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By James Pettitt

Ricky Davis, it's time to step up.

With the six-player trade now officially announced between Boston and Cleveland (Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart and a draft pick to the Celtics; Eric Williams, Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown to Cleveland), Ricky Davis will pack his bags for the fourth time in his young career. Davis is an enigma; brilliant but unpredictable, a potential world-beater when the spotlight is on him, a troublemaker when it is not. It was only too predictable that Davis, who enjoyed a break-out year for the Cavs in 2002-2003, leading a terrible squad in points, assists, steals, minutes and three-point percentage, would struggle to deal with the intense media spotlight enjoyed by King James. It seemed at times that Davis was miffed at the hype surrounding LeBron and unable to accept that he was not receiving similar treatment. Dealing him has solved a massive headache for Paul Silas and the Cavs, though it may have started a period of sustained headaches for Danny Ainge.

While Celtics fans should be excited about the prospect of gaining Chris Mihm, an inside player who is finally adapting to the NBA, the Eric Williams-Ricky Davis aspect of the deal must concern Celtic fans a little. Eric Williams, while never to be confused with a superstar, brought, hussle, energy and intensity that continually lifted the Celtics. Williams' toughness was one of the main reasons the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference finals two years ago. His ability to play the role asked of him endeared him to Jim O'Brien and the Boston faithful and was a real blessing for the team. It remains to be seen whether Davis will bring the same toughness displayed by Williams at any stage of his Celtic tenure. While certainly a more gifted player, it is hard to imagine that Davis, who has never earned decent minutes on any winning team he has been a part of, bringing the same team-first mentality and self-sacrifice that Williams brought to the Celtics.

However, this opportunity could provide Davis with the wake-up call he needs. In Boston he has a unique opportunity to play a lead role right behind Paul Pierce and help the team challenge for a division title. It will take a lot of maturing by Davis, a commitment to being part of an offense rather than freelancing for his own benefit, and a realization that the only way to truly gain respect in the eyes of the basketball world is to be part of a winning team.

Should Davis reach his potential and fit in with what the Celtics as a team need to accomplish, he's got all the talent in the world to be a star that helps a team win, rather than being a star that doesn't affect the win column.

Pierce, Ricky and company working together properly is scary for opponents, especially in the East.

It's up to you, Ricky.

James Pettitt can be reached at james_pettitt888@bigpond.com (remove the 888)