Glen "Big Baby" Davis Staying with Boston Celtics

NBA Power Forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis is staying with the Boston Celtics, after signing a two-year contract, worth $6.5 million. Davis, who was one of the biggest surprises last season, will stay a member of the Celtics through the 2010 season, and could become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2011. Davis, himself, thought that the deal would never happen, and thought he was headed to another team. In his own words, he said: "There was a point I thought I wasn't going to be back. I was telling my girlfriend, 'We've got to pack,' I hate packing."

The 23-year-old Davis, who was mainly a bench player in his first two seasons with the Celtics, had significant playing time on the court, late in the season after injuries to Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe. Davis took over Garnett's role, who was injured in the middle of the season, and was forced to miss the end of the regular season and the entire playoffs. Davis had huge shoes to fill, and exceeded expectations for the team. Davis hit his first career buzzer-beater in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. David swished a 15-footer from the key, as time expired, to give the Celtics, a 95-94 victory. Davis started all 14 games of the NBA Playoffs for the Celtics, playing more than 36 minutes a game, and averaging a shade under 16 PPG. Last season was Davis' best one in his short career.

For those wondering how Davis earned his nickname "Big Baby", it all came about after an altercation between Davis and Garnett during a game between the Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers, early last season. Garnett was screaming out of frustration at all the reserves, including Davis, for giving up most of the big lead that the starters had built up. Davis was seen crying uncontrollably by the television camera, and that is how he earned his nickname.

Big Baby was originally drafted in the second round, with the 35th overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics in the 2007 NBA Draft. The rights would later be traded to the Celtics. In his rookie season, Davis started only one of the 69 games that he played in the regular season, averaging only 4.5 PPG. He barely got any playing time in the postseason, but the Celtics won the NBA Championship anyway. He had much improved stats in his second season with the club. Davis helped the Celtics win an NBA Title in his rookie season, and has been to the playoffs in his two NBA seasons.

The re-signing of Davis capped off a busy day for the Celtics. Earlier in the day, they also signed Shelden Williams. The 25-year-old Williams will add more youth to the ageing team. Williams, best known for his time in Duke, has played for three different teams (Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings) in three NBA seasons. With the signings of Davis and Williams, the Celtics have a mix of veterans and young guys on the team.

Davis will most likely not see as much playing time, in the upcoming season, as he did last season. Davis' main role will be to come off the bench. The Celtics also acquired Rasheed Wallace earlier this off-season, another proven veteran. If the Big Three (Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce) can all stay healthy, the Celtics will be one of the favorites to win it all.