Rimage
Sixth Man
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
- Messages
- 5,490
- Reaction score
- 2,495
- Points
- 113
When Ricky Davis turned and intentionally missed a layup at his own basket 2 ½ years ago in an attempt to collect a triple-double, it sealed his fate.
Davis became the poster boy for what was wrong with the NBA. The one that was more interested in the name on the back of his jersey than the one on the front.
Now, he has begun a transformation that, believe it or not, has him in a leadership position with the Boston Celtics.
Davis sank a 15-footer as time expired last Wednesday night to beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis is third in the NBA in minutes played (44.3), is in the top 40 in both scoring (17.5) and assists (5.2) and also ranks sixth in steals (2.75).
But the numbers don't tell the story.
Ricky Davis has been more than happy to follow Paul Pierce's lead in Boston. (Brian Babineau / Getty Images)
"I'm more team-oriented," Davis said. "When I was young, it was more about myself. I think there has been a big change in my game — and in my life."
Davis, who just turned 26 in September but seemingly has been around forever, has grown up. He has a young son. He initiated a season ticket charity program called The Buckets Brigade. The partying stint, which began when he was drafted by Charlotte, has basically come to a halt.
"He hasn't gone out since the summer and has decided to turn everything towards basketball instead of partying," said his younger brother, Edward. "He said seven years strong was enough partying. He's always going to be Ricky, but he's just not the Ricky he used to be."
He's still a free spirit, but this is the new, still-improving Davis. You know, the one who has become the focal point, along with Paul Pierce, on a Celtics team looking to take the next step en route to a return to the place the franchise once stood — the most successful in all of professional sports.
However, even if Davis turns into a choir boy and attends church daily for confession, he realizes he may never be able to overcome the stigma that started early in his pro career.
"I know that's where it all started," Davis admitted. "With Paul Silas back when we were in Charlotte. Pat Riley never had problems with me."
Quite the contrary. In fact, according to NBA executives, Riley even made recent inquiries into what it would take to get Davis to Miami.
"It's tough," said Davis, who admitted that he has been called a cancer by one of his former NBA coaches. "I'm still trying to overcome the reputation now. It makes me more humble and makes me want to work harder every day."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers is the first to admit Davis did plenty to earn his reputation. Silas wasn't the only coach who had his run-ins with the former University of Iowa guard.
"Ricky was a young player fighting to be the best player on the team," said former Cleveland coach John Lucas, who coached Davis for two seasons. "But it was like he was running for class president. All the guys on the team liked Ricky, but he wanted to be the leader. Off the court, he was. But on the court, he wasn't."
"It was all about maturity," added Lucas. "Trying to get him to where he is now. I never let Ricky have any rope, so we were always butting heads. We were always arguing and neither of us would give in, but he came to Cleveland and blossomed."
"The problem was that he was the best player on a bad team his second year in Cleveland," Lucas continued. "He didn't have anyone to help him. I think having Paul Pierce has really helped Ricky. He knows that no matter what, Paul Pierce is the best player on the team. He respects Paul."
Lucas had no problem putting the "poor man's Michael Jordan" label on Davis and even though they had their share of confrontations, he makes it clear that the Davis off the court was different than the one who stepped onto it.
"He's a super kid and would give you the shirt off his back," Lucas said.
The problems didn't really begin until Davis was drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1998.
His high school coach, J.D. Rios, had nothing but good things to say about the former Davenport North High (Iowa) standout.
"I had more arguments with my wife than I did with Rick," Rios said. "He came to practice and never screwed around. He always worked hard and went full-bore in everything he did — even drills."
"We had a couple of confrontations, but when you are as talented as he was, he had ideas about how things should be done," added Rios. "I never, ever remember a time when he was in with the principal or had his butt chewed out."
Rich Walker, who recruited Davis out of high school and remains an assistant at the University of Iowa, was also surprised as he watched Davis build a negative reputation as a young NBA player.
"When you first think you have arrived, you have a sense of invincibility," Walker said. "I want to do it my way. He was just a young kid who was unbelievably gifted who wanted to do things his way. But he was never problematic. He just wanted to play all the time. He always wanted the ball. He thought he could do it all."
When he left Iowa after just one season, things started to go awry.
Davis played two years as a reserve under Silas in Charlotte, was traded to Miami in 2000 and shortly thereafter, dealt to Cleveland, where he was reunited with Silas after two years with the Hornets.
"He's grown up," Silas said. "You realize that you have to do what's right in order to make it in this league. It surprised me that he came off the bench last year, but winning becomes important. More important than individual stats and accolades."
Not all of Ricky Davis' time in Cleveland were good times. (David Sherman / Getty Images)
"I saw a lot of natural ability in him," Silas added. "But I saw a lot of other things that needed working on, including his temper. He needed to grow up. Now he has and I'm happy for him."
Davis attributes part of the dysfunctional relationship between him and Silas to a rift that developed between his former coach and his father.
"They were good friends and then they had a falling out," Davis said. "I still don't know exactly what it was all about."
The feud with Silas certainly didn't help Davis' maligned reputation. However, it wasn't until March 16, 2003, when the then 23-year-old deliberately missed a shot at his own basket that he earned a bad rap nationally.
"I got caught up in the moment," Davis said. "I got carried away. I made a mistake."
That was in the midst of a 17-win campaign and the year prior to the LeBron James era in Cleveland.
Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge pulled off a controversial trade nine months after Davis' ill-advised play when he dealt popular Eric Williams, along with Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown, for Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart and a second-round pick. The Cavs were looking for a way to rid themselves of Davis, whom they felt was a bad influence on James.
The trade triggered the resignation of Boston coach Jim O'Brien just six weeks after the move.
"There's no question there was some concern about Ricky when we made the trade, but we loved his potential," Ainge said. "I think Doc has made an impact on Ricky. He's got a reputation as a malcontent and a tough guy, but he's a good kid who has matured right before our eyes."
"He's getting better, but he's still got a ways to go," Ainge added. "He's had his ups and downs, but Ricky doesn't want to be remembered as an uncoachable player or a bad teammate. He's always been grateful to me for bringing him here."
Now Davis, who thrived coming off the bench as the team's sixth man last season, is more than content playing second fiddle on a team where Piece is clearly the go-to guy.
"He's earned it (reputation)," Rivers said. "I don't think he's done anything bad, but he's had run-ins with a lot of people. He's had some emotional outbursts since I've been here and we've dealt with him. I talk to him. You have to be able to talk to Ricky. You can't ignore him."
"He's trying to be a leader," added Rivers. "He's not there yet. He wants to be and that's a start, but you have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk."
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5079622
I am genuinely happy for Ricky. Trading him to Boston was the best for both him and the Cavs. He just couldn't succeed here and we couldn't succeed with him. The fresh start is what he needed. I wish him luck with the rest of his career.
Davis became the poster boy for what was wrong with the NBA. The one that was more interested in the name on the back of his jersey than the one on the front.
Now, he has begun a transformation that, believe it or not, has him in a leadership position with the Boston Celtics.
Davis sank a 15-footer as time expired last Wednesday night to beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis is third in the NBA in minutes played (44.3), is in the top 40 in both scoring (17.5) and assists (5.2) and also ranks sixth in steals (2.75).
But the numbers don't tell the story.
Ricky Davis has been more than happy to follow Paul Pierce's lead in Boston. (Brian Babineau / Getty Images)
"I'm more team-oriented," Davis said. "When I was young, it was more about myself. I think there has been a big change in my game — and in my life."
Davis, who just turned 26 in September but seemingly has been around forever, has grown up. He has a young son. He initiated a season ticket charity program called The Buckets Brigade. The partying stint, which began when he was drafted by Charlotte, has basically come to a halt.
"He hasn't gone out since the summer and has decided to turn everything towards basketball instead of partying," said his younger brother, Edward. "He said seven years strong was enough partying. He's always going to be Ricky, but he's just not the Ricky he used to be."
He's still a free spirit, but this is the new, still-improving Davis. You know, the one who has become the focal point, along with Paul Pierce, on a Celtics team looking to take the next step en route to a return to the place the franchise once stood — the most successful in all of professional sports.
However, even if Davis turns into a choir boy and attends church daily for confession, he realizes he may never be able to overcome the stigma that started early in his pro career.
"I know that's where it all started," Davis admitted. "With Paul Silas back when we were in Charlotte. Pat Riley never had problems with me."
Quite the contrary. In fact, according to NBA executives, Riley even made recent inquiries into what it would take to get Davis to Miami.
"It's tough," said Davis, who admitted that he has been called a cancer by one of his former NBA coaches. "I'm still trying to overcome the reputation now. It makes me more humble and makes me want to work harder every day."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers is the first to admit Davis did plenty to earn his reputation. Silas wasn't the only coach who had his run-ins with the former University of Iowa guard.
"Ricky was a young player fighting to be the best player on the team," said former Cleveland coach John Lucas, who coached Davis for two seasons. "But it was like he was running for class president. All the guys on the team liked Ricky, but he wanted to be the leader. Off the court, he was. But on the court, he wasn't."
"It was all about maturity," added Lucas. "Trying to get him to where he is now. I never let Ricky have any rope, so we were always butting heads. We were always arguing and neither of us would give in, but he came to Cleveland and blossomed."
"The problem was that he was the best player on a bad team his second year in Cleveland," Lucas continued. "He didn't have anyone to help him. I think having Paul Pierce has really helped Ricky. He knows that no matter what, Paul Pierce is the best player on the team. He respects Paul."
Lucas had no problem putting the "poor man's Michael Jordan" label on Davis and even though they had their share of confrontations, he makes it clear that the Davis off the court was different than the one who stepped onto it.
"He's a super kid and would give you the shirt off his back," Lucas said.
The problems didn't really begin until Davis was drafted with the 21st overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1998.
His high school coach, J.D. Rios, had nothing but good things to say about the former Davenport North High (Iowa) standout.
"I had more arguments with my wife than I did with Rick," Rios said. "He came to practice and never screwed around. He always worked hard and went full-bore in everything he did — even drills."
"We had a couple of confrontations, but when you are as talented as he was, he had ideas about how things should be done," added Rios. "I never, ever remember a time when he was in with the principal or had his butt chewed out."
Rich Walker, who recruited Davis out of high school and remains an assistant at the University of Iowa, was also surprised as he watched Davis build a negative reputation as a young NBA player.
"When you first think you have arrived, you have a sense of invincibility," Walker said. "I want to do it my way. He was just a young kid who was unbelievably gifted who wanted to do things his way. But he was never problematic. He just wanted to play all the time. He always wanted the ball. He thought he could do it all."
When he left Iowa after just one season, things started to go awry.
Davis played two years as a reserve under Silas in Charlotte, was traded to Miami in 2000 and shortly thereafter, dealt to Cleveland, where he was reunited with Silas after two years with the Hornets.
"He's grown up," Silas said. "You realize that you have to do what's right in order to make it in this league. It surprised me that he came off the bench last year, but winning becomes important. More important than individual stats and accolades."
Not all of Ricky Davis' time in Cleveland were good times. (David Sherman / Getty Images)
"I saw a lot of natural ability in him," Silas added. "But I saw a lot of other things that needed working on, including his temper. He needed to grow up. Now he has and I'm happy for him."
Davis attributes part of the dysfunctional relationship between him and Silas to a rift that developed between his former coach and his father.
"They were good friends and then they had a falling out," Davis said. "I still don't know exactly what it was all about."
The feud with Silas certainly didn't help Davis' maligned reputation. However, it wasn't until March 16, 2003, when the then 23-year-old deliberately missed a shot at his own basket that he earned a bad rap nationally.
"I got caught up in the moment," Davis said. "I got carried away. I made a mistake."
That was in the midst of a 17-win campaign and the year prior to the LeBron James era in Cleveland.
Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge pulled off a controversial trade nine months after Davis' ill-advised play when he dealt popular Eric Williams, along with Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown, for Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart and a second-round pick. The Cavs were looking for a way to rid themselves of Davis, whom they felt was a bad influence on James.
The trade triggered the resignation of Boston coach Jim O'Brien just six weeks after the move.
"There's no question there was some concern about Ricky when we made the trade, but we loved his potential," Ainge said. "I think Doc has made an impact on Ricky. He's got a reputation as a malcontent and a tough guy, but he's a good kid who has matured right before our eyes."
"He's getting better, but he's still got a ways to go," Ainge added. "He's had his ups and downs, but Ricky doesn't want to be remembered as an uncoachable player or a bad teammate. He's always been grateful to me for bringing him here."
Now Davis, who thrived coming off the bench as the team's sixth man last season, is more than content playing second fiddle on a team where Piece is clearly the go-to guy.
"He's earned it (reputation)," Rivers said. "I don't think he's done anything bad, but he's had run-ins with a lot of people. He's had some emotional outbursts since I've been here and we've dealt with him. I talk to him. You have to be able to talk to Ricky. You can't ignore him."
"He's trying to be a leader," added Rivers. "He's not there yet. He wants to be and that's a start, but you have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk."
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5079622
I am genuinely happy for Ricky. Trading him to Boston was the best for both him and the Cavs. He just couldn't succeed here and we couldn't succeed with him. The fresh start is what he needed. I wish him luck with the rest of his career.
