Big Baby is Legit!

[Roy Hobbs]

BBD has been good, not just recently, but really overall since KG went down.  However, candidly, I'm scared of how he's going to react once he gets paid.  I can easily see the kid going the Oliver Miller route.  I hope that fear is completely unfounded.

[cordobes]

Doc is just showcasing him.

That may be true.
But remember, KG is out, Powe is out,
Scals is out too. Not much bench left!

That's all true, but I was just jocking because a few months ago there was a strange theory going around that Davis was only playing because he was being showcased in a desperate attempt to trade his useless ***. 

[Bankshot]

BBD has been good, not just recently, but really overall since KG went down.  However, candidly, I'm scared of how he's going to react once he gets paid.  I can easily see the kid going the Oliver Miller route.  I hope that fear is completely unfounded.

I believe it is.

[winsomme]

BBD has been good, not just recently, but really overall since KG went down.  However, candidly, I'm scared of how he's going to react once he gets paid.  I can easily see the kid going the Oliver Miller route.  I hope that fear is completely unfounded.

Oliver Miller is sort of an extreme example, though.

Even when BBD was at his heaviest, he never looked like Miller - who looked like David Wells out there.

With Baby's frame, he never had a big belly and always seemed pretty nimble on the court.

With guaranteed contracts and limited ways to sign players, any time you give a player a good contract you have to worry about how they respond to the money, but i don't know how much different the level of concern should be for Baby than lots of other guys in his skill level...

[celts55]

I don't really care too much about the assist, and steals. I just want him to keep hitting those open shots, and keep rebounding. He's far to inconsistent with his rebounding.

A great game from him, none the less
[/quote)

Why would you not care about assists and steals? I think that's what makes Davis a special player, not only can he shot and rebound, but he sees the floor very well. The assists and steals tell me he plays hard and has a good basketball IQ. While I agree his rebounding needs to be more consistant, he did get 9 in each of the last 2 games. He's also pretty active under the boards and keeps the ball alive, so even if he doesn't get the board, someone else might.

That being said, my biggest concern with him is if can play this well off the bench? Garnett will be starting again next year and I expect Baby will be with the second unit. So far, anf it's early in he carreer he has been fairly inconsistant with that group. If he can play as well as a sub as he does a starter, I think it's a no brainer to resign him.

[BillfromBoston]

Doc is just showcasing him.

Well, he was offered in a number of trade scenarios leading up to the deadline, so....he and Powe were the two principle players offered up in pretty much every deal that was discussed.

Looking at Davis' play now and comparing it to where he was at when he started getting consistent PT back in January is like comparing night and day.

Davis had no track record of consistency at that point and was not highly productive - Boston gave him a chance to improve his value - partly to evaluate his ability with an increased role, and partly to provide an opportunity for him to improve his value.

He's clearly taken advantage of the unlimited minutes and shots he's gotten with this injured team and showing what he can do as a starter.

Very productive, but I doubt he "prices himself out" of Boston's range - nobody is going to give him more than 5 million a year and I'd be surprised if he got more than 3 years if he does get 5 per.

[BillfromBoston]

I wasn't impressed with him in game 1 and 2.  He took 40 wide open shots and happened to knock down half.  Big deal.  Pulled down like 6 rebounds every 40 minutes.  Big deal.

But I gotta give him props tonight.   I guess I'll stop saying he sucks.  He's looking more and more like a poor man's* homeless man's Antoine Walker. 

*edited for accuracy

LARBRD ladies and gentlemen, being proven wrong by young Celtics since 2008. 

I don't think anyone is calling him a "go-to guy" right now, but he is showing to be a reliable 3rd option, which is a very impressive accomplishment given his level of experience in the NBA.

i'd just love to see what he could do if he got into real athlete shape - 10% body fat or under - he could be so much more nimble than he is now....and of course, I worry about what he'll do when he gets paid - still a breath-holder IMO...

Regardless, he's on the right track and making a contribution night after night - can't ask for more than that...

[BillfromBoston]

BBD has been good, not just recently, but really overall since KG went down.  However, candidly, I'm scared of how he's going to react once he gets paid.  I can easily see the kid going the Oliver Miller route.  I hope that fear is completely unfounded.

Oliver Miller is sort of an extreme example, though.

Even when BBD was at his heaviest, he never looked like Miller - who looked like David Wells out there.

With Baby's frame, he never had a big belly and always seemed pretty nimble on the court.

With guaranteed contracts and limited ways to sign players, any time you give a player a good contract you have to worry about how they respond to the money, but i don't know how much different the level of concern should be for Baby than lots of other guys in his skill level...

  I think you have to be more concerned about players that have battled issues with weight, conditioning and overall self-motivation/work ethic.

Davis is certainly more of a candidate for that type of concern than other players who've exhibited better self-discipline and focus.

I think Boston is a good environment for him to stay motivated however. He is competitive and is surrounded by superior professionals with flawless work habits - that should help push him to keep up the pace.

[winsomme]

BBD has been good, not just recently, but really overall since KG went down.  However, candidly, I'm scared of how he's going to react once he gets paid.  I can easily see the kid going the Oliver Miller route.  I hope that fear is completely unfounded.

Oliver Miller is sort of an extreme example, though.

Even when BBD was at his heaviest, he never looked like Miller - who looked like David Wells out there.

With Baby's frame, he never had a big belly and always seemed pretty nimble on the court.

With guaranteed contracts and limited ways to sign players, any time you give a player a good contract you have to worry about how they respond to the money, but i don't know how much different the level of concern should be for Baby than lots of other guys in his skill level...

  I think you have to be more concerned about players that have battled issues with weight, conditioning and overall self-motivation/work ethic.

Davis is certainly more of a candidate for that type of concern than other players who've exhibited better self-discipline and focus.

I think Boston is a good environment for him to stay motivated however. He is competitive and is surrounded by superior professionals with flawless work habits - that should help push him to keep up the pace.

Well, "weight/work ethic" issues is only one reason to worry about dropping a lot of money on a young player.

plus, I think those problems with Baby have been overstated.

heck, they still talk about Rondo not playing hard every night.....

young players have question marks. I think that comes with the territory.

[EJPLAYA]

BBD has definitely stepped it up and is playing much better than he was earlier, however we do need to step back from all this "man-crush" and look at it from a realistic view.

We are talking about a 6'6" PF/Center who can't jump. Can't block shots. Can't rebound at an above average clip. Can't score around the basket effectively against bigger players. (3-4 possessions last night he should have scored but was blocked or took a bad shot)

He is shooting the ball right now at a solid rate, but nothing amazing.

Game 1 - 3-6 outside shots.
Game 2 - 5-13 outside shots.
Game 3- 1-5 outside shots.

Let's not make this guy out to be the greatest PF shooter in the history of the game.

He does however hustle and play solid defense and passes well. He is lovable. Do you really think that he is as "must have" as many are trying to portray? I'd like him back, however I sure wouldn't break the bank for him.

[winsomme]

BBD has definitely stepped it up and is playing much better than he was earlier, however we do need to step back from all this "man-crush" and look at it from a realistic view.

We are talking about a 6'6" PF/Center who can't jump. Can't block shots. Can't rebound at an above average clip. Can't score around the basket effectively against bigger players. (3-4 possessions last night he should have scored but was blocked or took a bad shot)

He is shooting the ball right now at a solid rate, but nothing amazing.

Game 1 - 3-6 outside shots.
Game 2 - 5-13 outside shots.
Game 3- 1-5 outside shots.

Let's not make this guy out to be the greatest PF shooter in the history of the game.

He does however hustle and play solid defense and passes well. He is lovable. Do you really think that he is as "must have" as many are trying to portray? I'd like him back, however I sure wouldn't break the bank for him.

where are you getting 6'6" from?

he looks bigger to me than both Paul and Leon. I think he is a solid 6'8".

[celts55]

BBD has definitely stepped it up and is playing much better than he was earlier, however we do need to step back from all this "man-crush" and look at it from a realistic view.

We are talking about a 6'6" PF/Center who can't jump. Can't block shots. Can't rebound at an above average clip. Can't score around the basket effectively against bigger players. (3-4 possessions last night he should have scored but was blocked or took a bad shot)

He is shooting the ball right now at a solid rate, but nothing amazing.

Game 1 - 3-6 outside shots.
Game 2 - 5-13 outside shots.
Game 3- 1-5 outside shots.

Let's not make this guy out to be the greatest PF shooter in the history of the game.

He does however hustle and play solid defense and passes well. He is lovable. Do you really think that he is as "must have" as many are trying to portray? I'd like him back, however I sure wouldn't break the bank for him.

Not to be one of those people who picks one thing out of a post, but he can and does block some shots. Is he a shot blocking presence, no, but the block on Noah's jam was pretty impressive. He's pretty quick for a big fellow. Personally, I think his biggest problem is that he does get swollowed up under the basket. I don't know if there is much he can do about that, as he's not that tall.

[ACF]

Doc is just showcasing him.

That may be true.
But remember, KG is out, Powe is out,
Scals is out too. Not much bench left!

That's all true, but I was just jocking because a few months ago there was a strange theory going around that Davis was only playing because he was being showcased in a desperate attempt to trade his useless ***. 

Ah, okay buddy.
It's hard for me to tell if there's
not a  , a  or a  in there.
 

[EJPLAYA]

BBD has definitely stepped it up and is playing much better than he was earlier, however we do need to step back from all this "man-crush" and look at it from a realistic view.

We are talking about a 6'6" PF/Center who can't jump. Can't block shots. Can't rebound at an above average clip. Can't score around the basket effectively against bigger players. (3-4 possessions last night he should have scored but was blocked or took a bad shot)

He is shooting the ball right now at a solid rate, but nothing amazing.

Game 1 - 3-6 outside shots.
Game 2 - 5-13 outside shots.
Game 3- 1-5 outside shots.

Let's not make this guy out to be the greatest PF shooter in the history of the game.

He does however hustle and play solid defense and passes well. He is lovable. Do you really think that he is as "must have" as many are trying to portray? I'd like him back, however I sure wouldn't break the bank for him.

where are you getting 6'6" from?

he looks bigger to me than both Paul and Leon. I think he is a solid 6'8".

He might be 6'8 in his shoes on his tippy toes, but he isn't that tall. No way he over 6'7. Either way the guys is 4-5 inches shorter than you'd like your PF/C to be. Powe has the same issue, however he has freakishly long arms and can jump.

[EJPLAYA]

BBD has definitely stepped it up and is playing much better than he was earlier, however we do need to step back from all this "man-crush" and look at it from a realistic view.

We are talking about a 6'6" PF/Center who can't jump. Can't block shots. Can't rebound at an above average clip. Can't score around the basket effectively against bigger players. (3-4 possessions last night he should have scored but was blocked or took a bad shot)

He is shooting the ball right now at a solid rate, but nothing amazing.

Game 1 - 3-6 outside shots.
Game 2 - 5-13 outside shots.
Game 3- 1-5 outside shots.

Let's not make this guy out to be the greatest PF shooter in the history of the game.

He does however hustle and play solid defense and passes well. He is lovable. Do you really think that he is as "must have" as many are trying to portray? I'd like him back, however I sure wouldn't break the bank for him.

Not to be one of those people who picks one thing out of a post, but he can and does block some shots. Is he a shot blocking presence, no, but the block on Noah's jam was pretty impressive. He's pretty quick for a big fellow. Personally, I think his biggest problem is that he does get swollowed up under the basket. I don't know if there is much he can do about that, as he's not that tall.

Sorry to break the news to you, but he is 8th on our team in blocks and is actually behind Scal. You really want to try and say he is a shot blocker?!