Devil of a time just won't do

But he certainly has played the role through tours in multiple NBA cities. Davis suited up for Boston last night against the Dallas Mavericks, his fourth team in six seasons. He slipped on a green No. 12 with the full understanding he has some serious work ahead of him. He has been acquired at the expense of Eric Williams, one of the most popular players in recent memory, who personified every facet of team play. Williams played hard, played hurt, and played whenever and wherever coach Jim O'Brien wanted. He was a leader in the locker room and in the community. He stood up to Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, and anyone else that messed with his team's well-being.

Now here comes the anti-Eric, a young, hip basketball stud who has been branded a hot dog, a selfish one-way player who is only interested in putting up points. Davis knows what's been said, and has been made acutely aware his new coaching staff was not in favor of this deal.

"There's a lot of negativity out there," said Davis. "I can understand it. Eric Williams meant a lot to this team. Everyone lets you know what kind of person he is."

There is a reason for that. This is a franchise that does not need any more stains on its fading banners. So Ricky Davis will hear it from the coaches, the players, the fans, and the man who traded for him, Danny Ainge: We won't put up with any of your antics. You can't question the coaches, alienate the young players, hog the ball, mess with our locker room. You will play hard, and you will keep quiet. You will not be bigger than the team.

He heard this once already. Minnesota general manager Kevin McHale gave him the same speech when he signed him to an offer sheet last summer. Davis said he was "praying" he would wind up with the Timberwolves, but Cleveland matched the offer.

"I would have liked to have him," McHale said. "I was straightforward with him. I told him if he messed with me, or my coaches, I'd have my foot in his backside."

"Danny [Ainge] said similar things," Davis acknowledged. "He said he expected me to work hard, do what the coaches want. And if I started slipping . . . "

If he starts slipping, he's gone. Davis is on the books at around $5 million this season, and has four years left that average out to about $6 million a year. In today's NBA, that's what we call a tradeable contract. League sources said Denver has already called Boston about trying to acquire him.

So, I guess you could say that's the good news. If Davis doesn't cut it here, he will be playing for his fifth team in no time. But is that any way to go into a deal, gauging an exit strategy in case it doesn't pan out? O'Brien should fret about a team that has young, impressionable players such as Jiri Welsch and Marcus Banks who could use a lot more of Williams's influence than a guy who, last March 16, shot at his own basket on purpose, with the intent of missing, grabbing the rebound, and recording his first career triple-double.

It was a childish, self-centered, disrespectful act, and to basketball purists, it's almost an unthinkable travesty that the player who belittled the game that way is now wearing Celtic green. Ainge is quick to point out Davis was only 23 at the time. Yet Ainge would never have done anything like that at any age.

"That's one of the mistakes I regret," said Davis. "There was so much going on at the time. Everyone was arguing, and the place was just loaded with negative attitude. Me and the coach there [Keith Smart], we never talked a whole lot."

Davis said he's determined to make Boston the final stop of his career. He claimed, "It's easy for me to get along with people in the right environment."

He concedes his behavior in Cleveland was not ideal. He feuded with new Cavs coach Paul Silas, freely expressed his displeasure with the 24-hour LeBron show, and was a royal pain in the posterior.

What happens if he pulls that act here? If Ricky Davis becomes a problem for the Boston Celtics, who is going to call him on it? Paul Pierce, who says Davis is a friend, is a marvelous basketball player and a true competitor, but Pierce simply is not a leader. Walter McCarty is loved and respected by his teammates, but he doesn't have enough stature on the floor to pull it off. Vin Baker needs to continue to focus on monitoring his own career.

The upside of Davis is obvious: He has talent. He looked like he was hooked up to a high wire when he slammed through a Pierce alley-oop pass in the first half. He is a gazelle in transition, reminiscent of Latrell Sprewell. But he was beaten twice down the floor on the defensive end, and was muscled aside on at least three occasions off the glass. Defense isn't exactly his strong suit, and that could be an issue here.

Davis submitted 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes last night. He watched the thrilling come-from-behind win from the bench. He showed flashes of his offensive skills, and flashes of his defensive deficiencies. He was a model citizen, cheering on his teammates to the finish.

Ainge is getting clobbered for making this deal, and his redemption all hinges on whether Davis toes the line. If it was just about pure talent, this was a no-brainer for Boston. Kedrick Brown can't play. Tony Battie was a nice, soft player with a bad knee. Williams was a high-energy player that any coach would adore (he left here sixth in the league in free throw attempts, an incredible stat considering he's only 6 feet 7 inches and came off the bench), but he has two bum knees, was going to be a free agent this summer, and wasn't going to get the kind of money he wanted in Boston. Young big man Chris Mihm has tons of upside, and Davis, if he behaves, could be the other scoring threat Pierce so desperately needs.

Last night, Ricky Davis said all the right things. He said his role was to take pressure off Pierce, and make open shots when he's double-teamed. He said he didn't care whether he started or came off the bench (let's hold him to that one, shall we?). He said he will do whatever is asked of him.

You hope he realizes this could be his last chance to turn around his career. You want to believe he can become a reliable, team-oriented contributor. But you keep having this nightmare of Davis and Pierce rolling around the floor of the locker room, trading punches as they fight over possession of the ball, while the only guy who would have the courage and the presence to break them up -- Eric Williams -- is gone.

Everyone deserves a second chance. Ricky Davis will have his here, too, but his devilish past has put him on a short leash.

"It's great being here," said Cleveland's former bad boy last night. "It's like being reborn."

Quick. Somebody check to see if the baby's eyes are red.

Jackie MacMullan is a Globe columnist. Her e-mail address is macmullan@globe.com.