Webster, a 6-7 swingman from Seattle drafted No. 6 overall, averaged 16.7 points (on 45 percent shooting) and 4.7 rebounds over his first three games. Ellis, a 6-2 guard from Jackson, Miss., picked in the second round (No. 40 overall), showed big-time quickness. And Blatche, a 6-11 forward tabbed No. 46 overall displayed a smooth face-up game faintly reminiscent of a young Kevin Garnett -- though he did miss seven of eight foul shots over his first three games.

But while Webster drew the biggest raves among the foursome for his overall play and NBA-readiness, Green was the player that had everybody talking -- and not just for his dunking ability. The 19-year-old phenom also displayed a smooth jumper to go with his springs, and generally competed on defense. Though he didn't post huge numbers over his first four games -- 9.8 points and 1.0 rebound in 17.5 minutes -- he looked solid.

"From what I've seen so far he's played well," Knicks interim coach Herb Williams said Wednesday. "People compare him to Tracy McGrady. I hate to compare him to anybody. He's got his own style. But I think he's in a good situation in Boston. With time and maturity he can be one of the better players in this league."

For Green, just creating any kind of buzz again has to be a confidence boost. As recently as a month ago many were predicting the Houston high school phenom with the "freakish" athleticism would be a possible top three pick in the June 28 draft. Instead he spent the night in the green room looking crestfallen as team after team passed him up.

It's still somewhat of a mystery as to why Green's stock plummeted on draft night. The consensus among a small sampling of league executives in Las Vegas was that it was a combination of teams not wanting to wait for Green to develop and some teams drafting for specific needs. The Knicks, for example, took Channing Frye of Arizona at No. 8 because they had a gaping hole at center. The T'wolves (Rashad McCants at No. 14), Nets (Antoine Wright at No. 15) and Pacers (Danny Granger at No. 17) passed on Green because they all have veteran-laden teams trying to win now.

Still, there was never any doubt about Green's amazing potential. One Western Conference scout at Las Vegas said his organization had Green rated as the second-best prospect in the draft. Another Eastern Conference GM said he had Green going in the top eight on all his various draft scenarios.

"He's got so much physical talent and shooting ability," says Ainge, who admits he never thought Green would still be available at No. 18. "He just needs to put the time in to work on his ball-handling and understanding the defensive schemes. He has to learn how to play without the ball in his hands. What I call learning how to win. Most of these kids know how to play, but learning how to win at the NBA level is a whole different thing."

Almost as if on cue, Green provided an example of that during last Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers. When he failed to get around a pick set by the Cavs, Ainge yelled from his courtside seat: "Fight through the screen, Gerald!" Later in the same game, Celtics guard Tony Allen could be heard prompting Green to "run to the middle!" on a fast break. With his long thin legs, Green at times has looked every bit like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

Green, in fact, is still more an athlete than a basketball player. Talk to scouts about him and you're still more likely to hear a story about an amazing dunk than a defensive stop or a rebound in traffic. In fact, one Eastern Conference assistant GM rated Green's dunk over Bortz as only his second-best this week, following one he did in warm-ups in which he threw the ball up off the shot clock and caught it in midair before cramming it through the rim.

But even the great ones sometimes need time to develop the finer points of the game. And the Celtics are more than happy to wait. After all, it's not every rookie who can say his first dunk became an immediate best-seller at the DVD stand in the lobby.

"People were coming up saying, 'Can I get a copy of that?'" says Brandon Powers of AccuRecruit Sports, the company that was selling those DVDs of Green's dunk all week. "Eventually I had to stop showing it [on the TV]. I was telling people, 'From now on if you want to see it, you're going to have to buy it.'"