After getting their contracts out of the way - not a big deal since the NBA instituted its rookie wage scale for first-round picks - Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins got back to business at the Celtics minicamp yesterday.

Both got the guaranteed three-year deals, with Banks, taken 13th, starting at $1,249,500 and Perkins, No. 27, at $678,600.

Now the profits and losses are about basketball. Point guard Banks has shown what the club expected - he's a physical dynamo who needs to learn to play the game better - and post man Perkins has been a pleasant surprise with his movement on the floor. ``Marcus' strengths are extreme speed, great court personality from the standpoint he really is a great communicator, great leader with the basketball,'' said Celtics coach Jim O'Brien. ``He really is a solid shooter that's going to become a good shooter in the NBA. (He's) great at getting it to the rim and (he's) a real pain in the butt if you're trying to bring the ball up against him. I mean, he's just tenacious and gets his hands on the ball a lot.

``His weaknesses are he probably fouls too much right now, because he is so aggressive. I'd rather have someone be aggressive. He has to really concentrate on having a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a rookie. He has to understand the value of the basketball.''

As for Perkins, the coach said, ``He has a real good sense of the game. He's a guy that gets done with practice in the morning and comes here at night to work out. He's dedicated to his condition. (He has) great hands and a very solid jump-hook. (He) runs the floor a hell of a lot better than I thought he'd be able to run the floor. (He) needs to work on his left hand in the post on layups.''