"We've got a bunch of small forwards. I don't know who can guard," Brown said, in a subtle dig at Gerald Wallace, who was dangled as trade bait during the draft. "We got a whole bunch of big guards. Right now we're in a position where it's going to be difficult to play everybody there. We've got some young kids up front. We'll just have to wait and see if we're ready."

As the roster stands now, Raymond Felton is the point guard and Augustin the backup, with no experienced No. 3 on the 17-man preseason roster.

Jason Richardson, coming off a fantastic close to last season, is the shooting guard. Wallace is the small forward, but will be under pressure to improve defensively.

Brown wants to play Okafor exclusively at center, but that depends on figuring out the power forward spot.

May has played in only 58 games in three seasons and missed all of last season after having microfracture surgery on his troublesome right knee. May declared himself fit to practice Tuesday — with a starting position his to lose.

"I've been lucky that they haven't gone out and got a star power forward for me to play behind," May said. "But at the end of the day I still have to go out and perform."

If May's knee doesn't hold up, Brown would probably have to shift Okafor to power forward and play Nazr Mohammed at center. The other big men on the roster — Ryan Hollins, Jermareo Davidson and rookie Alex Ajinca — are all inexperienced and lack strength.

The Bobcats tried to address the problem last week when they signed Houston power forward Carl Landry to an offer sheet, but the Rockets quickly matched it.

Brown indicated the Bobcats could still swing a deal for a big man, perhaps by packaging a wing player or two. Morrison, returning after missing last season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, joins a crowded group that includes Richardson, Wallace, Matt Carroll and Jared Dudley.

Brown has promised a difficult week of training camp, with long two-a-day practices focused on conditioning and teaching. With a flawed roster, Brown has plenty of work to do — and faces plenty of pressure to finally get Charlotte into the postseason.

"It's playoffs or bust, man," Okafor said. "We have enough experience, we have an experienced coach. We have an experienced coach who will best utilize the experience of our team. ... I definitely think that coach Brown will bring that fantastic out of us."