Big Return For Celtics 'Big Baby'
BOSTON (CBS) - After missing four games with tendonitis in his left knee, Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis returned to action Sunday to a new-look team.
"It felt weird a little bit," Davis said. "I didn't remember anybody on the team. Nate? Carlos? I can't even pronounce 77, Sasha?"
Here is a quick refresher: Nate Robinson is gone. Carlos Arroyo is your new point guard off the bench, and it's Sascha Pavlovich. Davis will be seeing a lot of the two newest Celtics, as he will take over as the leader of the second unit.
Although it may seem like he is playing with a bunch of strangers at times, the starters are happy to have Davis back.
"It's good to have him because you get a guy back who understands what we're doing out there," Paul Pierce said after Sunday's 87-56 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. "We're trying to constantly figure out sets once we sub, because they're still learning the plays. So it's good to have some familiarity in the lineup coming off the bench."
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"Great to have baby back," Kevin Garnett said. "We need all the bodies we can have at this point. March is a critical time of the year."
"The storm is slowly starting to collect and come together," KG added.
Davis scored nine points and had seven rebounds in 18 minutes Sunday night as he made his return. He admitted to feeling a little winded in the first half, but felt a lot better as the game went on.
The knee tendonitis has been bothering Davis since last season, and admits he may have come back too soon from the injury.
"I wanted to play so bad, I felt like I rushed back a little bit," he said. "But I'm fine, I'll be okay. Like I said, give it the necessary treatment, stretch a lot and get some rest."
"It's not going to be fully healed, it just feels better. You want that. So I'm just going to keep chugging along. Hopefully in June it will be well worth it."
Although Davis has aspirations for June already, he faces a difficult test Monday night when the Celtics take on the Nets in New Jersey. Back-to-Back games are tough enough for a veteran team, but even tougher for a player coming back from a week-long layoff.
"I just have to get a lot of rest, make sure I do the necessary treatment for my knees," Davis said. "I feel fine, going to be a little sore but I'm back."
