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Three months ago, Bryan Colangelo traded Jason Kapono to Philadelphia for Reggie Evans. The trade was met with little fanfare throughout the league, but had some significance for the fanbases of the two teams involved because they each believe they're getting a player who addresses a glaring weakness on their squad.
The Sixers were dead last in the NBA in three-point percentage last season, and Kapono is one of the purest dead-eye shooters in the league. The Raptors finished 22nd in the league in rebounding differential (and would have been further down if not for the second-half contributions of Shawn Marion — who is no longer a Raptor), and Evans is one of the most dedicated and productive rebounders of his era. If he had played enough minutes to qualify, his 20.8 rebounding percentage (the percentage of available rebounds grabbed by a player while he's on the floor) would be third all-time behind Dennis Rodman and Swen Nater.
On a team that has been out-rebounded by its opponents in each of the past seven seasons, Evans brings a welcome change in attitude and dediction towards crashing the boards. And "dedication" is the right word to use because rebounding is the one skill that keeps him employed in the NBA. He's a competent defender, but his offensive skill is non-existent — so his single-minded focus to cleaning the glass is apropos.
The problem with his lack of skill in the finesse areas of the game is that it's difficult to justify keeping him on the court for extended periods of time. He's never averaged more than 24 minutes per game in his seven-year career and he played a career-low 14.4 minutes per game last season. In a big man rotation with Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Rasho Nesterovic and Amir Johnson, it's possible and perhaps even advisable that he play even fewer minutes per game next season.
So how can Reggie help improve team rebounding in spite of not actually playing that much? I'll tell you how. We talkin' 'bout practice.
I'd like to think that Triano is going to set Reggie loose in scrimmages, telling him to bang with Andrea and Chris and teach them The Tao of Reggie. I sum up the philosophy of The Tao of Reggie as such: "Get that rebound by any means possible."
I want Reggie to teach Andrea and Chris to get rough, get mean, to throw them 'bows. We all know what a frustratingly lackadaisical and horribly unproductive rebounder Andrea has been. Well, he won't get any rebounds against Reggie if he's not willing to get physical and use his superior size to its proper advantage. As for Chris, he's a pretty good rebounder already, but I think he could be even better. He's reportedly packed on 15 pounds of muscle this off-season, he's in a contract year, and he grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds in the final game of last season when he needed exactly 19 boards to reach the mythical "20-and-10" season average. With the right motivation, I think he could be one of the best rebounders in the league.
If Bosh and Bargnani can have The Tao of Reggie instilled in them, rebounding could cease to be an ongoing liability on the Raptors. Last season, Toronto's opponents pulled down 119 more rebounds than the Raptors did. If Bosh and Bargnani each averaged an extra half-rebound per game, well... take 82 rebounds off their opponents' tally and add them onto the Raptors' ledger and the advantage is on the other side.
Height, strength and athleticism are all beneficial to being a productive rebounder, but Kevin Love finished second behind Dwight Howard in rebounding percentage in his rookie season. If you've watched K-Love, you know he's never the tallest, strongest or most athletic player on the court at any one time. But he wants those rebounds more than anyone else out there and he gets results because of that attitude.
Reggie Evans has that same kind of hunger. Chris Bosh doesn't quite have it and Andrea Bargnani, up until now, has appeared to be as hungry for rebounds as the contestants on Fear Factor were for horse testicles. Bosh and Bargnani have never had to rely on that ability to keep their NBA jobs. That ability has been Reggie's meal ticket. And when anyone gets in the way of that ticket, that person gets punished — just ask Chris Kaman.
So just because I'd prefer Reggie to be the fifth man in the Raptors' big man rotation and only see limited minutes most games, that doesn't mean I think he couldn't be immensely useful in instilling a new philosophy about doing the dirty work it takes to win. Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril reportedly once said, "A player's ability to rebound is inversely proportional to the distance between where he was born and the nearest railroad tracks. The greater distance you live from the poor side of the railroad tracks, the less likely that you will be a good rebounder." The Raptors need to stop acting like they were born with silver spoons in their mouths and start acting like they come from the wrong side of the tracks. When it comes to rebounding, this team has been on the wrong track for seven straight seasons — and I'm fuckin' sick of it. Beat 'em up, Reg. 
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