Will Ed Davis get his chance?

[AntwanN21]

I know it's early in the season and everyone is already panicking after the loss to the Pacers ( a game which should have been an expected loss anyway against a good team). Regardless of that, the one thing I took positive from the game was the play of Ed Davis. While his offense still isn't up to par with what a power forward should be doing, his promise on the defensive end is great. He posted 2 blocks and proved very efficient in his time on the court.

Now, with Bargnani locked in at the 4 for the next x amount of years do you think Ed Davis will ever have the chance to fully provide anything significant to our team ? When he was drafted, he slipped to us at 13 after almost being fully guaranteed to a top 10 spot and since then has really not be given the opportunity.

He apparently has put in a lot of work in the offseason, has gotten bigger, worked on his shot formation etc.

All in all, I'd just really like to see a front court of Davis and Val in the future.

Thoughts ?

[Jamiecballer]

probably not in a raptors uniform i'm afraid

[gwrighter]

I want to see him take Amir's role. I don't think Casey trusts Ed's + Val's ability to score enough to get them on the court together. We know what Amir will give us, I want to see Ed get close to 20mpg.

[BALLER R]

I don't know but maybe it's me. But If he can improve his offensive game I would love playing him and Jonas together. They both have natural defensive instincts just have to develop them together.

[Freddy_T28]

I don't know but maybe it's me. But If he can improve his offensive game I would love playing him and Jonas together. They both have natural defensive instincts just have to develop them together.

that is a good point but i also have liked what i've seen with andrea and val. 2 seven footers protecting the paint is a nice luxury to have. with andrea's severely better offensive game over ed i'd like to see what andy and val can become first. i think they have the potential among the best 4/5 combos in the league.

i don't think ed will get starters minutes here for a while barring injury.

[C_Mund]

Our team is too offensively inept to play all of our defensive studs for long periods. I know it's only one game, but if the Indiana game is an indication of how it's going to be I have a feeling that Fields becomes an expensive benchweight and we start Kleiza and AA at the 3. Defense is good, and we improved a lot with Lowry and Val but at some point good teams have to be able to stop the ball and punish the other team for missing/turning it over. What's the point of playing good D if we shoot 34% from the floor?
Davis is showing that he's an above-average defender and a good shot-blocker, but that's the last thing we need is to bring in an offensive liability for our best pure scorer. I doubt he gets his shot on the Raps, and I bet he'll be on a team that needs to be beefed up in the middle at some point this year.

[FlakeyFool]

Who is "everyone"?

[pebloemer]

Our team is too offensively inept to play all of our defensive studs for long periods. I know it's only one game, but if the Indiana game is an indication of how it's going to be I have a feeling that Fields becomes an expensive benchweight and we start Kleiza and AA at the 3. Defense is good, and we improved a lot with Lowry and Val but at some point good teams have to be able to stop the ball and punish the other team for missing/turning it over. What's the point of playing good D if we shoot 34% from the floor?
Davis is showing that he's an above-average defender and a good shot-blocker, but that's the last thing we need is to bring in an offensive liability for our best pure scorer. I doubt he gets his shot on the Raps, and I bet he'll be on a team that needs to be beefed up in the middle at some point this year.

This. Now if Bargnani was included in a trade for a dynamic wing that could score it would be a different situation. I just don't see that happening.

We still need more 2 way players. Val and Lowry is a nice start (Val still has lots of work to do, but the foundation is there) but we still have too many one dimensional players. You can survive having offensive pieces balanced by defensive ones, but you need enough players that can do both to get anywhere near contention.

[Byronicle]

Our offense sucked. Ed Davis' offense is not great, its better than Amir's at this point but starting him would not be good at all

Bargnani didn't shoot well, and his conditioning was obvious. I guess that is what happens when you miss 2 games to the flu

If Bargnani had his conditioning up to par and hit 20 pts that night. If Lucas saw more minutes in the 4th quarter instead of Calderon, and provided that offensive spark. The team is still feeling its way, they are still jelling under a new PG in Lowry.

Look at the Lakers. Do people believe their season is finished after losing 2 very winnable games? We came close to winning a very lose-able game

[Saddler The Gr8]

Not with Bargnani on the team.

[C_Mund]

Our offense sucked. Ed Davis' offense is not great, its better than Amir's at this point but starting him would not be good at all

Bargnani didn't shoot well, and his conditioning was obvious. I guess that is what happens when you miss 2 games to the flu

If Bargnani had his conditioning up to par and hit 20 pts that night. If Lucas saw more minutes in the 4th quarter instead of Calderon, and provided that offensive spark. The team is still feeling its way, they are still jelling under a new PG in Lowry.

Look at the Lakers. Do people believe their season is finished after losing 2 very winnable games? We came close to winning a very lose-able game

This is all very true. But our weaknesses, while they can be worked on, are still glaring. We need somebody other than our pg that can get to the tin, or hit high-percentage post ups or pull-ups. I'm not on this "we can take defensive players and turn them into a potent offense" bandwagon.
In short we need somebody that can score but doesn't hurt us on the defensive end. If we can get Dero in the post more often he'll be huge for us but until he turns it around I don't see us winning close games unless Lowry completely takes over at the end.

[airforce1]

I think Ed deserves a chance. He really hasn't had a good chance since his career with us. First year he missed training camp due to a torn meniscus. Last year NBA locked out and there was also no training camp. This year with a full camp could mean Ed coming into the season more prepared and in better shape than other season before. Should be interesting to see him play along Jose and fellow big Amir in the second unit. I can see them clicking and doing some damage.

[Byronicle]

This is all very true. But our weaknesses, while they can be worked on, are still glaring. We need somebody other than our pg that can get to the tin, or hit high-percentage post ups or pull-ups. I'm not on this "we can take defensive players and turn them into a potent offense" bandwagon.
In short we need somebody that can score but doesn't hurt us on the defensive end. If we can get Dero in the post more often he'll be huge for us but until he turns it around I don't see us winning close games unless Lowry completely takes over at the end.

Raptors are well aware of that, which is why they have Derozan playing in the post. He will start hitting those shots soon. In my opinion, the contract extension was just setting in and distracted him but from what we saw against the Pacers, he was still aggressive and trying to slash in. If Derozan played well then none of these premature threads would've happened

[Byronicle]

I think Ed deserves a chance. He really hasn't had a good chance since his career with us. First year he missed training camp due to a torn meniscus. Last year NBA locked out and there was also no training camp. This year with a full camp could mean Ed coming into the season more prepared and in better shape than other season before. Should be interesting to see him play along Jose and fellow big Amir in the second unit. I can see them clicking and doing some damage.

you don't deserve a chance. you earn it and clearly the coaches do not feel like he's earned it. when bargnani went down last year for half the season, where was Davis? i understand there was no training camp due to the lockout but by the time Bargnani got injured which was like what 15 - 20 games into the season? there were plenty of games and practices under his belt to try and prove himself

[Tmath]

We had our best season when Bargnani was coming off the bench, I think Casey should try it again.