A good deal of motivation
Trade talk lights a fire in Jefferson
PHILADELPHIA -- With the asking price for Allen Iverson too high, the Celtics' interest in the former NBA MVP may have cooled, according to league sources. Boston knows what Philadelphia wants, but is reluctant to put certain players, and possibly draft picks, on the table. Gerald Green and Paul Pierce are off limits. And Al Jefferson may have joined Green and Pierce as players executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge will not deal.
Since his name surfaced in Iverson trade talk, Jefferson has played the best basketball of his career. He recorded career highs with 29 points and 14 rebounds against the Nets Saturday night. He followed that with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks against the Knicks Monday. Jefferson said the trade talk provided major motivation because he wants to stay with Boston.
"We hear stuff, just like everybody else hears stuff," said Jefferson. "I know it got me playing better. I know it got me going. I think everybody is trying to show why they shouldn't break us up.
"I'm not worried about it, but I don't want to go. If I leave, I'm going to handcuff myself to the bus and say, 'I don't want to go.' I just don't want to go. I love being here. I love Doc [Rivers] as a coach. I love this team.
"I feel like we're coming together. We're going to win together and we're going to lose together. As long as we stay together, I feel like we'll get more wins than losses."
Ainge may share those sentiments as the Celtics attempt to match their season-high three-game winning streak tonight against Philadelphia at the
One scenario that was under consideration over the weekend would have Theo Ratliff, Delonte West, Sebastian Telfair, and Jefferson going to Philadelphia for Iverson. From the Celtics' changed perspective, Jefferson may make that deal too costly. Ainge again had no comment on the matter yesterday.
Other NBA teams also think the Sixers are looking for too much in exchange for Iverson, said league sources. As a result, Philadelphia general manager Billy King may need more time than he originally hoped to complete a deal. Minnesota, Denver, Golden State, Dallas, Indiana, Chicago, and the Clippers remain possible suitors, though a different front-runner emerges daily, if not hourly.
The favorites yesterday came out of the Western Conference, namely the Warriors and Timberwolves. If the Celtics hear a lower asking price, then they could return to the top of the list. But the four-for-one deal under past consideration probably will no longer work. Although Ainge has repeatedly stated he does not evaluate the team's progress by wins and losses, the recent successes must give him pause about making dramatic changes.
Without pulling the trigger on a trade, Ainge may have gotten what he wanted all along. The mere thought of breaking up a close-knit group has the Celtics playing better basketball and the younger players feeling a sense of urgency. It is a lack of urgency on the part of the younger players that has troubled Ainge and Rivers. While they preached patience, Ainge and Rivers didn't want the young players lulled into thinking they could take their sweet time realizing their potential.
Apparently, a possible trade can put a good scare into a team. Teams will wait only so long before they look elsewhere for help. If Jefferson didn't know that before , he knows it now.
"I know AI is a good player," said Jefferson. "I know if you're a GM or the person in charge, you've got to make the best decision for your team. So, if that's the best decision . . .
"That's the way this game goes. People get traded every day."
Asked if he thought the leaking of certain names in trade talk was designed to motivate the Celtics, Jefferson laughed, then added, "Maybe that was the plan from the jump."
Ainge is not the kind of executive who would motivate players by linking their names to a prominent deal, though it would not be a bad strategy to remember in the future. Undoubtedly, Ainge and Rivers hope young players like Jefferson don't need the threat of a trade to remind them about the kind of effort needed every game. 