C’s new pick set for surgery

He’s the guy who has played next to O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley. He’s also the guy whose history with knee injuries caused him to slip into the second round of last week’s draft.

Eventually, Celtics forward Billy Walker knows he’ll make a name for himself. Until then, he’s fine with listening to everyone else tell him what he can’t do.

“I’ve been through a lot in my life,” Walker said yesterday when he and fellow rookies J.R. Giddens and Semih Erden were introduced to the media at the Celtics’ practice facility. “I’ve experienced a lot, so I know how to just take it in stride. Life is short.

“I definitely play with that on my shoulder. I definitely go out there hard. I feel like every time I go on the court, I have a chance to prove somebody wrong.”

Walker tore his right ACL during his freshman year of high school and missed five months. As a freshman at Kansas State about 18 months ago, he tore the ACL in his left knee and had to redshirt after just six games.

Then, at a predraft workout, Walker injured the meniscus in his right knee — the straw that seemingly broke the scouts’ back — and will undergo minor knee surgery today, which will cause him to miss about three weeks.

While the injuries shouldn’t be ignored, neither should Walker’s ability to excel after he goes under the knife. Now, Walker finds himself under the radar like never before, as he’ll fight for playing time with a championship team packed with Hall of Famers.

That, however, is what gets him up every morning.

“I’m not nervous,” Walker said. “I know how to play this game. I’m excited to go in there and compete with Paul Pierce. I want to see where my game is at compared to his.”