Contract year for Baby makes for a tough decision for the Celtics.

[BballTim]

I'm noticing it's the same fans here who always wanted to get rid of Baby. Ya'll don't know something good when you see it.

When he was a free agent before, the Celtics wanted him so bad they said they'd match any deal. That is obviously why he didn't have a number of takers. Period. Old, old, old story.

  I'm pretty sure there were rumors that the Celts would match any deal up to the MLE, not any deal at all.

With Baby, these certain fans always bring up any little thing they can come up with FROM THE PAST. And they are small things, never really important.

There is nothing said here about Baby's amazing play (not surprisingly).

  His rebounding (or lack thereof) comes up on a regular basis.

My opinion? Baby is a far better center than Perk, much faster on defense and has the ability to constantly improve. Not to mention he also plays his main position power forward. I would say to Baby thank you for being a big part of the win in the Championship win 3 yrs ago, in the finals last year and for stepping up this year and playing both positions and doing both well.

  Davis isn't a better center than Perk, he would have been offered well above the MLE when he was a FA if this was the case. And when you talk about his improving remember he's only a year or so younger than Perk, who's also improving. Davis wasn't a big part of the championship team, playing in 1 game in the finals and scoring 3 points. He is playing well this year though.

[mmbaby]

All opinions are valid here and BBD is the kind of person one seems to love or (dislike).

Personally, I love him and follow his career with a passion. I don't believe he's reached his ceiling. We've all seen his vast improvement this season and his ability to work on and correct problems that have come up. Maybe he will serve the NBA as a bench player, but I just don't think that's what's going to happen. I really think he is going to 1. obtain a starting position (whether next season or the season after), 2. struggle for awhile and then, 3. become a really good starter. After that we'll have to wait and see.

I'm not putting him up there with KG yet and may never do that, but I do feel he has further to go and has not reached his ceiling.

How much would you be willing to offer BBD for his new contract?

I really don't know how much I'd pay him.
It seems to me that he is probably going to be more concerned with career positioning rather than pay at this point in his career.

[Fafnir]

By the Gilbert Arenas rule the most Davis could be offered was the MLE. (second round pick in his second year)

[slamtheking]

I went with 'other'.

Let him play out the year for the title run because we really need him off the bench due to the team's current health and his fit with the team.

See what his market value is at the end of the year.  Personally, I think someone is going to overpay him based on this year and it could even be another contender doing so in the hopes of snagging a contributing player while taking the opportunity to also weaken the C's bench for next year.  I could see Orlando or Miami taking a shot at him depending on who else is available.

I don't think he's the type of player Danny should make a point of hanging onto after next year.  Perk, absolutely.  BBD, not so much.  I think you can find undersized PFs without a problem.  Granted, few of them have the bulk to be a backup center like BBD but hopefully Danny could acquire a healthy back up C if BBD is let go.  If Perk, Semih and Shaq are available next year and we add at healthy backup that can be activated when Shaq needs his inevitable mid-season rest, than BBD isn't as necessary off the bench.

[Donoghus]

All opinions are valid here and BBD is the kind of person one seems to love or (dislike).

Personally, I love him and follow his career with a passion. I don't believe he's reached his ceiling. We've all seen his vast improvement this season and his ability to work on and correct problems that have come up. Maybe he will serve the NBA as a bench player, but I just don't think that's what's going to happen. I really think he is going to 1. obtain a starting position (whether next season or the season after), 2. struggle for awhile and then, 3. become a really good starter. After that we'll have to wait and see.

I'm not putting him up there with KG yet and may never do that, but I do feel he has further to go and has not reached his ceiling.

How much would you be willing to offer BBD for his new contract?

I really don't know how much I'd pay him.
It seems to me that he is probably going to be more concerned with career positioning rather than pay at this point in his career.

I think it'll go the other way.  He's a twenty-something who will be looking to cash in on his first "big" deal.  Those opportunities are few & far between and this may be his only shot. 

[wdleehi]

All opinions are valid here and BBD is the kind of person one seems to love or (dislike).

Personally, I love him and follow his career with a passion. I don't believe he's reached his ceiling. We've all seen his vast improvement this season and his ability to work on and correct problems that have come up. Maybe he will serve the NBA as a bench player, but I just don't think that's what's going to happen. I really think he is going to 1. obtain a starting position (whether next season or the season after), 2. struggle for awhile and then, 3. become a really good starter. After that we'll have to wait and see.

I'm not putting him up there with KG yet and may never do that, but I do feel he has further to go and has not reached his ceiling.

How much would you be willing to offer BBD for his new contract?

I really don't know how much I'd pay him.
It seems to me that he is probably going to be more concerned with career positioning rather than pay at this point in his career.

Why?


By then he should have his second ring.  


What he wouldn't have is his big pay day.  I would expect him to "chase the money" so he no longer has to worry about that (unless of course he is like to many NBA players that have no clue how to handle money)

[mmbaby]

I think when a player is young and still improving his game, and ambitious, that his future career is what he thinks about. It's not just about money. Making 3 mill/year is a lot of money for anyone and I'm sure he's comfortable.

It may be true that he ends up being a better bench player than a starter, but with his talent, I just think it would be unwise of him to not give it a shot. And I do believe he will be given the opportunity.

I liked what someone said about other teams trying to acquire him in order to upset our bench and that is a valid point. What he does for the team is far beyond what he is given credit for by some. He usually plays starters minutes and usually plays 2 positions lately and plays both well. Since the beginning of the season, he has been one of our 4 top scorers.

[celticspride]

Davis is a great fit for the C's. I wouldn't trade him or let him go elsewhere.

[Chris]

I think when a player is young and still improving his game, and ambitious, that his future career is what he thinks about. It's not just about money. Making 3 mill/year is a lot of money for anyone and I'm sure he's comfortable.

I think it is a combination of the two.  I think if the money is comparable, and he has a chance to start for one team, he will go to that team.  However, I don't think he is going to take significantly less money to go to a team because he thinks its better for his career. 

As for him being "comfortable", I don't think that matters.  Whether they are professional athletes, or in any other business, money talks.  If a guy can make more money going somewhere else, then it is going to take something very large to convince them otherwise.

It's probably a moot point anyways though, since I would imagine the teams who want him to play a bigger role are going to be the ones offering more money anyways. 

[mmbaby]

I think you are right on the money, Chris.

But still think if he is offered a starter pos. at, say, 3 mill. and up, he will take it. Who wouldn't?

It has surprised me this season how Doc has kept him in the final 6 minutes of games and I believe it's because of Baby's unusual ability to make big plays at critical moments, like at the end of the game. He thrives in the spotlight. And Doc's trust in him, I'm sure, is a big part of his own confidence in himself.

I think when he had to fill in for KG as starter this season, he tried too hard and knew it. And like every other problem he's had, he'll work out a way to correct that too.

I have great confidence in him. He is also very durable and not prone to injury, which is a plus.

[greenpride32]

Davis' stock has increased greatly ths year, so you can't even compare it to the situation from 2 years ago.  I think in particular his improved post game has been catching people's eye.  He's always said he wants to be an all-star so I'm certain he'd prefer to go to place where he gets big money and can start immediately.

Also the C's do value him greatly; he's Doc's choice to finish out games over Perk.  This has been the case since Perk came back and was also true last year.  But I think in the end the C's won't be able to compete with other offers.  Maybe the new CBA will have a franchise tag we can use on him.

[celts55]

I find this polls very difficult to vote on as I don't know who they are trading Davis for. If he part of a package that brings back a healthy big that can rebound and a decent backup 3 than sure I'd be open to trading him. With both O'neal's on the shelf and Perk maybe gone next year it would be crazy not to consider. If he was willing to re-sign for a reasonable amount, I wouldn't mind keeping him around as a 6th man. I personally don't see him as a regular starter on a championship team.

[Birdbrain]

Davis is crucial to the team.  He makes big plays, is unafraid of the moment, and is a great defender (which understandbly doesn't resonate via a box score).  Trading him before the season ends shouldn't even be an option to be honest.

If I'm not mistaken we can match so I'm not overly worried about him leaving.  Danny's much too smart for that.  

I went with #2.

[BballTim]

Also the C's do value him greatly; he's Doc's choice to finish out games over Perk.  This has been the case since Perk came back and was also true last year.

  Last year Perk played 74% of all of our "clutch minutes" (4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points) and Davis played in 7% of those minutes. It wasn't at all true last year.

[Fafnir]

Also the C's do value him greatly; he's Doc's choice to finish out games over Perk.  This has been the case since Perk came back and was also true last year.

  Last year Perk played 74% of all of our "clutch minutes" (4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points) and Davis played in 7% of those minutes. It wasn't at all true last year.

Wallace typically played if Doc wanted offense and pulled Perkins. Even then he mostly did that early in the year and got away from it when it became clear that Wallace sucked.