By this point, we all know that Boston Celtics big man Glen “Big Baby” Davis is a bit of an out-there personality highlighted by extreme lows and sometimes comedic highs. For example, everyone remembers when Davis cried after being scolded by Kevin Garnett a few years ago and when he prominently showed us his man boobs in a video spoof last Halloween.
So, I think it’s safe to say that Davis, along with Ron Artest Metta World Peace, are the most likely to be in need of professional help currently playing in the Association.
In a recent interview, Big Baby has announced that he is in therapy and has even begun to refer to himself in the 3rd person. When asked if he thinks he can be a productive player in Boston next season he responds by saying that he can play anywhere that the coach lets “Glen Davis be Glen Davis.”
In another recent interview with a Portland sports talk show, Davis was at it again. While his comments can never really be considered controversial, they are just plain strange. When asked what he does in his spare time, he quickly volunteers that he’s begun reading. When pressed further about his favorite book, he replies a cookbook. Again, just odd.
So imagine his responses when asked about his favorite NBA player, his lackluster performance in the 2011 Playoffs, and why Lebron came up short in the Finals.
How often is a guy’s play affected by matters off of the court?
“A lot of players are affected in ways that you would probably never even imagine, even little things a coach says or little things off the court, teammates. The game of basketball, especially on this level, you have to be mentally strong. Instead of always practicing shooting and working on your body and making sure you’re strong, you’ve got to also practice mental toughness. You’ve got to put yourself in tough situations mentally and just exercise your mind. A lot of guys don’t really recognize that. When you see the guys who do it, like the Kobe Bryant’s and Michael Jordan’s … you’ve got to be mentally tough in the game.”
On his transition to the NBA:
“It was just basically the will and what you really wanted. I’m a big ‘No’ guy. When somebody tells me ‘No,’ I go the opposite way. When somebody told me I’d be a first-round football player, I was like, ‘No, I’ll play basketball.’ They think, ‘Oh, you can’t play basketball.’ … I just stuck to it, man, and here I am now.”
Do you ever regret not pursuing football?:
“I played like tailback, slot, I never played the line or anything like that. I always had the ball in my hands. … No way [I don’t regret it]. Sometimes I think about the money. They’re like, ‘Oh man, you could’ve been a franchise player.’ Twenty million dollars would have been great, but I’m happy because I’m doing what I love.”
What happened in the postseason, where you said your play wasn’t up to your standards?:
“Mentally, I wasn’t there. … I had to kind of adjust the way I played in the second half of the season and mentally I didn’t get a rhythm as far as just the way the game went and then just mentally like drained. That’s my offseason workout this year is to practice mentally. I’ve been doing a lot of things mentally to get ready for the upcoming season.”
How do you practice mentally?:
“I hired a sports psychologist to help you tap into the zone … as far as you miss a shot, you don’t worry about that. You go to the other end and use that energy to do something else on defense. … Let it pass like a cloud. Clouds pass by you all the time and you don’t worry about it, you’ve just got to keep going. That’s what I’ve been concentrating on, just how to handle things like a professional.”
Do you think LeBron James needs something like a sports psychologist or has that criticism just been unfair?:
“I think if you’re the king, you’re the king. You’ve got to deal what kings deal with and that’s everybody. You’ve got to be able to handle that type of pressure and not break under it and put your mind in a place where you can overcome anything. I think it could work for LeBron. I think it could work for anybody, really.”
Who is the best player in the NBA?:
“Oh my gosh. I’m a real biased type of person. … I’m a big fan of Kobe but I don’t like some things that he do. I’m a big fan of LeBron, but I don’t like some things that he do. I’m the wrong person to ask that question. I might say like Amar’e Stoudemire because he’s just so hard to guard.”
What don’t you like about what Kobe does?:
“He just pisses me off on the court. You stress him out and he might speak some Spanish to you and you’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I know you’re from Italy or somewhere, but his charisma and just the way he’s so poised, it just gets under my skin. And then he’s a Laker guy. … I just don’t like those guys.”
What do you think? Does Big Baby need to increase the number of appointments with his therapist?
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
