While Bass Flourishes With Celtics, Glen Davis Struggles To Find Magic
BOSTON (CBS) – While Brandon Bass is making a huge contribution to the Boston Celtics, Glen Davis is struggling down in Orlando.
Dealt to the Magic for Bass prior to the season, Davis is averaging just 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for Orlando. He shot just 2-for-10 in the Magic's 103-85 win over the Wizards Wednesday night, prompting his new head coach to say "Big Baby" isn't on the same page with his new team.
"He's not playing well, and I'm not sure his mind's on the right things right now," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel. "What we need him to do is defend, which he has done pretty well, rebound better than he's rebounding and move the ball and set screens.
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"We'll keep working at it," Van Gundy added later. "I've seen the guy play very well. He's a good player. He's a smart guy. He should be able to figure it out. Sometimes it takes time."
Davis not having his head in the right place is on par with the way things ended last season. He said he needed to "find Glen" during the playoffs, as he struggled to find his scoring and defensive touch.
It sounds like Davis is focusing too much on his offensive game, instead of sticking to what got him to be a fan-favorite in Boston, which was taking charges and fighting for rebounds.
At Celtics practice on Thursday, Doc Rivers said the Magic need to keep Davis motivated.
"Well, you gotta keep pushing him, and finding Baby's buttons," said Davis' coach for three years. "It's frustrating at times. But the one thing that Stan knows -- and I know -- that Baby is not a bad kid. He'll find it. It's just, then you got to find it again. And then again. And that's just who Baby is. At the end of the day, that's who Baby is."
The sign-and-trade deal that landed the Celtics Brandon Bass is looking better by the day, as he has become a big contributor off the Boston bench. Bass is averaging 14 points, fourth on the team, and has found himself on the floor at the end of games with the Celtics Big Four.
Bass notched his second double-double of the season Wednesday night in Boston's 89-70 win over the Nets, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 26 minutes on the floor.
After the game, Bass said it's pretty easy to put up those kinds of numbers in Boston.
"I'm on the floor with three hall of famers and there's an All-Star in (Rajon) Rondo, so you got a lot of opportunities to do a lot of different things," he said.
