Tyreke Evans is five weeks and 18 games away from joining Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, LeBron James, Amar`e Stoudemire and Pau Gasol as recent Rookies of the Year.
OK, forget the part about the disappointing Okafor. Pretend he never happened.
But this is a first for the Kings, who genuinely believe their 6-foot-6 guard is the most deserving candidate. They are ramping up the rhetoric and festivities because, frankly, Evans hints at a future beyond furloughs and foreclosures.
How long has it been? How many years now?
Accordingly, for tonight`s game against the Toronto Raptors, the first 10,000 fans will receive a commemorative "Rally for RekeROY" T-shirt. Another 5,000 can poke around with an Evans "Face on a Stick." There will be a highlight video during introductions, testimonials from fans and, for those who have forgotten what spontaneous applause is , cheat sheets will explain when to start and stop the R-O-Y chant.
Small town? Small time? For sure. But as that English chap wrote, "To thine own self be true." (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene III).
This is exactly the type of boosterism and corny behavior that plays well in Salt Lake City, Orlando, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Memphis and Indianapolis, and would be absolutely ridiculed in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and even Bay Area. The Warriors, for instance, are shuttling ROY candidate Stephen Curry between sports talk shows and media gatherings, and otherwise leaving the theatrics to others. Others, say, like Sacramento.
Regardless, the Kings can see the trophy from their house, and there`s no stopping them now. Can`t you just hear Grant and Jerry hyperventilating? What happens when the kid wins? Better reach for the bags – paper, not plastic.
But please. No parade.
"I don`t know what we`ll do," said Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof, momentarily speechless. "When we saw Tyreke had a chance to win, we wanted to get out in front of this. We`re just so happy he`s a King. Remember how crushed we were when we didn`t get the No. 1 pick? It turns out we got the best player."
Maybe. Maybe the injured Blake Griffin recovers and re-emerges as the prize pick from the Class of 2010. Yet unless Curry suddenly morphs into Superman, Brandon Jennings throws down several more of those 55-point eruptions, or Tyreke trips over his tongue – or a teammate`s ankle – the overall No. 4 draft pick will be the first player to win the ROY award during the Sacramento era.
"He`s having one of the incredible rookies years in the history of the league," said coach Paul Westphal, joining his club`s chorus, "and he`s keeping his head on his shoulders in an incredible way. This is a phenomenal first step in a long act."
A handicap of the race looks something like this: The Bucks` Jennings sprinted out to an early lead with his historic scoring explosion against Golden State. Then again, it was against the Warriors, and he hasn`t been the same since.
Curry, the splendid rookie from Davidson, is emerging as the most intuitive and polished point guard of the group. Gotta love this kid. On an injury-depleted roster where he meets and greets D-Leaguers almost daily, he has proven to be an excellent shooter, a surprising rebounder and defender for his size, and adept at setting up teammates.
But while Curry has made dramatic strides since Jan. 1, Evans has been rock-solid all season. He entered Tuesday night`s game averaging 20.3 points, 5.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37 minutes – statistics comparable to those of former Kings star Mitch Richmond during his rookie season in Oakland.
At his best, Evans is unguardable, a dancing bull getting to the basket. True, he needs to develop a mid-range game and, as a lead guard, surely must become more proficient at finding teammates on the break or, for that matter, finding teammates in general.
But he has given Kings fans a reason to cheer. Or chant. Or, finally, whatever. Just no parade.
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