I'm usually not this consistent with a series of posts. I'm feeling pretty awesome about myself.
Previous Profiles
Ray Allen
Tony Allen
P.J. Brown
Sam Cassell
Player: Glen Davis
Strengths: Quickness for his size, good hands, solid lateral movement, quick adjustment to the NBA, strength, ability to finish around the rim with either hand.
Weaknesses: Foul prone at times, does not play above the rim/off the ground and I can't imagine there ever being a time when people aren't at least a little concerned about his conditioning.
Go to Move: By all accounts Davis is an undersized (height, not weight) power forward. But he plays on the block like the old guy in a pick up basketball game that can finish on anyone because of angles, pump fakes and other tricks of the trade. In addition Davis has strength and athleticism to complement those moves.
What a Difference a Year Makes: In 2006 Davis teamed with Tyrus Thomas to lead LSU to a Final Four. But in his final season as a Tiger the team fell to 17-15, which marked the beginning of the end for Davis' college coach John Brady. Since playing his final college game Big Baby dropped a noticeable amount of weight, hit the workout circuit for NBA teams, was drafted and traded, traveled to Italy for the preseason and played a role on a 60+ win team. Not bad.
Shining Moment This Season: You could make the case for his 20-point performance against the Detroit Pistons. But I prefer Davis' admirable post defense against Tim Duncan in a nationally televised game in which Kevin Garnett earned a DNP. Granted Duncan finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. But Davis, Leon Powe and Brian Scalabrine were the Celtics bigs that day. And Davis made the Big Fundamental work, preventing Duncan from scoring at will in the process.
If not in Boston which NBA team would make the most sense?: That's a tough one. People close to the team have implied that Davis benefited from landing on a team with Kevin Garnett and company. Now this could be one of those things where people question his work ethic whether it is true or not, solely because of his weight. Still I think Davis benefits from landing in Boston rather than Seattle (drafted him) or several of the other teams that passed on him. He'd be an interesting fit in Orlando (rebounding as an undersized power forward), San Antonio (giving that roster some energy) and Portland (more of a legitimate post presence in Greg Oden's absence).
Random Point of Information:
"I came out the womb shooting the rock." - Glen Davis