When PJ Talks, Players Listen

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">P.J. Brown and his wife, Dee, have three daughters and a son. Yet the veteran post man has found time to deliver some sage advice to members of his new NBA family.

''I talk to him a lot, ask questions and just spark conversation,'' Bulls rookie forward Tyrus Thomas said of Brown. ''This is his 14th year in, so there's not much he's not going to know about the game, the NBA and the NBA lifestyle. We're both from Louisiana, our lockers are next to each other. It's a great situation for me.''

The Bulls' acquisition of Brown, who will turn 37 on Oct. 14, might not have caused the same buzz as the signing of free-agent center Ben Wallace. But team officials believe the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Hornets for Brown and since-departed J.R. Smith was important in addressing the young team's lack of leadership last season.

''P.J.'s a little bit on the quiet side, [but] he is still more vocal than Ben,'' coach Scott Skiles said. ''But they are both such great examples that I wouldn't have a problem if neither of them said anything.

''They just go about their business. You can see right away, the players have a lot of respect for them. We know the way that they play, they're both going to help us tremendously. The other side of it, there's a mental aspect, and their mere presence is very valuable.''

Wallace, 32 and entering his 11th season, is the first to admit that he lets his actions speak louder than his words when it comes to leading.

''I'm probably not going to take a guy by his hand and tell him to do this and do that,'' he said. ''I go out and do my job, and hopefully they're watching and they pick up some of the things I'm doing.''

But Brown, who will play in his 1,000th NBA game when the Bulls open the season Oct. 31 at Miami, has no problem picking his spots to discuss things with teammates.

''I'm not much of a holler-and-screamer guy myself, but I will say some things and raise my voice sometimes,'' Brown said. ''If I see something that I think they might be doing wrong, then I definitely try to help them out.

''Off the floor, I'm going to be there for them if they have things going on personally, or whatever they want to talk about. I feel like I've seen it all, I've done it all, I've been in their shoes before. And it's going both ways -- I'm pulling them aside, and they're pulling me aside, telling me, 'Come on, old fella, you can do it.'''

Brown said the character of the Bulls' young players has impressed him.

''They're listeners, not hard-headed guys,'' he said. ''That makes my job a lot easier. This situation won't be as hard as other teams I've been on, where you have a lot more knuckleheads and guys who think they know it all.'' </div>

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