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Orlando suspends Big Baby for "conduct detrimental to the team"

So I hear things are going well in Orlando for Glen Davis.

The Orlando Magic have suspended Glen Davis for tonight's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Saturday's game against the Indiana Pacers because of what team officials are labeling "conduct detrimental to the team."

Davis had an outburst during the team's shootaround this morning at Amway Center.

An outburst... aimed at Stan Van Gundy.  Stan tossed him from practice, and now Baby's sitting for two games. 

It's becoming obvious that Glen Davis has serious issues that he needs to work out.  He seems to be getting one of those "the grass isn't always greener" lessons right now.  He thought he was going to be starting, but he lost that job to Ryan Anderson.  He thought he was going to have fun with his buddy Dwight, but his act has already worn thin. 

This shows what kind of locker room the Celtics have.  Three Hall of Fame veteran leading the way, teaching young guys about professionalism and how to win.  Meanwhile, in Orlando, Dwight Howard runs the show, and he's just a big kid. 

For all his greatness on the court, Dwight Howard lacks that something upstairs that it takes to be a true leader.  Orlando has coddled him and tried to make him happy in hopes that he'd stay.  It's starting to look like the same mistake Cleveland made with LeBron James.  Both those guys needed someone on the team to say "no".  I'm not sure that anyone has. 

The result is an atmosphere in which guys like Glen Davis goof off too much... and things like this happen. 

So, at the end of all this, I'm not only happy to have Brandon Bass.... I'm happy to have this team, with this coach, and this front office and ownership group.  I don't always agree with what they do, but they keep things professional.  And for that, they have my respect and thanks... especially when I see the alternatives out there. 

Celtics-Magic photo gallery

Here are some photos from last night's Celtics-Magic game. We start with a J.O. vs DHo GIF. More photos after the jump..

 

Your Morning Dump... Where Avery Bradley dominated on D

 

 Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Bradley took the veteran former All-Star apart for 30 grueling minutes. He forced five turnovers, including an 8-second violation when Nelson couldn’t get the ball over halfcourt. After it was over and the Celtics held the Magic to a franchise-worst 56 points and an unconscionable 16-for-65 shooting in an 87-56 victory, everyone was talking about Bradley. 

Kevin Garnett: “It’s very, very hard to do in this league against a player like Jameer Nelson.” 

Jermaine O’Neal: “I think he’s one of the best on-ball defenders in the game and he does at it a very high level for an extended period of time. You don’t see that.” 

Stan Van Gundy: “His defense set the whole tone for the entire thing. He took us out.”  

Doc Rivers: “That was the whole gameplan. The thing with them is you don’t want to give them a lot of clock. We were just trying to lower the clock as much as we could.”  

For good measure, Van Gundy added, “That’s the most dominating defensive performance I’ve ever had against me.” 

WEEI:  The Celtics we know

Avery Bradley destroyed Jameer Nelson.  He climbed into Jameer's shorts, got nose-to-nose with him, and made him uncomfortable every second they were on the floor together.  

And it just goes to show what happens to the Celtics defense when the opposing point guard is not living in the paint.  I've said it before, but it bears repeating... if the C's front court doesn't have to worry about rotating over to stop a penetrating guard, then they can stay in better rebounding position and they won't foul as much. 

I'm sure the defense was helped last night by a seemingly disinterested Magic team (especially Dwight Howard).  Maybe the C's beat the interest out of Howard.  But they also never allowed a second half run.  They just slowly wore the Magic down until they had nothing left.  They forced Orlando to settle for jumpers that weren't falling.  

It was the Celtics D we remember. 

Related links:  Globe: Neat trick by Celtics  |  CSNNE:  Bradley's full court defense sets the tone  |  Herald:  Bradley pleased with his defense on Nelson

On page 2:  Glen Davis talks about his return

Glen Davis protests foul by pulling down shorts

Look closely at the :07 mark of the above video. After getting whistled for a foul, Glen Davis pulled down his shorts in protest. No diaper, just black spandex.

Davis has been an unmitigated disaster on and off the court for the Magic. His shot selection has drawn the ire of Stan Van Gundy. He was fined $25K for berating a fan. And now we have the drop trou incident, which I'm sure will cost him a few bucks.

Keep up the good work, Glen.

Glen Davis yells at fans, proclaims "I just got paid, didn't I?"

Getty Images

Remember when Glen Davis hired a shrink?  Apparently that shrink doesn't work in Orlando, because Glen Davis is still displaying that solid judgement and mental toughness he's known for.

According to Nick Price, who was present at the game, an unidentified heckler shouted as Davis blew off autograph seekers, "...you'll be out of the league in five years!" Davis allegedly disappeared into the tunnel headed to the visiting locker room, but reversed and came back out to confront the individual.

Except, he couldn't locate the person who said it.

Two witnesses said Davis looked for the heckler and had a heated exchange that had to be managed by a Rose Garden Arena security staffer. According to Price, Davis repeatedly used profanity and said, "I just got paid (expletive)!" among other things, before the security staffer intervened.

Said Price: "I didn't care... but with the kids around I was a bit offended."

A second witness, Chase Daniels, said that Davis was upset, and upon returning to the scene asked the autograph seekers, "Who said that? You talking (bleep) to me?!"  

According to Daniels, Davis mistakenly believed he was the heckler and said to him: "This is why I don't sign autographs," and "Who are you anyways, a nobody. I just got paid, didn't I?" 

I can't wait until this is the focus of an "NBA Cares" campaign. 

Glen Davis' minutes are down, his production is down, and his quest to become a starter has been derailed by Ryan Anderson (who is playing out of his mind).  Davis isn't quite giving Orlando fans fits yet, but they're already writing about how he needs to change. 

I'm not sure he will.  And the more I see out of Brandon Bass, and the more of this crap I read about Glen Davis, Orlando can have him.  

h/t Jeff Garcia

Glen Davis is failing miserably in Orlando

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is not happy with the performance and shot selection of Glen Davis:

It appears that new acquisition Glen Davis has a ways to go before he fits in with the Orlando Magic offense.

After Davis made just two of his 10 shot attempts in the Magic's 103-85 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, coach Stan Van Gundy indicated that he and Davis aren't on the same page — at least not yet.

"He's not playing well, and I'm not sure his mind's on the right things right now," Van Gundy said. "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.

"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."

Part of what concerns Van Gundy is that Davis is attempting a majority of his shots away from the hoop. Van Gundy said that 50 percent of Davis' shots last season were inside of 12 feet; so far this year, 65 percent of Davis' shots are outside 12 feet.

Glen Davis just doesn't get it. He's a role player. A guy who does the dirty work. Hit the boards, play defense and take charges.

He's fallen in love with scoring and jump shooting and it's killing his game.

UPDATE: Doc Rivers says SVG needs to keep pushing and finding Baby's buttons.

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Your Morning Dump... Where Celtics-Heat is a legit rivalry... or is it?

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Now, Celtics-Heat? Yeah, that's got the "R" word written all over it.

Remember, the Celtics were defending Eastern Conference champs last season, having knocked off both Dwyane Wade and the Heat and LeBron James and the Cavaliers en route to the NBA Finals during the 2009-10 campaign. That summer, the Heat put together its own Big Three and went on to knock Boston out of the playoffs in May en route to taking over the conference throne.

Boom, rivalry. Two teams competing for the same objective, each with a legitimate chance of obtaining it.

ESPN Boston:  Celtics-Heat resume legit rivarly

This definitely has all the ingredients of a rivalry, but I think the "New Big 3" vs. "Miami Super Friends" era is too new to actually BE a rivalry yet.  

Of course, I'm a Celtics fans and my idea of our one and only rivalry is the LA Lakers.  The Lakers and Celtics have been butting heads since the 60's, and every playoff meeting has been for the title.  So there's an added "watch the other guy celebrate" aspect that really adds spice to the rivalry.  There's an anticipation with only two meetings per year that when we finally do meet again, it'll again be for the championship.

When you have decades worth of playing each other for the ultimate goal, you build up a rivalry for the ages.

Celtics-Heat?  It's a fine little rivalry now, but what will it be next year?  What will it be in 3 years?  What will it be when the new rules force that team to break up?  

Sorry.  I just don't FEEL it.  Not yet.  

Poll:  Do you consider Celtics-Heat to be a legit rivalry right now?

On page 2: Praise for Bass includes shots at Baby

Your Morning Dump... Where Glen Davis mis-remembers his life as a starter

 Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

"I was really excited," Davis said of hearing the news earlier this month that a sign-and-trade had been worked out for him to head to Orlando. "It's a great opportunity."

"Big Baby" played four seasons with Boston, winning a championship and almost getting a second one before the Celtics faltered in a Game 7 loss to the Lakers in the 2010 NBA Finals. But Davis was tired of being a reserve at power forward behind eventual Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, and sought to move on when he became a free agent.

"My whole career, I was playing behind KG, and I don't think people really were able to see what I can do," Davis said in an interview with FOX Sports Florida. "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."

Fox Sports Florida: Davis happy to step out of Garnett's shadow

"The times that I didn't have to play behind KG, I did a great job."

Swish that around your mouth for a few seconds. Now... read what Glen Davis said about himself as a starter in January

After practice on Thursday afternoon, Davis, who spent extra time with big-man coach Roy Rogers after the session and was the last player off the court, admitted he didn't play within himself as a starter. 

"I got out of myself and tried to be something else," Davis said." That's not how it works. You have to be yourself. Play the same way you play, do the same things you do. Yeah, I probably had a couple good games, but as for an all-around game, the way I know I can play, I didn't bring it. Now, being on the bench, you're back to the same mentality, just going out there and being you. 

"It's all mental, you know? It's the way you approach the game, and I was kind of too hard on myself when I was starting. Being hard on myself, I didn't play in that relaxed flow... That's what I do when I come off the bench, I just go out there and play. I kind of put a lot of pressure on myself, stuff like that." 

It doesn't sound like January Glen Davis agrees with what December Glen Davis is saying.  And December John doesn't agree with what December Glen Davis is saying either. 

The reason this rubs me the wrong way is that he makes himself sound like some kind of victim in Boston.  Like "oh, woe is me.. I had to play behind Kevin Garnett." 

Glen Davis always wanted to be a starter, though.  And he was never going to stick around in Boston, grow into his role, and take over as a starter when KG retired.  Instead, he took off for the first starting opportunity he had. 

And if he had ended last season on a high note, I'd be congratulating him and bemoaning the bad timing that didn't let us keep a key player.  But he left last season a mentally shattered, pudgy mess.  He disappeared in the playoffs when the Celtics needed him the most.  A good Glen Davis might have helped the Celtics get past Miami and avoid those end-of-game collapses. 

Regardless, Glen Davis gets a chance to be Glen Davis in Orlando now. Just be warned, Orlando fans.  Being Glen Davis involves a lot more than you think

On Page 2: Missing out on David West could REALLY hurt

Your Morning Dump... Where Doc can trust his bench

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The Celtics coach was told that Paul Pierce said this season's reserves are more experienced and professional, as opposed to last season's bench, which Pierce said was too immature and inconsistent.

"I didn't think that had to be said," Rivers cracked, referring to Pierce's comments. "I thought everyone knew. That's why we didn't win."

Hmm. So that's what it was. Wonder who Pierce was talking about? Rivers quickly said, "It was more than one."

ESPN Boston:  Celtics bench adds experience, maturity

Peter May names names... and he names many of the members of our bench last season.  Glen Davis' maturity was clearly lacking last season, especially towards the end.  Nate Robinson's maturity is always a question.  Delonte West isn't back, making you wonder if he was too high-maintenance. 

Not mentioned in the piece is Shaquille O'Neal... who is in the Nate Robinson mold of perpetually child-like.  And he's a dominating personality.  He's looked at as a leader.  The thing about Shaq that doesn't apply to any of the other names mentioned, is he could turn it off on game day and perform (historically). These guys we had last year aren't that good.  I'm not saying Shaq ruined our bench or anything like that... but I'm saying I bet he influenced it a little.  At the very least, he didn't do much to keep immaturity in line. 

This season, we've got Keyon Dooling, Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox, and Marquis Daniels as guys who have been around for a while and can be counted on to bring a level of professionalism that didn't exist last season.  Even Jeff Green, if he ever plays, is nothing if not business-like.  His performance... we'll see about that. 

Doc says flat-out, the bench is the reason we didn't win last season.  You may not be impressed with the names Danny brought in... but they're here to do a job and they know that.  The atmosphere will definitely be different this season.

Related links:  Herald:  A-very differen situation  

On Page 2: The Lakers will get nothing and like it

Where the hell did super-jacked Glen Davis come from?

Glen Daivs tweeted this out earlier tonight. I'd like to know where the hell this guy came from.  

Honestly... I'm slightly upset by this.  This is the guy I'm used to seeing. 

I would have loved the top guy during the playoffs. That bag o' marshmallows at the bottom... [sigh].  Hey Orlando fans... better hope that bottom picture isn't a look into your future.