Doc Rivers the coach is a decorated veteran helmsman with a title and plenty of wins beneath his belt. But “Roc Divers” the front office executive had a weakness for players he had coached or coached against during the NBA Playoffs while leading the Boston Celtics. A “big game” against the Celtics meant a “big check” from the Clippers.
No one embodied that more than Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis, who both played for Rivers in Boston and against him with the Orlando Magic. When Davis was waived, Rivers snatched him up and the power forward joined the collection of washed-up former Eastern Conference stars now congregating in Los Angeles: Danny Granger, Hedo Turkoglu and Antawn Jamison among them.
Davis’ on-court impact was relatively mild, averaging around 13 minutes per game over 97 games with “Lob City”. His personality well outpaced his play, and ‘Big Baby’ became a well-known part of the Clippers’ roster.
Davis was not a fan of Rivers bringing in his son Austin Rivers and spoke out against the move at the time and since he has left the team. That has led to a vicious battle of words between Davis and Austin Rivers, each pointing fingers as to why “Lob City” never broke through.
While never fully in shape or skilled enough to make a difference, Davis made his impact through offensive rebounds and hard screens. Both during and after the games, he was not afraid to let loose with what he was thinking. It’s impossible to tell the story of “Lob City” without mentioning Davis.