It's amazing when you think about how close they came to blowing all that up.
Boston has the most established starting five in the NBA. Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins. Night after night after night after night, for three years. It's a tried and true formula for a team that won an NBA championship just two summers ago. And yet last June, there were endless rumblings that the Celtics were ready to give it all away and take a gamble on a 19-year-old kid from Memphis.
That would be Tyreke Evans.
Remember back in June, when rumors abounded that Danny Ainge and the Celtics were scrambling for a deal to move up in the draft, perhaps even into the top five? The rumors were about Evans, the Memphis freshman combo guard that had taken Conference USA by storm last season, throwing down triple-doubles with ease. Ainge spotted a franchise talent in Evans, and he wanted him badly. So badly that he considered tearing apart the Celtics' vaunted starting five just to get him.
Ray Allen for the No. 5 pick in the draft? Rajon Rondo for the No. 2? This wasn't just idle gossip — it was something that Ainge and the Boston front office were seriously mulling over, even if they never did pull the trigger. The Celtics' GM looked at Evans and saw a big, big star waiting to happen. And judging by the kid's first five months in the NBA, it looks like Ainge was right.
Evans has played 64 games so far in the NBA and he's leading all the league's rookies in points per game (20.2). He's put up 11 double-doubles. He's leading the Kings in points, assists and steals. The numbers are there, and he's showing off freakish athleticism that puts him alone in a class with LeBron James, Dwight Howard and maybe John Wall (but more on that next year). He's got the potential to be a once-in-a-generation type of star.
It's all too easy to play the "what if?" game and think about seeing Evans in a green uniform, not just now but for many years down the road. How would the Celtics be different?
It's hard to say, because Evans in Sacramento has been an entirely different player from anyone in the Celtics' system. The offense revolves around him — he's putting up 16.0 shots a game for the Kings, way more than even Pierce or Allen gets in Boston. And that's an average over the whole season. Since the Kings dealt away Kevin Martin, you're seeing regular nights of 19, 21, 22 attempts from the floor. He's 20 years old, and he's already the alpha dog.
The Celtics have an ensemble cast in place. On any given night, any one of them can be the hero offensively. The C's are a tough team to guard, because you never know which guy will get hot when. They're smart, they're balanced, and above all, they're unpredictable.
Tyreke Evans would have disrupted all of that. He would have thrust the Celtics in a new direction, tearing apart an established lineup that has a chance to win right now. For many years to come, Evans will be a great player, but for right now, the Celtics are playing with the hand they've been dealt.
Red Auerbach often said that the best trades are the ones you don't make. This might be one of those cases — and it's a win-win situation for the two teams involved. The Kings have their franchise player, and the Celtics have their chance to play for the here and now. No regrets.
