Rasheed Wallace's arrival on the second unit has led the coaching staff to ask Davis to holster the jumper that put him on the national radar during last spring's Eastern Conference semifinals, so he's taken up more of a paint-oriented role.

But Davis' biggest change - and this is strictly a work in progress - is the need to contain his ego.

Kevin Garnett's return from knee surgery means Davis' prime-time role will be reduced. He's back to being a reserve and sometimes envisions the worst possible result from it.

``It's real difficult to go back, from playing 30 minutes or even 35 on a good night, to playing 12 or 15 on a good night,'' Davis said. ``There's a lot of great players on this team.''

Surely, he's being hard on himself. Surely, there's more playing time in store.

``I hope so,'' he said.

As a result, Davis now faces a significant mental challenge. He must accept a smaller role.

``I don't know how to accept that yet,'' he said. ``I don't know how to do it yet. It's not as if we've gone over it. Nobody tells me nothing.''

In truth, they don't have to.

Angst aside, Davis knows this, too.

He's part of a rotation that has a chance to be one of the greatest of all time, with one of the best second units of all time. The NBA is filled with exceptional players on bad teams who would love a reserve role on the Celtics .

``That's great, to have the chance to be a part of something this great,'' Davis said. ``I'm here now - a part of it. So I have to roll with the shot I've got. I'm here until they don't want me anymore.''

In a sense, Davis' offseason issues went unresolved. He signed a two-year contract with the Celtics after failing to receive another offer as a restricted free agent.

Asked if he had hoped for an offer from a team with a need for a starting power forward, Davis said, ``Yup.''

Instead, agent John Hamilton negotiated a two-year deal with the C's that will make Davis an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2012.

Until then, Davis has to build on the promise he showed last spring, when he played arguably the best Basketball of his career as a playoff starter with Garnett sidelined.

Davis' performance against Orlando in the Eastern semifinals, in particular, was an eye-opener.

``It helped me as a player - it helped me in just showing how I can be a star in this league,'' he said. ``It was a good experience for me, and I think it will have a lasting effect as far as letting me know what I can do.''

Celtics notes

Forward Brian Scalabrine, sent home with a sprained ankle following Monday night's exhibition game in New York, will be re-evaluated today.

``I haven't heard - all we know is that it just swelled up,'' Rivers said. ``We'll find out. If it was the regular season, then we would have brought him with us (for Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers in Columbus, Ohio).'' . . .

As expected, the Celtics waived forward Michael Sweetney. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, the former lottery pick averaged 3.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.4 minutes during the preseason. The C's roster now stands at 15.