Glen "Big Baby" Davis

Besides the inconsistency from some of their All-Stars, one of the more mysterious storylines from the Celtics’ playoff failure this spring was the disappearance of Glen Davis.

After having the best regular season of his career, Big Baby just wasn’t around during the playoffs. In nine games against the Knicks and the Heat, he scored more than six points only once, and snatched a dozen rebounds in the entire semifinal series against Miami.

Without Kendrick Perkins, and with Shaquille O’Neal hurt, it was a huge blow to the frontcourt and the bench.

Davis is a free agent this summer. And while everyone reacts differently to the unknown – some relish it – I think it’s pretty clear that situation was on his mind.

Either way, Davis definitely had some issues off the court that were zapping his focus and his energy, telling ESPNBoston.com:

“(The postseason struggles) weighed on me a lot,” Davis said during a community appearance in which the first of three deserving local families received a Celtics-themed court and bedroom makeover. “I pride myself on playing good basketball, especially when you need it. Every postseason I’ve played tremendously good, to the point where it was like, ‘Wow.’ But this summer it didn’t happen because I felt, mentally, I wasn’t ready and prepared enough for what was in front of me. I didn’t prepare for it well mentally, and it affected the way I played. That’s what I’ve been doing this offseason, concentrating on making sure that postseason won’t happen again.

“This summer’s a different summer for me as far as just growing fully and being who I can truly be as a person and in my game as a player. Mentally I’ve been exercising my mind because of what’s about to happen. I’ve always said I need to work on a certain part of my game and this year mentally I wasn’t there. My body was there, but I was not there mentally.”

Davis went on to say that he definitely sees himself as a starter and wants the world to find out just how good of a basketball player he can be. That’s not great news for Boston fans. While Davis appears to be a pretty loyal guy, and does love the winning surroundings in Boston, there’s only so long a player can agree to come off the bench. Perhaps a move is in the air, especially since the Celtics probably aren’t going to overpay.

Not saying that’ll work though. I don’t see Davis as a guy you can rely on as your starting four for 82 games a year and then deep into the playoffs. In Boston, his role is defined and perfect. I doubt he could find a situation that’s any better on the court.

Money talks though, and someone may get pressured into making a move for Big Baby. With the Celtics already talking about possibly going after Samuel Dalembert, Tyson Chandler and other bigger centers (not to mention the availability of Josh Smith), Davis might be more of a fallback option at this point.

How important is Big Baby to the Celtics?

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