Davis consistent in sporadic role

By Jim Beseda of The Oregonian staff 


Dale Davis would rather start -- every game. 

That's the usual outlook for NBA players, of course, but Davis' situation 
is complicated by the Trail Blazers' desire to keep 7-foot-3 center 
Arvydas Sabonis as healthy and fresh as possible. The Blazers target 
games for Sabonis to sit out, usually in one of two games on back-to-back 
nights, and also tailor his minutes to the opponent. 

So Davis is left as the occasional starting center, the usual backup and 
the player whose role fluctuates as drastically as anyone's on the team. 

Recently, the 6-11 Davis has been starting, and that probably will 
continue for the foreseeable future. Initially, Davis returned to the 
starting lineup because Sabonis was suffering from back spasms and could 
not play. Now it seems Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy wants to closely 
monitor Sabonis' minutes, and the most efficient way to do that is by 
bringing him off the bench. 

"I would imagine it'll be like it is -- sometimes I'll start and 
sometimes I won't," Davis said last week. "I prefer to start, but it 
really doesn't matter. Whatever it is that I need to do to help this team 
win, I'm for it." 

The Aug. 31 trade that sent 22-year-old Jermaine O'Neal to the Indiana 
Pacers and brought the 31-year-old Davis to Portland still is difficult 
to judge. The Blazers sacrificed a young talent with a bright future for 
a playoff-tested veteran who could help put them over the top this season. 

At first, Davis was not happy with his reduced role with the Blazers, but
most of his complaints have died down in the past few weeks. He realizes 
that he is not the only one sacrificing personal statistics for the good 
of the team goal -- an NBA championship -- and that there are worse 
places he could be playing than in Portland. 

But coming off the bench was a big adjustment. 

"I'm not going to lie and say that I'm playing my best ball coming off 
the bench," Davis said. "I like to prepare myself for the beginning of 
the game. That's what I've always done, so coming off the bench has been 
an adjustment for me. 

"Sometimes I find that I've been in the game for five or six minutes and 
I haven't got a lot accomplished. The thing I have to do now is step it 
up a notch and when I do get the opportunity, to go in there and play 
more aggressively. Whether I'm in the game for 10 minutes or 20 minutes, 
I want to play as hard as possible. I've just got to stay focused during 
the time that I'm out there." 

Going into Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Davis 
averaged 8.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 31.7 minutes in 27 games as a 
starter. In 21 games as a reserve, he averaged 5.2 points, 5.3 rebounds 
and 21.3 minutes. 

He averaged one point and one rebound every 3.6 minutes as a starter, one 
point and one rebound every 4.1 minutes as a reserve. He shot 50.6 
percent as a reserve, 50.2 percent as a starter. In other words, he has 
produced at almost the same rate, whether he has started or come off the 
bench. 

"The more I'm out there, sometimes I feel the stronger I get," Davis said. 
"I play it by ear and do what I can when I'm out there." 

Davis started Jan. 25 at Indiana and had 16 points and 10 rebounds, 
helping the Blazers to a 92-82 victory and a sweep of the two-game series. 

"I had a lot of fun," said Davis, who played his first nine seasons with 
the Pacers. "Most important, I wanted to get a win, so now I have 
bragging rights and can kind of rub it in their faces." 

Sabonis is expected to play more as the playoffs approach. But because he 
has missed games because of off-season ankle surgery, a knee injury, a 
toothache and a sore back, the Blazers probably will be careful not to 
overextend Sabonis during the next two months. 

That might mean using him mostly in a reserve role. 

"I'm trying to keep his minutes down," Dunleavy said after Sabonis had 15 
points and four rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench in Thursday's 100-92 
victory over Phoenix. "By not starting him, that puts me in a better 
position to play him as I need him." 

Which might mean Davis will continue as the starter. 

"I can still play this game, and I think I can help this team win," Davis 
said. "It's just a matter of getting the time and doing what I do."