acknowledged on the eve of training camp at UNC-Wilmington he's not sure about anything on his wish list.

"When [I] took the job, we just had Raymond [Felton] at point guard. Now we have D.J. [Augustin], and I'm excited about that," Brown said. "We've got a whole bunch of small forwards, but I don't know who can guard. ... And we've got young kids up front. We'll just have to see if they're ready."

Translation: The roster isn't exactly what Brown envisioned back in April, when he accepted the position. They're banking on power forward Sean May to be healthy following a year off with knee surgery, and they're still searching for a third point guard -- preferably a bigger, more physical one, similar to how Aaron McKie played the position for Brown in Philadelphia.

Brown spent 45 minutes with the media Monday before the team flew to Wilmington. There was no lack of candor in Brown's remarks:

* He said he'd like to play Emeka Okafor exclusively at center and Gerald Wallace exclusively at small forward. But the key words in that statement were like to.

Wallace prefers not to fill in at power forward, where he's typically overmatched in size and heft. But injuries and a lack of depth have forced him into that role each of the previous two seasons.

Okafor says he doesn't care where he plays, between center and power forward, but acknowledges it's challenging to cover the likes of Hedo Turkoglu and Antawn Jamison along the perimeter.

* Brown plans to play Felton and Augustin "a lot together," which means Felton will again be a combo guard, rather than purely a point. Felton said he's fine with that.

* Brown said Adam Morrison's conditioning was so poor early this summer "he couldn't do three things without going to the wastepaper basket," presumably to vomit.

"Now he's as ready as anybody," Brown praised.

* Brown said the key to improved defense is more than just guarding. It's better rebounding and shot selection. Brown feels bad shots early in a possession leave teammates exposed defensively.

"I hate quick, bad shots," Brown said. "That's something from Day One I have to emphasize."

* Brown hasn't written off center Alexis Ajinca as a long-term project.

"If I had to throw a ball up today," Brown said of the rookie, "I wouldn't be afraid to play him."

COACHING CHANGE: It was clear that Okafor and then-coach Sam Vincent weren't on the same page last season. Okafor described last season as "kind of nutty" Monday, then predicted the team's first post-season appearance.

"Playoff or bust," Okafor said. "Now we have an experienced coach who can best utilize our experience as a team."