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Big Man Ed Davis Signs Two-Year Deal With Lakers

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Well, the Lakers added another big man in the mix. Here’s Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

It’s another cheap deal, just like the Lakers have been giving out throughout the offseason (except Swaggy P).

Davis was drafted 13th overall by the Toronto Raptors in 2010. He had a promising rookie season (averaging 7.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game) before dropping off a bit. He was the supposed centerpiece of the Rudy Gay trade when Memphis acquired him but Lionel Hollins never gave him consistent minutes. He pretty much had the same role, too, when Dave Joerger took over. Davis only averaged 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 15 minutes of play last season.

Ed Davis’s game isn’t the greatest offensively. He doesn’t have much going on in the post. However, on the defensive end, he’s been a pretty good rim protector and tends to affect a lot of shots inside. His athleticism is salivating but, unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have improved much since he first got drafted due to not playing consistently.

Low-risk, high-reward. We’ll see how Ed Davis does with L.A.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Craig W. says

    He is a player a number of people here were saying we should sign. We can holler about all the things the front office didn’t do, but they keep plugging in players we can develop. That is where we are this year and I am anxious to see how everybody comes together.

  3. Shaun says

    Im liking how the roster is filling out -beasley could be intersting as a big sf , as well as kelly and hemry resigning – maybe adding 1-2 vets might be needed to make sure the locker room is put in its place though but I guess kobe and nash could he the calming voices

  4. the other Stephen says

    Other than the fact that he played with Kendall Marshall for a year at North Carolina, I have nothing to add about his game. He may rank with Joe Smith as having the most boring names ever. >:D

  5. the other Stephen says

    His calling card is supposedly his motor and activity, which makes for somewhat of a theme between him, Randle, and Hill.

  10. Joe Casanova says

    Ko, how can you say that with a straight face. Lakers are losing because they r running vanilla sets on offense and man to man with help on defense. Randle is Lamar Odom and Zach Randolph combined. In high school he was Baby Lebron. He is the best player by far on the court.

  12. Jerke says

    Saw lots of Davis up here when he was w Raps – he was extremely promising but they needed to let him go in the trade for Gay. Good ultra cheap pickup for Lakers

  13. Leo says

    rr Good signing by the FO.
    —

    Agreed. I was hoping that one of our signees this summer would be a future building block. Let’s hope Davis takes advantage of the opportunity.

  14. KO says

    I just like Clarkson. Could grow into a Hardaway type. Randell will be good but how good. Needs to learn to shoot, go right and make FT.

  16. J C says

    I Like ED,
    I’m surprised he signed for 1 mil per but this is a great deal for the Lakers.
    He looks long and athletic – exactly what we needed.
    Instantly ahead of Sacre.

    Randle has big upside because of his size and agility but needs to work on his outside shot.
    And yes he tends to finish to his left a lot but then again so does Z Randolph.
    Have to remember Randle is only 19, that means lots of room for growth–
    and at the same time, it may be a little bit longer before he makes a meaningful contribution.

  17. JH says

    Nice little signing to fill the roster and with some potential upside and very little downside (small contract, 2 years only)

  18. JH says

    What’s the roster like now?

    PG: Nash/Lin/Clarkson
    SG: Kobe/
    SF: Young/
    PF: Randle/Ryan
    C: Hill/Ed/Sacre

  20. Casual Fan says

    Dont you guys think our frontline will be too small?
    Randle: 6’9
    Hill: 6’10
    Ed: 6’10
    Sacre: 7’0 (only garbage minutes)

    When sacre doesn’t play, our frontline basically tops out at 6’10, but unlike the Miami heat, we don’t have athletes who can guard 3-4 positions (Lebron, Battier …etc)

  21. Fern says

    The “Lakers” lost last night because outside of Julius and Clarkson the rest of that team is garbage. Glad that was over. Btw Randle was the best player on the court by far. He looks NBA ready people need to remember he is only 19 with a lot to learn but he has the tools. We’ll see

  22. Joe Casanova says

    Only Clarkson and Randle deserve to be on the roster off this summer league team.

  23. SteveK says

    ED provides the Lakers with some additional flexibility. Imagine Randle playing some minutes at SF. He’d be scary on the offensive end, but don’t know if he’s quick enough to guard SF’s.

  24. LakerValentina says

    Great signining by Mitch… but I agree casual fan we’re way too small even though it’s not height but wingspan that matters in protecting the rim. Ed davis has a nice 7’0 wingspan… randle is close to that but obviously having a 7’4 like Vonleh or Udoh would make a huge difference in relation to altering shots and making a real difference on D. But I guess 2 good 6’10 guys are better than a bad 7 footer!

  25. minorthreatt says

    Can’t lose here. Unless they take a cheap flyer on someone like Udoh or Okafor, I expect Davis to get plenty of minutes as the first big off the bench (apologies to Sacre). He should be able to slide between the 4 and 5 and offer some rim protection when playing alongside Hill and Randle.

    If he does what I think he can do, he’ll surely opt out, but that wouldn’t be the worst problem to have. Burn that bridge when we come to it!

  26. bleedpurplegold says

    No one really tried to develop this kid….great signing by Mitch…our Front court isn’t looking as Bad as most people around the league would belive it is…..i think randle/hill/ed will make a great Trio, with each oft them getting around 30min per game…..i can See every one of them putting up a double double each night…..with a healthy Kobe, a lin and Clarkson(great kid from what i Saw so far) plus young and 1-2 vets for our backcourt, i can See us pushing for a playoff-birth

    Go Lakers!

  27. BigCitySid says

    After THREE interviews Lakers still don’t appear to be ready to commit to Byron Scott. FO knows of all other available coaches whether they are unemployed, current NBA ass’ts, college, or international. So what other pool exist that they can’t talk to now?

    I got it…Laker’s front office is waiting to the end of the WNBA season to interview coaches. Michael Cooper & Bill Laimbeer are just two of the ten they may be considering.

  28. James says

    Color me curious, but why are people so infatuated with Exum other than being an athlete?

    I have watched him and while he may be a nice athlete, I do not know if he can ever truly be a PG or SG.

    I realize the league is heading towards more hybrid guards, but why do people think he is so much better than a guy like Payton for Orlando who looked more impressive? Does having a few extra inches really make him THAT much better of a prospect? I’m just not sold on him

  29. Justin says

    People are talking about how small we are up front, but look at the NBA right now. How many centers are either bigger than 6’10 or skilled enough to take advantage of a 6’10 center? Basically it is Brook Lopez (if healthy), Dwight, Hibbert (if his head is on right), Jonas Val (If he improved), Pau Gasol (When used right), Cousins (When he stays in the post), and Drummond (Not sure he has any post moves yet. Only seems to score from rolls and offensive rebounds). That’s it. People still think of the NBA as an 80s-90s team with elite centers. The Lakers don’t need a player like that right now (more of a luxury). Most teams don’t have good offensive centers so size doesn’t matter as much. And it would kill us the most in the playoffs. If we find a way to make the playoffs then we overachieved so who cares.

    Jordan Hill and Ed Davis are both more 4/5 combos than true 4s. Watch Davis on the Grizziles and watch how how scores almost only around the basket, is a shot blocker, and rebounder (Sounds like a center to me). Yes he is thin and not strong enough for a Dwight, but so few centers overwhelm with size we will be fine. Hill actually plays best as a center as well (but built like a 4 which is why both are hybrids).

  30. Justin says

    @James, It is about projecting. Exum is a high schooler (which is only allowed if they are foreign like Exum). Go watch Kobe as a rookie, you will see a kid that is mostly about his athleticism. The reason Kobe became so good was his drive and will. From every psychological test teams ran on him during the draft he tested through the roof (like Kobe). So the assumption is that he will reach his ceiling. Remember the most important thing when evaluating a player long term is age. Exum is 18 and Payton is 20. That is a huge difference. Players make their best leaps from 18-24 (which is why many scouts were against draft Wesley Johnson in the top of the lottery. And they were right. Johnson had the smallest of improvement and is a journey man). Payton is projected to be a quality starter in the league, but Exum is projected to be a healthy Penny Hardaway. Doesn’t mean he will get there or that he will be better than Payton (projections fail a lot. That’s why Rondo, Tony Parker, etc always make GMs look bad for passing on them). Think of projections like odds at a poker game. If you play the odds you are more likely to win long term, but that doesn’t mean your buddy (in this case Payton) doesn’t surprise you with a straight flush.

  31. Shaun says

    I think by having multiple athletes at every position we can stomach not Having a heavy duty c – getting beasley, who would be a big sf, could help this as well since nick is more of a natural 2 + beasly is like 6’9 – 6’10 having your entire front court being 6’10 (randle has gotta grow a bit right?) Should have it advantages + lin and clarkson are both big pgs at 6’5 so we would have size at every position

    Reslly hoping beasley is the next domino

  32. J C says

    Big City
    I’d like to see Coop come on as assistant coach at least
    surprised we haven’t heard his name come up before.

  33. Vasheed says

    Problem this year will be defense. Just not very talented overall on that end of the court. Sometimes you can hide guys like this but not when it is just about the whole roster.

  34. J C says

    Vasheed
    A defensive minded coach will help.
    Team Defense can be taught.
    Example- Spurs this year.
    Rotating, closing out, etc.
    Hustle, communication and effort don’t require athleticism.
    Agreed, being athletic helps, but if definitely doesn’t assure anything on the defensive end.

  35. minorthreatt says

    I’d give Beasley a shot on a minimum deal. He got no burn with the Heat and he isn’t gonna play much defense, but the guy can score and it isn’t like we have tons of great 3s. Keep him away from the bong and see what happens.

    If he stays a good citizen and gets minutes, he becomes anothef young asset. That’s what the Lakers don’t have enough of — though in fairness, they’re in somewhat better shape now with Lin/Randle/Clarkson/Davis/2015 picks than they were a year ago.

  36. Braziman says

    The Lakers will be able to do for Michael Beasley exactly what they did for Isaiah Rider, so why should we wish that experience on ourselves?

  37. J C says

    Re coaching search
    All interviews seem to have been publicized, but
    Is it possible they’ve conducted other interviews that they are keeping under wraps for any reason?
    Re Byron
    I thought he’d already had 3 interviews so that would make this week’s the fourth.
    But who’s counting?

  38. severelakers says

    I was a big fan of Beasley when he came out of K st. and even thought he should have went #1 to Chicago with the makeup of that team. That being said, putting him in the weed capital of North America doesn’t seem like the best idea. Seems he cares more about smoking J’s than shooting them.

  39. Shaun says

    @james – to me exum has the same look that kobe has when he came into the league

    When he has the ball he can do special things on the court

  40. minorthreatt says

    Braziman: fair point. I’d say the difference is that when we brought in Rider, we were contenders and it was a riskier move. At the moment, we’re a ways away from even being a playoff team, one that lacks young assets or an easy way to acquire them. Those teams have to take more risks, even if they hold their collective nose when they do it.

  41. J C says

    Are we in the market for Boozer?
    Not in the ‘youth’ trend but could be a nice veteran addition.

  42. rr says

    I was a Beasley supporter a couple of years ago, but he doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere–couldn’t get burn in Miami last year. So, I would rather go with someone else.

    I would like the FO to keep it simple, and, if possible bring back Kelly and Henry, and then bring in some guys to try for the other roster spots in camp:

    Four Bigs to rotate:

    Randle/Hill/Kelly/Davis

    Three Wings to rotate:

    Kobe/Young/Henry

    Starting point and backup point:

    Lin/Nash

    That’s nine guys, plus Sacre is going be on the team. Clarkson is a variable. He might be the backup 1, with Nash in a mentor role. He might get some some time at the 2. Or they might want him getting heavy burn in the DLeague.

  43. melcountscounts says

    Ed Davis-why not?

    Clarkson-a steal.

    What happened to Wes Johnson? No one has picked him up?

    Lakers don’t have a coach, but will still have the two worst announcers in Bill MacDonald and the horrible Stu Lantz. His schtick is so old, please let him go. Hearing Spero Dedes on summer league made me think of what we’re missing.

  44. dxmanners says

    Can Swaggy P become Nick Young again? The whole Swaggy thing is very tired, and a bit clownish.

  45. Hale says

    Mel,

    According to Mark Medina’s tweet Johnson might not be in the Lakers’ plan going forward.

    He unfortunately did not tweet that they might actually have a plan going forward.

  46. Hale says

    I wouldn’t mind seeing Manny Harris get a camp invite at least. I thought he did well in his limited opportunity past season.

  47. bryan S. says

    Or they might want want him getting heavy burn in the D-league.

    If you are entertaining this possibility I think your eye test skills are pretty thin. (Back at ya!)

  48. btshann says

    Love this signing. At the outset of free agency, I’d pegged Davis as one of the top 10 available big men in a shallow field. At the right price, he seemed to be precisely the sort of player – young w/untapped potential – the Lakers needed to target. Therein lies the rub — like many others, I’d expected Davis to fetch between $5-$8 million annually on a long term deal. Just as LA had to overpay Hill (though perhaps not to the tune of $9 million) to forego a longer deal with more guaranteed money, I imagined LA needing to offer something in the neighborhood of $7 million to lure Davis.

    Given that context, snagging Davis on a 2 for 2 deal is a bargain to say the least. That’s not to say that this signing redeems LA’s rather dismal summer. But I’d look at it this way: in a vacuum, weeks ago, if someone had forecast that LA would sign Hill and Davis for a combined $10 million annually on short term deals, few would’ve raised an eyebrow.

    So sure, LA overspent on Hill. But I’d suggest that mistake is offset by the Davis signing, which in effect means the Lakers have allocated an average of $5 million to each of two young bigs. And there’s grounds to go further: both guys are ready to contribute now and possess considerable upside. Viewed as a package deal, I’m inclined to call the Lakers’ frontcourt additions a success.

    Now about that backcourt…The news that Bledsoe’s reached an impasse with Phoenix is salt salt in the wounds inflicted from observing Isaiah Thomas and Lance Stephenson leave their teams for entirely reasonable deals. Couldn’t LA have held off on the Young/Hill deals long enough to see whether the Suns truly were committed to maxing out its fourth point guard (albeit, the most valuable asset among Dragic, Thomas, and Ennis)?

    Unless Kupchak & Co. see something we don’t, it appears that LA will miss out on the last available free agent capable of reversing its fortunes this season. That’s a damn shame. A roster starting Bledsoe, Kobe, Young, Randle, and Davis, supported by something like Lin, Clarkson, Henry, Johnson, Kelly, Sacre, and a min. level big would at least have been intriguing and competitive, if not a dark horse contender. Hindsight’s 20/20. Seemingly poised to trot out a middling (at best) roster, that sentiment does little to alleviate the sting from another free agent miss.

  49. rr says

    If you are entertaining this possibility I think your eye test skills are pretty thin.

    —

    I make no claims to being an expert scout, particularly based on Summer League and youtube videos. I will leave that to guys like you, Eric*, and Chaz. Also, you misread the intent of the reference.

    By all accounts Clarkson has looked good in Summer League, but that’s Summer League. I saw him and he looked good, but then, Tyshawn Taylor and Daniel Orton looked good in Summer League, too. If Nash can’t go, then Clarkson will probably inherit the backup 1 spot. If Nash can go, then there may be a minutes crunch, unless you are assuming that Clarkson will be so awesome in camp and exhibition games that he will simply force his way into the rotation, which is of course a possibility. But absent that scenario, Clarkson is probably better off getting minutes than he is sitting/playing 5 minutes a game with the Lakers. Assuming Nash doesn’t play in back-to-backs, then maybe Clarkson backs up Lin in those games, but whether that would be better for him than getting heavy reps is another question. Clarkson’s assist numbers in college were not great.

    I don’t think that Darius Morris was ever going to be a player, but I do think the fact that he was used the way he was, when he should have been getting reps in the DLeague, hurt his chances at developing into a rotation player. Clarkson may have been so undervalued that none of this applies. We will see.

    *And yes, I know that Eric is basing his Randle stuff on college ball, not Summer League.

  50. bryan S. says

    Fill out the roster:

    Release Marshall, Sign Ramon Sessions UFA ( No explanation needed)
    Sign Jermaine O’Neal, true Center size, defensive skills and still effective in limited minutes
    Need a 3 to space the floor, not a lot of options left: Xavier Henry if healthy (still isn’t)

    Active Roster:
    Bigs: O’Neal, Hill, E. Davis, Kelly, Randle
    Wings: Kobe, Young, Henry,
    Distributors: Lin, Sessions, Clarkson
    Mascot/Player Coach: Nash ( He really could help Clarkson and Lin)
    1 spot for unsigned BPA

    Strengths: Active/hustle bigs. Good passers, unselfish group (well, Kobe).

    Weaknesses: 3-point shooting (Lin can help here). Not a lot of perimeter speed. Not a strong group of 3’s.

    Upside: Randle, Clarkson, Kelly, Davis, Henry