I winced a little when I read that article this morning, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's just not that bad.
Most of the negative in there is Mark Murphy's speculation/interpretation rather than what BBD actually said. And the Herald is the same paper that used a non-authenticated Twitter page as a source and then wrote an article called "Baby Cries Foul," as if it were Glen Davis' fault that the Herald didn't bother to check its facts.
What did BBD actually say?
“It’s real difficult to go back, from playing 30 minutes or even 35 on a good night, to playing 12 or 15 on a good night,”
And? Would it be better to have him say "I'd rather not play?" If the Celtics wanted a player who didn't care whether he played and made no effort to get better or get more playing time, they could have kept Patrick O'Bryant.
It's fairly unusual-- love you, Scal!-- to have a player who goes from 0 minutes to 40 minutes to 0 minutes and never laments it.
But Baby didn't say he wasn't willing to take a reduced role, or that he doesn't want what's best for the team, or that he's unhappy to be in Boston and would like a trade.
He just said it was difficult.
Is anyone going to say that there's nothing difficult about it?
“I hope so,”
A professional basketball player hopes to play basketball? Stop the presses!
I don’t know how to accept that yet,” he said. “I don’t know how to do it yet. It’s not as if we’ve gone over it. Nobody tells me nothing.”
He doesn't know how to do something he hasn't done yet? Don't most of us not know exactly how to handle a situation we haven't had to handle yet?
The "nobody tells me nothing" might be whiny... but is also a sign that no one HAS to tell him anything because he's doing the right thing without instruction.
If he was being a problem, I have a sneaking suspicion that he has teammates and coaches who would tell him all about what he was doing wrong.
“That’s great, to have the chance to be a part of something this great,” Davis said. “I’m here now - a part of it. So I have to roll with the shot I’ve got. I’m here until they don’t want me anymore.”
Seems like this mitigates anything else he said about being frustrated. Awareness that he's part of something beyond himself-- check.
Asked if he had hoped for an offer from a team with a need for a starting power forward, Davis said, “Yup.”
It would be pretty weird if a free agent didn't want any offers, especially offers that come with lots of money and prestige.
“It helped me as a player - it helped me in just showing how I can be a star in this league,” he said. “It was a good experience for me, and I think it will have a lasting effect as far as letting me know what I can do.”
He likes knowing that he can do more and feeling confident.
In summary, he says that this year will be challenging as well as great, and he's working on it. He was honest, perhaps with a hint of whining... but nothing to make me wish the Celtics had let him go as a free agent.
