In June, it seemed like Glen Davis was on his way to some good NBA money and maybe even some starter minutes somewhere. He was a restricted free agent. He'd just developed a mid-range jumper. He'd shown a tenacity that belied his "undersized" body. And he had dedicated himself to keeping his weight down.
But then it all started to unravel when Danny Ainge played the GM waiting game by announcing to the league they'd match offers for Glen… without actually offering Baby a contract of his own. He effectively drove the market down to a point where Glen had to agree to a 2 year, $6.3 million dollar deal in a market where Marcin Gortat got about $33 million over 5 years.
Little did Glen know that was the high point.
He missed time after breaking his hand on his friend's face. He got fined for swearing at fan… prompting questions about his maturity. He got ridiculed for suggesting, after he was asked the question, that he get a new nickname. And he's been accused of purposely injuring Shaquille O'Neal.
He can't buy a break. And it's showing up on the court. Glen Davis is having what many fans are starting to realize is a disappointing season. But its disappointing in a way that just fits the frustrating pattern of everything else since June.
Glen still hustles. He still brings a ton of effort and energy when he's on the floor. So it's not like he's not trying. But the results are just not going his way. Last night against Charlotte, as a 17 point second quarter lead evaporated, Glen Davis was front and center… turning the ball over, getting blocked, and committing fouls. It seemed there was a stretch of a few minutes where anything bad that happened had Davis' finger prints on it.
He's numbers are down almost across the board. He's a power forward, playing down low a lot more than he used to last season, and he's shooting 42.7% from the field. According to 82Games.com, 30% of his "inside" shots are blocked. Glen does a great job of getting himself into the paint… but once he's there, he gets surrounded. And with all the trees around him and only 3 seconds to make a decision, there's no reason to go for any of his shot fakes. You just wait there for him to jump and then you feed it back to him when he does.
Those numbers are flat out terrible. Shooting 5 of 14 against the Pistons? 3 points and 1 rebound against the Bobcats?
Baby will still do good things. He'll still play hard. But he negates the good things he does with bad plays. And right now it's got to be in his head. There was more than one occasion last night where he'd drop his shoulders, tilt his head back, and give that frustrated gaze to the heavens as if to ask "Dear God… how did I not make that play?" He knows it's not going his way.
Nothing has… for a while.
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