It could take time for Sam Cassell to become comfortable in his new role as Shaun Livingston's backup.

"It's a whole new role for me right now," Cassell said. "Me coming off the bench ? I'm just not used to this. I'm not the type of guy who comes in and gives you a spark. That's just not my whole thing. I can try to do it, but I'm not accustomed to it."

Cassell, who is currently out injured with a painful heel injury, was relegated before the injury because of Livingston's playmaking skills.

"People see me on the streets and ask me, 'Are you starting when you come back?' My answer is that I don't control that. I'm a ballplayer, I'm not a coach yet," Cassell said. "Sometimes people put a lot of pressure on Shaun because he's not me.

"It's not fair to think Shaun is going to do the same things I'm going to do. You just can't do it. Shaun's game and my game are totally different. The things we do for this basketball team are totally different, so everyone should just let Shaun be Shaun."