Davis starts workout tour

PHILADELPHIA — Glen Davis began his personal workout tour Wednesday.

Instead of participating in the NBA predraft camp in Orlando, the former LSU star decided it would be better to showcase his skills individually for a number of teams.

The first stop took place at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the 76ers’ practice facility, which is fitting because Glen Davis left the workout with a variety of nicks and bruises.

He had a wrap on his left elbow, ice on his left wrist and a bloody nose patched up.

More aches and pains could follow in future scheduled workouts with the New Jersey Nets today, the Chicago Bulls on Friday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Other visits will likely take place up until the June 28 draft when he’s expected to be a first-round draft choice.

“I’ve got the confidence in my game,” Glen Davis said. “I thought this was the way to go. I’m going to keep working extremely hard and showing what I can do to any team that will have me in for a workout. I feel great right now.”

The Sixers are especially interested because they have three picks in the first round — Nos. 12, 21 and 30. It’s hard to project exactly where Glen Davis will be taken, but it’s very possible he will be there when the Sixers reach the 30th choice.

“If I listened to all that, I’d probably be somewhere pulling my hair out, if I had hair,” Glen Davis said. “We’ll see June 28. I have a good feeling I’ll be picked in the first round.”

So do the Sixers.

After watching the slender Glen Davis enter the gymnasium at 289 pounds, they were impressed.

“As soon as I walked in the gym and saw his body, I got this illusion he was going to be this bigger guy,” Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said. “Once I saw him, his body was trim, he was fit and he moved extremely well.”

Glen Davis said his weight has fluctuated from 335 to 350, but he is determined to keep it right around the 290 mark.

Upon arriving in Philadelphia on Tuesday for the first time in his life, he was asked if he wanted to stop and taste an authentic cheese steak.

It sounded tempting but not to a player attempting to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a first-round draft choice.

“In college, you don’t always have the support around you to stay disciplined,” Glen Davis said. “Now, approaching the professional level, you have the support. You have the discipline to do what you want. You want to play in the NBA. That’s my dream. That’s what I want to do. It’s what I’m going to do.

“If I have to lose weight, I’ll lose weight. It’s just hard when you don’t have that support, when everybody is eating McDonald’s and you’re eating salad. That’s really hard. If you want it bad enough, you’ll achieve it.”

Glen Davis achieved quite a bit during his three years at LSU, becoming just the sixth player in school history to finish with 1,500 career points and 900 rebounds and only the second — along with Shaquille O’Neal — to accumulate 1,500 career points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.

After ascending to the Final Four as a sophomore, the Tigers stumbled to a 17-15 record, 5-11 in the Southeastern Conference in Glen Davis’ junior season.

Despite the losing, returning to Baton Rouge for another year was completely worth it.

“People told me my stock was higher (as a sophomore) and it probably was higher,” Glen Davis said. “Me as a basketball player, I wasn’t really ready. I wasn’t ready mentally. I wasn’t ready physically. I just wanted to achieve more in college basketball.

“After this year, with the losing streak and not achieving what I wanted to achieve, I had to find a few things about myself that I needed to know. When you’re not used to losing, it drives you nuts. It drives you crazy. You don’t know what to do or how to do it. Being the leader of my team, I had to find a way to persevere. I think I’ve grown as a person. I’m better this year than last year.”

How much better?

“Better in every way,” Glen Davis said. “Wherever I’m picked, I’ll be there. I’ve got the confidence and I’m excited about the draft.”