HONOLULU -- What a difference a year makes for the Washington Wizards' Kwame Brown.

Last summer, Brown had to deal with the expectations and pressures of being the first high school player ever chosen as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft -- and being hand-picked by Michael Jordan.

	Kwame Brown sinks a layup while Warriors rookie Mike Dunleavy, far right, watches.

This summer, Brown said he's stronger than ever -- mentally and physically -- and prepared for the upcoming season.

"I'm a lot stronger and I'm at peace with myself,'' he said. "I'm a little more relaxed this time. I know what to expect, so my mind's not scrambling like it was last year. Now, I can just focus in a little more on basketball and work hard.''

Brown, 20, who's among the 30 NBA players participating this week in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp in Honolulu, said Wednesday he's put his rookie campaign behind him.

"To me, that's old and dead, I can't describe it because I don't even remember,'' said Brown, who averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 57 games. "Last year is old news, I move forward, not backward.''

Brown said one thing he will remember from last season is playing and practicing with Jordan.

"Everybody talks about how hard he works, but when you see it first-hand from a guy his age, that's great,'' he said. "He's a great guy. I think we just feed off his energy, intensity and love for the game. He just makes you better with him being on the court.''

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward said he spent his off season lifting weights and working on his jumper and footwork.

"I know what to expect, I know what my coaches expect of me, I know what the players need from me. I need to go out and play,'' he said.

Newell, a Hall of Fame basketball coach, said Brown needs to develop some fundamental skills.

"He didn't have the advantage of college, where you learn some of these things,'' Newell said. "He went from high school into an NBA situation where he just wasn't ready to be given a lot of minutes. So that first year, he didn't get a lot of actual experience like a lot of these other players who were drafted. What we try to do is bridge the gap and teach him all the things he is going to have to learn before he's a solid NBA player.''

Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe, a longtime coach at the camp, said rookies usually have a little trouble getting adjusted to the NBA.

"All rookies break down a little bit, especially No. 1 picks,'' Vandeweghe said. "He's a No. 1 pick coming straight from high school so he's got three strikes. It's a hard situation. He's extremely talented and he's going to be just fine, but that was hard for him last year and it may be hard again this year. There's still a lot of pressure on him.''

Other players in Newell's camp include Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry of the Chicago Bulls. Both were drafted straight out of high school -- Chandler was the No. 2 pick in last year's draft and Curry was No. 4.

"There's just a lot of basketball they missed,'' Newell said. "If they don't go to college and if they don't get a chance to play, they can't progress.''

Brown said he doesn't have anything to prove to anyone else this season or in the future.

"Everybody wants to be the best,'' he said. "I aspire to be one of the greats, so does everyone in this room. My goal is just to play hard and do the best I can do and not worry about what everybody else wants me to do or make me into. I have to be natural and let it flow.''