Apparently, he was wrong.
In Rivers’ defense, the case of Glen Davis is an unusual one. It’s not often you see players, especially 24-year-old backups, use their team’s media day as a chance to air grievances about their roles. But Big Baby did just that, saying Monday that it was difficult for him not knowing what role he would fill for this year’s Celtics. He didn’t know whether he was a power forward, or a center, or what have you, and he had no idea what direction the C’s were taking with his future.
Rivers struck back on Tuesday, and hard, putting it bluntly that “if Baby doesn’t know his role by now, he’s going to be sitting down a lot.”
And so on Wednesday, we’re left with a messy dispute about the future of the Celtics’ bench, and the C’s have barely broken a sweat for the start of their preseason.
It all seems a little silly. And it seems likely to blow over in due time.
It’s bizarre that this controversy even began in the first place. Why was Davis being asked about his role with the team on media day — when naturally, he had no idea what it would be, given that the C’s bench had just been given a massive offseason makeover? And why was it a big deal that Davis didn’t know his role and wasn’t comfortable with it? And why was Rivers’ reaction so hostile?
The truth is that very few NBA players have a clear picture of their roles on Sept. 27. It’s too early, and it always takes time for these things to work themselves out.
It’s only been two days since the Celtics met for media day in Waltham, and things are already starting to look a lot clearer. Davis has spent the bulk of two practices working out with the C’s second unit where Shaquille O’Neal has been playing the backup center, and Davis has worked alongside Shaq at power forward. Unless something drastic and unforeseen happens to shake up the Celtics’ rotation, Davis can expect his role to remain steady between now and this winter when Kendrick Perkins returns.
Sure, Baby’s position on the team has changed quite a bit over his first three seasons. He entered the league as a power forward — and since Perk and P.J. Brown were there to anchor the center position throughout the Celtics’ championship run in 2008, Davis was a natural fit at the four on Rivers’ depth chart.
In the 2009 playoffs, Davis logged big minutes at power forward, even starting at the position when Kevin Garnett went down with an injury that spring.
Rasheed Wallace arrived that summer, and Davis spent much of last season as a center while Sheed was content to play forward and stand on the wing chucking up three-pointers. But he shined in that role, and he even won the Celtics an NBA Finals game when he emerged as a tremendous crunch-time scorer at the low post.
So what’s the problem? Davis has shifted from role to role, which is generally how it works when you’re known as a “role player.” Davis is still just a sixth man, and he hasn’t yet earned the privilege to be anything more.
Eventually, Glen Davis could be a marquee player in the NBA, and he could have a more defined role in his later years. But he’s not there yet, and eventually, he’ll accept that.
This “controversy” will work itself out in due time. It’s not anything to worry about right now, and it’s certainly not something to fight about in September, still weeks away from the games that count. Big Baby will find his role when it matters most. He always has.
