Jeezus, this whole Ed vs. Zach debate is insufferable and pointless. They are different players on different career trajectories. It's just anther excuse for the haters to bash Olshey. Get the fuck over it. HE'S GONE and he's not coming back.
Any stats Ed Davis posts this season are irrelevant. He's playing on a crappy, losing team in the minor league (Eastern Conference). So, we don't need nightly updates on Ed's performance.
I don't think there is a single member of this forum who didn't love Ed. This is a fan base that loves hard working role players, and this is the definition of Ed Davis. He is, was, and always will be a role player, and even in that role he is limited to being a back up center. I don't like the rampant use of the term "positionless" when describing today's NBA. There is still a difference between a 1 and a 5. I'd call it more position fluid. You want your bigs to be able to seamlessly slide between the 4 and 5 spots, your forwards to be able to ply either the conventional 3 or the small ball 4, and there is a blurring between the traditional 1 and 2 roles as most starting PGs are "scoring guards" who often find themselves playing off the ball.
In that context, Ed doesn't have the size, bulk or shot blocking to be a starting 5. He never did. That's why he's a career back up who averages 17 - 18 MPG. He also doesn't have the game of a stretch 4. In today's position fluid NBA, Ed Davis is position rigid.
Great guy, good at what he does, knows his limitations. Ed Davis is currently doing Ed Davis things for the Brooklyn Nets - a team with a losing record. Ed Davis isn't going to transform them into winners, nor is the loss of Ed going to transform the Blazers into losers.
For anyone who hasn't noticed, we are 2-0 and our bench isn't just doing well, they are excelling - without Ed Davis. Zach will give us both rim protection and scoring that Ed never did/could. He's also just 20 and will only continue to get better. Ed reached his ceiling long ago and will never be more than he is. Even Meyers, the favorite forum whipping boy, is playing well in his limited role. Yeah, he's not Ed, but Ed isn't Meyers, either. With Zach's role and expanding, that leaves only about 9 MPG for our 3rd string center.
In the very first game of the season, in addition to Zach doing something Ed has never done on defense (block 6 shots), Meyers in his 8 minutes did something on offense Ed has never done - assisted of four 3-pointers. Those four passes from Meyers directly resulted in 12 points. Not only can Meyers knock down open 3-pointers, he can also find his teammates for open 3s.
Again love Ed and love that he knows his limitations, the problem is they ARE limitations and everyone else knows them, too. It's why NOP was able to ignore Ed and trap Dame 25-feet from the basket and completely stifle our offense at the point of attack.
I wish Ed well, but I accept that he's gone. The team we have on the floor today is better equipped for today's NBA than the one that got swept by NOP. To me, that's progress, even if it meant saying goodbye a fan favorite and good guy like Ed Davis.
BNM
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