There’s nothing wrong with being the backup for one of the greatest power forwards of all time. There aren’t many who would say that Glen “Big Baby” Davis didn’t contribute as much as he could during his four years as a Boston Celtic, but he says he can do more. Chris Tomasson writes that Davis is ready to move out of Kevin Garnett’s shadow and step up as a starter now that he’s been traded to Orlando.
“I was really excited,” Davis said when he heard about the trade. “It’s a great opportunity … My whole career, I was playing behind KG, and I don’t think people really were able to see what I can do. The times that I didn’t have to play behind KG, I did a great job. Now, I’m (with the Magic), and I have an opportunity to be a starter, and I’m just embracing the moment.”
While he no longer has to back up KG, he will be stepping into an even bigger shadow, that of Dwight Howard. Davis won’t be behind Howard on the depth chart, he’ll be starting alongside him, but he’ll still have to understand that Dwight is the presence down low. Davis will be in the starting lineup when the season starts, but it’s still Superman’s team.
If Big Baby can step into this role, I think he has a bright future ahead of him. He already proved he could handle a starting job when Garnett was out with injury in Boston. The Magic will have a lot of muscle to throw around down there in the paint and could cause a lot of teams matchup problems. There probably shouldn’t be a better rebounding team in the league, and the Magic know better than anyone that Davis can step out and hit that 15- to 20-foot jumper (then knock over one of their fans afterwards).
It was a smart move by Davis to get himself out of Boston so he can show he’s ready to contribute more, and it was smart of Orlando to take him. Big Baby can now prove he’s more than just a spark off the bench.
