Cloudy Future For Glen Davis - But He’s Sorting It Out

BOSTON HERALD
By Mark Murphy

It’s not a revelation that the league’s free agents will have it the roughest when NBA owners do the expected, and padlock their arenas and workout facilities once the collective bargaining agreement expires at midnight tonight.

No one has even a ballpark idea of the value of a contract under whatever terms are agreed to under any new CBA.

Glen Davis certainly picked an angst-ridden summer to become an unrestricted free agent, and not just because it’s a CBA year. For the first time in a young career marked by some great postseason moments, Davis melted into the floorboards last spring. He averaged 4.9 points on 39 percent shooting in nine playoff games, including four points on 31.8 percent shooting in the Eastern Conference semifinal loss against Miami.


Davis found himself, once again, on the wrong side of coach Doc Rivers’ ledger, and never recovered. But most general managers stick to the longer view. And once the rush begins to sign free agents for the 2011-12 season, Davis will be in demand. As recently as January, he was in the discussion for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Celtics [team stats] president Danny Ainge, who for the record claims his team needs to bring Davis back, appreciates what he could lose.

Neither Davis nor Rivers publicly admit to having a problem, though Ainge said he wants the men to talk out their oft-emotional differences if they are to spend another season together.

If that opportunity arises, anyway.

Davis, at least, asserts that he wants to return.

“Man, I do,” Davis said yesterday. “Do you know how much I’ve grown and learned with those guys? I want to keep playing with Ray (Allen) and Paul (Pierce) until they leave.”

Too much is unknown, though. In Ainge’s quest to find a capable big man this summer, Davis is probably the Celtics’ best chip in a sign-and-trade deal.

“I’m preparing like it’s any other summer, because you never know with the CBA,” Davis said. “As soon as that deal is done, free agents are going to be going like crazy to get signed. But there’s no way to gauge what (a contract) is worth.”

Davis added that his agent, John Hamilton, has urged him to just relax and see how everything plays out.

It’s a cliche, but applicable here — his intent is to focus only on what he can control.

Davis hired a sports psychologist, and has already spent hours talking about why his performance plummeted beginning in February. He won’t admit to another suspicion by some in Celtics management — that he put on weight and fell out of shape down the stretch. But Davis has become a spokesman for the Boston Bounty Bucks program, which allows food stamp recipients to use their EBT cards at local farmer’s markets, and as such, gave a short talk about the importance of nutrition while appearing with mayor Thomas Menino at the city hall farmer’s market on Monday.

He then stepped back from the podium, looked down the line of food stands, and said, “Man, I’m hungry.”

Considering that he was beaming at piles of lettuce, tomatoes, scallions and fruit when he said this, perhaps Celtics officials should be encouraged. At least the proper food is making Big Baby hungry.

“That’s more me adjusting my approach to food now,” Davis said of being the program spokesman. “If you want to make a change, you have to make a change. That’s what you have to associate yourself with — a healthy lifestyle. If I want to be the player I want to be, I have to make a change. I’ve never understood the potential I can have as a player until now. Things will improve if I can stay consistent in my work habits and lifestyle. I have to eat for being healthy.

“I want to be with my kid forever,” Davis added of his 10-month-old daughter, Amari. “You can’t be 360 pounds and expect to play with your grandchildren. I have to be the player I can be.”

And with the help of that sports psychologist, Davis hopes to better understand those around him, including his coach. He must learn to deal with changes, like the one that forced him to suddenly play alongside Jeff Green after Green’s Feb. 24 trade to the Celtics [team stats].

“Me and Doc have a good understanding,” he said. “My name’s Glen and his name’s Glenn. But Doc is Doc. I love the way he coaches. It’s just that me, as a player, didn’t adjust to him. When I first came here, my role was different than it is now. More importance on the team means more adjusting, and sometimes this year I had trouble with that. Mentally, it interrupted my game.


“So I got (the sports psychologist) because of the way I played in the postseason. It helps me to deal with Doc, and why I didn’t play well. Mentally it just became hard for me to see things. Just learn to be myself. I have to be in a zone all the time.”

Perhaps then he can return to the form some thought made him the best sixth man in the NBA.

“I was in that zone, and then it started to go downwards,” Davis said. “I want to use that positive energy I have as a player. I want to be the Glen Davis I know I can be.”

112288

Just what I've been saying. A lot of the problem is role-related—particularly the discontinuity in Glen's roles. I sometimes frustration-eat too. I bet two or three other people in the world do too.

Glen needs to realize that, instead of starting out the season with a firm role etched immovably in his mind, he's got to take whatever role or multiple roles he's assigned and do his level best at that or them. If he realizes he's going to be judged primarily on how good he helps to make the team, then he could be a lifetime Celtic. If he thinks it's all about proving how good he is individually, the party's over.

It's really pretty simple. I just hope the psychologist doesn't over-complexify it just to inflate his hours.

Sam

Sam

Maybe Tony Soprano can refer Glen to Dr Malfi (Lorraine Bracco)-LOL

MD.

This article really puts things into context.

Now I just hope the CBA issues get resolved sooner rather than later.

dboss

See the psychologist thats fine, but it would still help his durability, stamina and game if Fatboy lost a few and got in real shape. At this similar point in age Shaq was an animal, is Baby? he might be the fattest player in the league.

....his 4 points a game avg vs Heat killed us