Ed Davis and Los Angeles Lakers Betting Their Future on Each Other

The Los Angeles Lakers stepped up to the betting window this summer and placed a modest wager on Ed Davis, signing the 25-year-old center/power forward to a two-year $2 million contract.

That’s small potatoes compared to what he gave up a year ago.

As Dave McMenamin wrote for ESPN LA in late July, Davis turned down a reported $20 million contract extension from the Memphis Grizzlies and ultimately became an unrestricted free agent.

The young frontcourt player isn’t voicing any second thoughts, however, saying, “No regrets at all. Everything happens for a reason. I’m not trying to sound cliché, but just looking forward to this opportunity here with this great franchise and just being able to contribute every night.”

Those are admirable words in a business where money routinely trumps altruistic motives. Then again, if another team had arrived at Davis’ doorstep this summer with a wheelbarrow overflowing with $20 million, we would not be having this conversation.

It’s also worth noting that the second year of Davis’ deal is a player’s option. If he has a breakout season, he could opt out and roll the dice again. 

Until then, the 6’10” lefty will take his place in line behind presumed starters Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer, and alongside rookie Julius Randle, utility center Robert Sacre and stretch 4 Ryan Kelly. But he’ll push hard throughout training camp and beyond to prove to Byron Scott that his shot blocking, sheer hustle and solid work ethic should earn him heavy minutes as Hill’s primary backup, as well as an opportunity to chew into Boozer’s minutes at the 4.

Davis won an NCAA title at North Carolina as a freshman. He declared for the draft the following year after a season shortened by a broken wrist. Selected as the 13th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2010, he averaged seven points and seven boards off the bench in his first two seasons at the power forward position, with a per-36 double-double.

The Raptors also switched coaches after his rookie season, from Jay Triano to Dwane Casey.

Ed draws inspiration and influence from his father, Terry Davis, a 6’9” former frontcourt player in the NBA for 10 seasons. They are each left-handed, and both are known for a defensive mindset and work ethic.

On the eve of Davis’ third season with the Raptors, Eric Koreen of the National Post asked what coach so far had the most influence on his career:

"

I wouldn’t say a coach. I would say my dad. He was just a person that helped me with my work ethic, got me up every morning and was at damn near all of my games. I wouldn’t say one coach changed my basketball career because one coach didn’t.

Some days it was tough, just because it’s coming from your dad. There’s that that father-son relationship [that is tricky]. But he really did help me a lot. Without him, I wouldn’t be in the NBA today. But it was tough some days. We would get in arguments. I’d want to fight him some days. But you know how it is.

"

Davis was moved from power forward to center during his third season. His touches in the paint increased, as did his points average—9.7 per game. But in January, he was a key component in a three-team trade that sent Rudy Gay from the Grizzlies to Toronto.

The Memphis front office was high on Davis’ potential. But the Grizzlies coach, Lionel Hollins, was anything but happy about a cost-cutting exchange that resulted in the loss of one of his key players in Gay, saying, per John Rohde of The Oklahoman, “When you have champagne taste, you can’t be on a beer budget.”

The new kid in town saw his minutes decrease with the Grizzlies—during 36 games under Hollins and the following season under replacement Dave Joerger.  

Still, there were impressive highlight moments along the way.

When filling in for an injured Marc Gasol or Zach Randolph, Davis showed his potential. There’s only so much you can accomplish though, averaging 15 minutes a night—if in fact you play at all.

And while his per-36 stats remained tantalizingly consistent, Davis never made the big jump. Was it a lack of sideline trust, or did he simply not live up to expectations?

Last March, writing for SB Nation’s Grizzly Bear Blues, Joe Mullinax examined an overall disappointing season for the former Tar Heel national champion. Davis still hadn’t developed his overall offensive game or bulked up beyond his college weight of 225 pounds.

"

I still see the potential in Ed Davis. Even now, as I look back over the years and think of how we got to this point of "the key piece" of the Rudy Gay deal having multiple Did Not Play-Coaches' Decision under his belt. You cannot teach length, you cannot coach explosive athleticism. Ed Davis will continue on in the NBA, he will go somewhere where he will get starter's minutes, where he will get the chance to be the man.

"

Davis brings those elusive qualities with him, and it’s probably why he was given a two-year contract for a team in a transitional mode. Rim-protectors aren’t in abundance in the NBA, and definitely not on the Lakers squad—Hill and small forward Wesley Johnson are probably the only other players with the athleticism and sufficient lift to get up and swat shots with any kind of regularity.

But does Davis have the heft to consistently man the center position?

The Lakers have a glut of frontcourt players but not a lot of size. Sacre has the team’s biggest body, but while he’s willing, he’s somewhat earthbound. Reedy Kelly won’t ever be the type to gobble up rebounds on a consistent double-digit basis.

Davis will have to add core strength if he’s going to play extended minutes in the paint. He also would benefit from an expanded offensive game beyond putbacks, lob dunks and left-handed baby hook shots.

Scott will be Davis’ fifth head coach in as many seasons. He could also provide the right kind of fresh start, as an old-school fundamentalist who preaches patience, consistency, effort and defense.

The Lakers offer an opportunity to grow, develop and carve out a long-term role—and perhaps a return to the championship stage.

Would Davis like another shot at a multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract? Of course he would. He has two years to make his case, or one year if he proves it sooner and decides to opt out.

As for Lakers management, its summer wager carries minimal risk with the potential for a boxcar payoff.