Courtside View: Big Baby on board
The first sign that Glen Davis may be wound differently from the typical professional came at his Waltham press conference four days after the Celtics drafted him. There, Glen Davis admitted he wasn't ready to jump to the NBA a year earlier after Louisiana State's celebrated run to the Final Four.
"As a player last year I wasn't confident enough to play on this level," Glen Davis said at the time. "In my mind, my body wasn't right. When you get to this level, you have to be ready. Even though I went second round, I feel I am ready now, so I have no regrets."
In a surrounding where players are often more willing to repeat a reporter's question than provide personal insight, Glen Davis revealed an emotional side well known to those who followed his LSU career. It is, in part, what endeared him to those around Baton Rouge who made him the favorite son of the 2006 Final Four. And it may go a long way toward endearing him to Celtics fans who will look beyond Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for players to pull for.
Though some have wondered whether the lack of contracts thus far for second-round picks Glen Davis (No. 35 overall) and Gabe Pruitt (No. 32) signals a newfound management disinterest in young players, Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge reassured last week that both are firmly in the team's plans for the future. He said that logistics, and the complex Garnett trade, were the main culprits and that fans "shouldn't read anything into" the delay.
In the meantime, Glen Davis has been spending time in the Boston area and attended the team's Waltham training facility last week, looking noticeably slimmer and more chiseled than he did last month at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Seeing a leaner and meaner Glen Davis could be first of many eye-catching moments from a player who slipped to the second round because he was judged by some as too big (at nearly 300 pounds) to play out of the post, and not big enough (at 6-foot-8 with an average wingspan) to play against NBA big men.
"I don't know what the opinion of him is up there," said LSU coach John Brady, "but I think Glen is going to be a pleasant surprise in a lot of ways. He's one of those guys who can do a lot of things you don't expect him to do.
"I am convinced he can guard on the perimeter, despite his size, because his feet are so good. Because he doesn't jump out of the gym like (former LSU teammate and last year's No. 4 overall pick) Tyrus Thomas does, then people weren't as high on him (as an NBA prospect). But this is a kid who can play within a system and I think will have a lot of success up there."
Brady said Glen Davis fell into the trap that many good college players do. Scouts look at measurables like length, standing jump and height, and somehow ignore the numbers Glen Davis put up in his last two years at LSU. As a junior on the Final Four team, he averaged 18.6 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Last year, he hit for 17.7 points and 10.4 rebounds while managing to knock down 17 3-pointers.
"People too often equate the ability to play this game with the ability to jump over the rim," Brady said. "That doesn't hurt, but Glen has a feel for the game and can do a lot of things that you wouldn't think he can do. He can put the ball on the floor. He can make jump shots. He is not going to make a living in the NBA behind the arc, but he can open up defenses with his outside shot.
"If you just think of him as a power forward, then you are restricting what he can bring to your team."
Ainge seems to agree. Though the rookie's chance to make an immediate impact took a big hit with the Garnett trade - the newly acquired star will likely play in excess of 40 minutes per game - Ainge said the slower learning curve will actually help the development of Glen Davis, Pruitt and rookie free agent Brandon Wallace.
"A lot of times when you count on rookies too much they try to go out and do more than they are capable of doing and that's when you lose a lot of games," said Ainge, speaking from recent experience. "Glen's job with us this year will be to go out and work hard and get rebounds. His offensive game will evolve over time. He doesn't need to develop it that fast now.
"I also feel that he can be a very good defender if he moves his feet. He was not known as a great defender in college, but he was one of our better defensive players in summer league, and that's what he has to continue to work on."
Brady said that while his star player's defensive shortcomings were sometimes evident, his strengths were often overlooked.
"We were a man-to-man defensive team and Glen would often guard players around the goal," Brady said. "Sometimes they would shoot over him and that would expose him because we play in a very athletic league (Southeastern Conference)."
"But late in games, we would change to a Switch 5 defense where everyone switched and he would sometimes be on a guard way out on the perimeter. Despite his size, Glen would find a way to keep that guard in front of him and could stay with him."
Brady said he understood his former player's remark about the desire to stay in school for an extra year to physically and mentally prepare for the NBA, and he believes Glen Davis is at that point now.
He also believes Glen Davis will do what it takes to stick - whether that is biding his time behind more-established players or keeping his weight under control.
"He knows he has to earn his way," the coach said. "Glen is smart enough to see what his situation is up there. They have made some very good moves bringing in veteran stars and Glen is very good about understanding that. I think it's a good situation for him. Glen knows what he has to do to find a niche in that league. He is very determined to make that happen and create opportunities for himself.
"When he was in Baton Rouge, he was a beloved figure down here. Everyone wanted to have him over for dinner. Everyone wanted to feed him. I think he understands that things are more professional up there now. There will be plenty of motivation for him to do what he has to do. This is where he has always wanted to be his whole life and he will do what it takes to make it work."
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