Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Glen Davis to San Antonio?

Good article in Yahoo Sports...

By: Kelly Dwyer, Yahoo! Sports

If today seems the polar opposite of my initial reactions to the free agency frenzy from last Wednesday, well, it's because it is.

Things are a little cheerier. And, as my girlfriend pointed out sometime this weekend, "you can catch these stupid fruit flies with a bowl full of vinegar, but you and your brother need to stop leaving half-drunk Schlitz bottles lying around. They love them."

Next up, to half drink a Schlitz? Glen Davis in San Antonio. How great would that be?

Davis completely turned his season around last year. A few months into 2008-09, the guy was absolutely destroying Boston's chances at both ends by firing up missed jumpers, whiffing on defensive rotations, and failing to commit to the defensive glass.

Now, the final aspect of that piss-poor triptych didn't go away. The guy was getting killed on the glass up to Boston's final seven game turn against the Orlando Magic (which, while we're at it, feels like it took place in 1947).

But his defense improved, and his jump shot really came around. Which, while we're quoting family members, progressed to a point where my father was yelling "you can't leave this guy!" at the TV and the Orlando Magic well before Davis hit this shot to beat the Magic. One would suspect my father had a minor investment in Orlando's pro basketball outfit, but the truth is he really just invested in proper pick and roll defense decades ago, and that's a hard thing to divest yourself of.

Now, Zach Lowe went into Davis' improvement in greater detail in this post as the regular season wrapped up, and you'll have to believe me when I tell you that I'm not linking to the post because he writes nice things about me. I'm linking to it because it discusses how average Davis was, over the final 60 percent of the regular season. This is significant, because the man was really poor for the first chunk of 2008-09.

Not the worst thing in the world, for a second round pick in his second season, but worth pointing out. And, for a second round pick in his second season, well worth pointing out as he improved to the ranks of average.

And, while you might not like me seemingly underrating the guy as "average," understand that he really was just that. Because the sheer amount of minutes he took in down the stretch of Boston's season, and the playoff heroics, you're likely overrating him. Don't. The man averaged about 16 points and five and a half rebounds in 36.4 minutes per game during the playoffs. For those minutes, with those few rebounds, that rounds down to average.

Then, armed with this information, don't get down on the guy. Even dismissing the "second round pick" background, a 23-year old power forward working at about average at this point in his career is a fine thing to have. And considering that the San Antonio Spurs are about to sign him to a contract that approximates the league's average salary, then you have to be happy that a great team is likely to get fantastic value in Glen Davis(notes).

So, he can't rebound. This is why Dave Berri can't stand him, and that's entirely fair. To call his board-work "Curry-esque" would be a bit of a slam sent Eddy's way.

Davis pulled in 9.2 percent of all available rebounds during the playoffs, passable for a roster that was solid on the boards during the postseason, but a mark that would have ranked below Grant Hill's(notes) regular season percentage had he strung that together during the initial 82. And Davis' 11.2 percentage during that initial 82 was worse than Carmelo Anthony's(notes) tally.

His defense? It needs work. It'll frustrate the Spurs. But the effort was there. He's not unlike Drew Gooden(notes), in that aspect, as he'll space out and wander from the scripted defensive game plan sometimes. But the Spurs knew this when they went out and signed Gooden last year, and while Drew isn't exactly coming back to San Antonio for 2009-10, his mitigating factors were ably dealt with by a team that knows exactly what it's doing.

The "average" player will only get better, from here on out. Turning into an above-average player with an average contract, on San Antonio's dime.

Toss in the fact that rookie DeJuan Blair(notes) seems to be a Reggie Evans(notes)-type right out of the gate, and you have a Spurs team with scads of options and all sorts of talent. And here's the part where I'm legally required to type "if healthy."

To me, the biggest question regarding Davis' potential trip to San Antonio for the MLE regards Boston's designs.

Do they match? C's owner Wyc Grousbeck has been willing to pay the luxury tax for a winner, and despite falling short to Orlando last spring, Davis helps this team win. I know adding Rasheed Wallace(notes) helps with the interior depth, but Rasheed really hasn't been much for points in the paint since about 2005 or so. Davis can score among the trees. He's not a tree, himself, but he does well moving into the tree-less spaces.

As a general fan, it seems like a win-win. In a day full of good news, let's add Glen Davis to the mix.

Related: DeJuan Blair, Glen Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Reggie Evans, Grant Hill, Rasheed Wallace, Drew Gooden, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a good article on Big Baby Davis, however it looks like you took that straight from yahoo? Did you make any changes or add any comments? Just curious. I've done this before, but these days I try to write my own stuff. I'm assuming you just didn't have time. That's ok. lol.

Anonymous said...

Hello !.
You may , perhaps very interested to know how one can collect a huge starting capital .
There is no initial capital needed You may begin to receive yields with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
AimTrust represents an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

Its head office is in Panama with structures everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your chance That`s what you wish in the long run!

I feel good, I started to take up real money with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to select a correct companion utilizes your savings in a right way - that`s AimTrust!.
I make 2G daily, and my first deposit was 1 grand only!
It`s easy to join , just click this link http://axomomew.bigheadhosting.net/bubadyz.html
and go! Let`s take this option together to get rid of nastiness of the life

Anonymous said...

Good day !.
might , perhaps very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields .
There is no initial capital needed You may commense to receive yields with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
AimTrust incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

It is based in Panama with affiliates everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become really rich in short time?
That`s your choice That`s what you wish in the long run!

I feel good, I started to get income with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to choose a proper companion who uses your savings in a right way - that`s AimTrust!.
I make 2G daily, and my first investment was 500 dollars only!
It`s easy to get involved , just click this link http://hacyfuxyca.jamminweb.com/idujas.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take this option together to get rid of nastiness of the life

Anonymous said...

Hi!
You may probably be very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields on investments.
There is no initial capital needed.
You may commense to get income with a sum that usually is spent
for daily food, that's 20-100 dollars.
I have been participating in one project for several years,
and I'm ready to let you know my secrets at my blog.

Please visit blog and send me private message to get the info.

P.S. I earn 1000-2000 per daily now.

http://theblogmoney.com

Anonymous said...

Hi!
You may probably be very interested to know how one can make real money on investments.
There is no initial capital needed.
You may begin to get income with a money that usually goes
for daily food, that's 20-100 dollars.
I have been participating in one project for several years,
and I'll be glad to share my secrets at my blog.

Please visit my pages and send me private message to get the info.

P.S. I earn 1000-2000 per daily now.

[url=http://theinvestblog.com] Online investment blog[/url]

Anonymous said...

Hi!
You may probably be very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields on investments.
There is no need to invest much at first.
You may begin to get income with a money that usually is spent
for daily food, that's 20-100 dollars.
I have been participating in one company's work for several years,
and I'm ready to share my secrets at my blog.

Please visit blog and send me private message to get the info.

P.S. I earn 1000-2000 per day now.

http://theinvestblog.com [url=http://theinvestblog.com]Online Investment Blog[/url]

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody!

Sure, you’ve heard about me, because my fame is running in front of me,
my name is Peter.
Generally I’m a social gmabler. for a long time I’m keen on online-casino and poker.
Not long time ago I started my own blog, where I describe my virtual adventures.
Probably, it will be interesting for you to find out my particular opinion on famous gambling projects.
Please visit my web page . http://allbestcasino.com I’ll be glad would you find time to leave your comments.

Anonymous said...

Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.

viagra online said...

that could be the better option for davies, he can play way better in the spurs!

Anonymous said...

Just popping in to say nice site.

Anonymous said...

I love fortheloveofsports.blogspot.com! Here I always find a lot of helpful information for myself. Thanks you for your work.
Webmaster of http://loveepicentre.com and http://movieszone.eu
Best regards

Elliott Broidy said...

Woohoo