Dickie V has Ed Davis ranked way too low
Ed Davis
Anyone that knows me at all knows that I have pretty much always supported Hall of Famer Dick Vitale. I can get past his weird talking (shoot the rock baby, PTP’er, Dow Joners, and on and on and on) while doing games. I can even stomach the fact that somewhere, somehow, a Duke mention is going to make it into any game he does (and as a true Tar Heel that is a lot to ask). Heck, I can overlook the fact that his pre-game antics have become as old as bag phones. However, this time Mr. Vitale and myself just are not going to see eye to eye. As well all know a lot of the experts/analysts said that if Ed Davis had left for the NBA he would have been a Top 5 pick. Most of those same people believe that Davis could be a Top 3 selection this coming NBA Draft. So, knowing all of this, Dickie V. decided to make his summer time All Rolls-Royce teams.
You have to believe that with credentials like the ones that Ed Davis has he should probably be on the first team, no? Sorry, nope! But you do have a player from Duke on it. Ok, not on first team, he made it on the second squad, right? Wrong again! But there is a Maryland guy on this quintet. Third? Fourth? Fifth Team? No, no and no! Mr. Vitale has Ed Davis on his sixth team! I have to say I am stunned, as we all know that Ed Davis was a big part of the team that went to the Final Four and won it all. He was able to have average over 6 points and rebounds a game with a team that had four players chosen in this year’s draft. He blocked 1.7 shots while playing 18.8 minutes per game. In other words, without Tyler Hansbrough in the paint, you have to believe that Davis will be getting some more minutes and the numbers will go up, and yet he is on the sixth team?
Dickie V
Sorry Dicky V. but this time you and I are just not going to agree on this one, not by a mile. I know that the color analyst from the World Leader of Sports said that he might change the list, but also says that he will do so if there are injuries. Sorry, but Ed Davis is going to be a dominant player in one of the best (if not the best) conference in the nation when it comes to hardwoods. Let’s be honest here, Ed Davis needs to be a great player if North Carolina wants to be on top of their conference. That alone should put Davis into a much higher ranking that where Dick Vitale put him. And while I know that a lot of these lists are made because of what happened the year before many things should be put into consideration, like the fact that Davis is going from his freshman to sophomore season, which is usually the year where players develop the most while in college. Or the fact that Davis is now going one of the leaders of this team and not a role player. And I could go on and on, but we are all getting the point here, are we not?
In the end, as all lists/rankings/etc etc, come time for the talk to end and the games to begin we will see if Mr. Vitale was right or way off on this one. Now that you know what Dicky V thinks and how I think about this, let me know your opinion on it!
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When the list first came out I was surprised, but not bothered, by seeing Ed Davis as low as 6th Team. The players listed ahead of him, for the most part, have played well enough over their careers and made impacts on the game that merited their placement on these pre-season lists meant to entertain and engage us fans. If we did the simple extrapolation of Ed’s averages as a bench player getting 6 points and rebounds in 18 minutes, and shift them to being a starter on a team deep with frontcourt talent playing 30 minutes a game, his projected averages would be roughly 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a game. Last year, those rebounding numbers would’ve put him in comparison with Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal, a sophomore last season and the leading rebounder (at 9.5 Reb/game) in the conference but a player that also averaged 15 points per game and 1.5 blocks per game. With these numbers and coming from the last place team in the ACC Gani Lawal was the last player voted to make the All ACC Third Team. Last season Ed Davis was fifth in voting for the all ACC Freshman team – behind Landesburg (UVA), Aminu (WFU), Shumpert (GT) and Alabi (FSU) – players that all return and likely have to carry more weight on their team than Ed this next season. While we saw Ed’s impact on the game grow during the NCAA Tournament, his stats during the five game stretch from LSU to MSU (discounting Ed’s 15 pt, 5 reb, and 4 block in 19 min game against Radford due to the level of competition) were 6.8 pts, 5.6 reb, and 0.8 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game. Taken together, it therefore shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see Ed not projected to be on a preseason All America team (1st, 2nd or 3rd), his NBA Draft projection not withstanding.
Having said all that, let’s come back to the player we believe Ed Davis will be in 2010: a very special one. He gives Carolina a gifted rebounder and shot blocker that provides defensive intimidation and conjures images of some combination of Sam Perkins (physically), Rasheed Wallace (as a rebounder) and Brendan Haywood (as a shot blocker) – all flattering comparisons. Furthermore, his impact on the game increased over the course of the season, providing a defensive intimidation that Carolina needed to win the championship. Let’s get this straight: I love Ed Davis’ game and very much look forward to him playing a major role on this team next season. But, as a result of pulling those stats together, I can’t help but temper my expectations for him next season and sigh in resigned acknowledgement that he didn’t get more love from Mr. Vitale.
i agree completely with heelyes!. the potential is high this year not just with davis, but the team’s ranking and expectations this year are all purely on unproven potential. i see davis as a double double guy night in and out, maybe a 15 and 10 guy with defense prowess, resulting in several altered shots every game. thats about as good as we can expect i feel. i don’t see the backcourt scoring as well as last year, putting an emphasis on offensive rebounds which should be a specialty for this team, primarily davis. i like dickie v’s place for davis RIGHT NOW. If vitale alters this over the season, most assuredly we will see davis move to the top three teams.