When the Celtics kick off the 2010-11 regular season Tuesday night against the Heat, they'll be doing so with many new players not in Green and White last year at this time.
Let's see here... we've got Shaq, J.O., Delonte, Nate, and, oh yeah, Glen Davis!
We all remember the terrible start to the season Davis got off to, getting into a fight with his friend that left him with a broken right thumb and a seat at the end of the bench for the first half of the season.
But that was then, and this is now. Davis can now give two thumbs down to a referee's poor call (before getting a tech of course).
Yes, Davis is still a "Baby" at times, and sometimes says things without thinking, but you can't deny his passion for the game and his willingness to learn from his mistakes. For him, it's been one year too long since he was able to suit up for Opening Night.
"It really sucked, it really did suck," Davis said. "But at the same time, it's how you look at things. You make a mistake and it helps you grow. Situations happen. You know, you can never think it won't happen to you or you wont make a mistake that hinders you from playing the game of basketball.
"I look at it and just look back at how young I was at that time and I feel like I've grown a lot and a lot of things happened in my life so far."
Davis made headlines on Media Day when he told reporters that he didn't know what his role was on this team.
Here we go again, Baby being a baby about something.
The comments were somewhat out of left field, but then again, many would argue that Davis spends the majority of his time out in left field. Regardless, he's got a new attitude and outlook on his situation.
"Yeah, I have a better understanding [of my role]," Davis said. "I always kind of knew what my role was, but every year it kind of changed. So you'd go into a new year and you're kind of confused. But you know it's simple, it's really simple."
If it wasn't simple at the time, Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge made it pretty simple for him once they heard his concerns. According to Davis, Rivers pulled him aside and told him to "shut up and play". Easy enough, right? But Ainge took another route in explaining to Davis his situation.
"...Danny made me look at it like, ‘Hey, you're a versatile guy. You can play the five, you can play the four - you know, you can do that for our team.' You know, when I look back, it's how you look at things. I looked at it like that, and it wasn't the right way to look at it like, ‘Oh, I don't have a role.'"
And it is true. Davis truly is a versatile big off the bench. It's unlikely that he'll ever land a starting spot on a team in this league, but he can be just as or more effective at times. The Celtics are able to put numerous lineups out there with him inserted at either the PF or C position.
Davis is finally seeing how the additions to the team are only going to help out his game.
"One thing Doc is letting me do this year is being more creative on my own. So far in preseason, posting up, being a post threat, being a four, shooting the outside jumper. I'm just glad and fortunate that I know my role now. I know my role, exactly what I need to do for this team and I'm going to do it to the best ability that I can."
Again, Davis is forced to eat his words, but he'll probably think twice, or think at all, before he goes down a similar path like that.
"I don't even know why I made that comment," Davis said. "That was a stupid comment. You all should help me if I make stupid comments like that.
"When I make a stupid comment, just turn [the recorder] off - help me out," he said with a laugh.
Yes, Glen Davis has much more to laugh about this time around.