NBA Draft Rumors: Why Celtics' Push for Austin Rivers Is Unrealistic

It's the time of the year when everything seems possible for your favorite NBA team. 

Consider ESPN's hot story about the Boston Celtics attempting to trade up in this evening's NBA Draft to acquire Doc's son, Austin.

Austin Rivers is a talented shooting guard, coming off an eventful freshman season at Duke University.

Now he's expected to be a top 10 pick in tonight's NBA Draft.

The Boston Celtics already have two first-round picks. They're just not high enough to realistically expect Rivers to be an option. Boston has back-to-back picks at No. 21 and No. 22. At that point, the Celtics should be able to get two solid NBA players.

Rivers is widely expected to be better than "solid." He has a reputation for being a super aggressive scorer, but he's not an exceptional athlete, and his shot selection can be questionable.

Can Boston actually pull this deal off?

Probably not.

The most obvious obstacle is that the Celtics don't really know exactly where Austin Rivers is headed. It's been widely speculated that if he's around at No. 10, when the New Orleans Hornets make their second of two first-round selections, then he's as good as gone, tweets Yahoo Sport's Adrian Wojnarowski.

What if he's gone before that?

It's not out of the question, with some draft experts speculating that Rivers could be selected by Toronto at No. 8, or even by Portland at No. 6. 

The thought that the Celtics might not even get the player they were targeting even if they put together a nice package seems like an awful big risk for them to absorb.

Then again, the Celtics were only one game away from making the NBA Finals last season. Adding Austin Rivers might greatly improve their chances. It's not the only potential solution to Boston's issues, however, issues that include rebounding, a stat that Boston ranked dead last in the NBA last season.

The rumors will continue to fly around Boston and every other NBA team as the draft rapidly approaches its 8:00 p.m. ET starting time.

Some rumors may prove true, this one seems a bit far-fetched.