The Real Question We Should Be Asking (Can BBD be future starter?)

[jr_3421]

Ok so after game 2 I saw the thread questioning our lineup with KG as opposed to BBD. The question I would like answered, and I admit I can't really make up mind on this one, can BBD be our future starting PF??? I would have said no during the season but now I'm actually considering this as a possibility.

Any thoughts?

[Who]

If Glen Davis loses 40lbs? Definitely.

At his current weight? No, he's not good enough. He showed that he wasn't good enough to do the job last season.

[Donoghus]

Not as a championship contender.

If you're in rebuilding mode and thin on the talent level, I think you can get away with having BBD as your starting PF.  However, I think his game/size is too limited to have him out there for 30+ minutes a night if you're trying to contend for a title.

[Fafnir]

If Glen Davis loses 40lbs? Definitely.

At his current weight? No, he's not good enough. He showed that he wasn't good enough to do the job last season.

Sadly I don't see him losing that much more weight and keeping it off at this point.

[Mike-Dub]

Not as a championship contender.

If you're in rebuilding mode and thin on the talent level, I think you can get away with having BBD as your starting PF.  However, I think his game/size is too limited to have him out there for 30+ minutes a night if you're trying to contend for a title.

Exactly how I feel.

[PosImpos]

Big Baby will always be a solid energy guy off the bench who can have a big game now and then against an opponent with an undersized / untalented / soft frontcourt. 

He'll never be a starter who can average more than 10 points a game or more than 7 or 8 rebounds a game efficiently.  He just doesn't have the body for it.  If he were 2 inches taller and 40-50 lbs lighter, then sure.  As he is, no.

[BballTim]

Big Baby will always be a solid energy guy off the bench who can have a big game now and then against an opponent with an undersized / untalented / soft frontcourt. 

He'll never be a starter who can average more than 10 points a game or more than 7 or 8 rebounds a game efficiently.  He just doesn't have the body for it.  If he were 2 inches taller and 40-50 lbs lighter, then sure.  As he is, no.

  It's pretty nonsensical to say he'll never be a starter averaging more than 10 a game when he started about 30 games last year including playoff games and averaged well above that. Also, his per36 rebounds was about 8 (to go with about 13 points). Can he be an above average starter? I don't know. Can he give you more than 10/7 as a starter? Yes.

[wdleehi]

No.


Going forward, Celtics will need to find a new impact big man.  Davis is not that player. 


Davis could be the starting PF on a playoff team, but not likely a contender (unless he is next to someone like Dwight Howard)

[CoachBo]

Absolutely not. You cannot live night in and night out with a PF who cannot finish at the rim. One game that history shows as an anomaly doesn't change that.

[slamtheking]

the answer would be no.

just look back on this season for your answer.  as a player he frustrated the hell of out everyone by not being able to contribute something positive every game.  He doesn't have the talent to be a good starting power forward.  He's better as a player off the bench.

Could he start, sure, anyone can start. Orien Greene, Marcus Banks, Gerald Green and even Scal have started games. Would we be a good team if that happened, not very likely.

[Spilling Green Dye]

If you're talking about a team that wants to win and do well in the playoffs, then no, you would not have Davis as your starting PF.  Essentially you'd be doing a disservice to the other starters, since in order to win they'd have to play great.

The thread the OP referred to about Davis starting over KG was answered with some glaring statistics.  When you replace KG with Davis, and keep all other starters the same, there is a massive dropoff.

Quite frankly, if the Celtics of the future consist of starting Davis on a nightly basis then I'll have a very difficult time watching. 

[papa shuttlesworth]

I agree with most of the posts here, but think that in the right situation he could be a starter, but in name only.  Similar to how the Spurs bring Ginobli off the bench (usually), a team could conceivably start Davis and bring a vet off the bench to play most of the minutes (like maybe Garnett in a couple years?).

This probably won't happen, but sometimes teams like to balance out their starters/bench in terms of skill sets.

Not saying this is likely, but it could happen.

[JSD]

He's a great role player and should have a long successful career as a guy scoring some points and hustling off the bench.

[the_Bird]

If Baby DID lose 40 pounds, would he even be able to play the PF spot anymore?  Seems that he'd be more of a biggish SF at that point.  As much as his bulk seems to hold him back at times, I'm thinking he's be a pretty atrocious rebounder; short, less massive, and still likely without great hops or athleticism.  Starting PFs on championship teams ought to be able to dominate the glass.

[moiso]

If Baby DID lose 40 pounds, would he even be able to play the PF spot anymore?  Seems that he'd be more of a biggish SF at that point.  As much as his bulk seems to hold him back at times, I'm thinking he's be a pretty atrocious rebounder; short, less massive, and still likely without great hops or athleticism.  Starting PFs on championship teams ought to be able to dominate the glass.

Maybe if he did lose 40lbs he could be a starting 3 on great team if his jumpshot improved a lot.  Maybe he'd be the weak link, but I think he could start.  At the 4, he doesn't defend the rim or finish at the rim well enough.