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**Coatesvillain** · 10-08-2004, 09:27 AM

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DURHAM, N.C. -- Coming out of the University of Wyoming, Josh Davis did something that’s often tough to do when you’re just 22 years old. He took the less-than-ideal scenario that a prospective agent was laying out for him and accepted it as the truth. Then he hired the man to help him map out a plan.

"My agent Larry Fox always tells me to look at the forest not the trees," Davis said. "That’s the way we came into it coming out of my senior year.

"We need to not take big money off the bat. We need to do what’s best for my career regardless of the money and it worked out to be that way. I could have gone overseas last year instead of going to the CBA, but obviously it worked out for the best because it kept me on the radar for the NBA."

In his first year out of college, Davis played in Italy, but chose to play with the Idaho Stampede of the Continental Basketball Association last season.

"Europe’s just a whole other ballgame," he said. "Different culture and within basketball it’s totally different. You saw the Olympics. It’s a different mentality. They play the game differently. It’s not so much above the rim, it’s below the rim and it’s intelligence and it’s actually more physical than people think it is."

So, two years after leaving Wyoming, Davis is in the 76ers’ training camp at Duke University. That alone is nothing new. The 6-8 forward has been to training camp before. He’s also participated in summer leagues with four different NBA teams. He also signed a 10-day contract with Atlanta last season.

The difference this time is that Davis had a real good chance of sticking with the Sixers for the season.

"It’s been a tough two-and-a-half years trying to get back to this level," he said. "I didn’t have a real good ending to my college career and it’s been a long road to get back here."

According to Davis and Fox, there were three or four teams interested in being the first pit stop, but the Sixers looked like the best fit.

"There’s an opportunity to see the floor," Davis said. "We had some other options, three or four, but we just decided this would probably be the best situation for me to hopefully break into the rotation at some point."

In theory, the Sixers can use someone with Davis’ ability to rebound and shoot the three-pointer. He was the Continental Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player last year, and was the league’s fourth-leading rebounder. He was seventh in 3-point field goal percentage.

In practical terms, however, the roster is a bit too large right now for Davis to get the reps and one-on-one attention he needs. But the same is true for any other prospect right now.

"It’s tough, frankly," Sixers coach Jim O’Brien said. "We have too many guys. Seventeen guys is a lot of guys to have at a practice. I saw Josh do a lot of good things in the days leading up to training camp. I think he has a nice feel for the game and I like his ability to score. Right now, because of the numbers we have, he’s playing at the four spot and I think he’s gonna be more of a three/four type of player."

None of which means Davis won’t be around come November. His contract is partially guaranteed, and he said he’s been told he’s in the team’s plans.

"They want fours who can run the floor because that’s what we’re gonna do," he said. "We’re gonna get down, we’re gonna play hard defense, we’re gonna get in people, get steals and we’re gonna run the floor. He wants fours that can run the floor and also shoot it."

Eventually, once the roster is reduced by a couple of cuts or injury, Davis will probably get a better look.

"Once you get the team down to a workable number and you’re able to give guys more repetitions in practice, guys that have an understanding of their game tend to have a nice learning curve," O’Brien said.

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**Kunlun** · 10-10-2004, 01:46 AM

Good, the last thing we needed on this team was another tweener.

**Coatesvillain** · 10-24-2004, 06:23 AM

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PHILADELPHIA -- When the 76ers signed Josh Davis as a free agent in September, it appeared to be little more than a roster-filling move. As the preseason has worn on, however, Davis has started to open some eyes with his aggressive defense and his ability to step out and shoot the long ball.

"He’s done a very, very nice job and as impressed as I was in the summer and watching tape, having him as one of our players throughout training camp, he’s done some things that are very surprising," Sixers coach Jim O’Brien said. "He has a good understanding of the game and he just puts everything he has out there every time he’s on the basketball court."

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For many players coming from the Continental Basketball Association, as Davis has, just making an NBA roster is a goal.

Davis, however, sees it differently, and the opportunity to earn minutes was the single biggest factor in his decision to sign with the Sixers.

A place on the injured list isn’t what he envisions.

"I’m here to break in somehow," he said. "I’m not here to settle for anything. I’m excited to see what’s gonna happen."

The Sixers’ roster stands at 16 now, but will be cut to 15 by the start of the regular season. Of that 15, only 12 can be on the active roster.

At the beginning of camp, making the top dozen seemed a remote possibility for Davis, a 6-8 forward who spent a season in Europe after leaving the University of Wyoming before joining the Idaho Stampede of the CBA last year and earning Most Valuable Player honors.

Through six games, however, he’s making a case for himself.

"He does a lot of things," O’Brien said. "He knows how to play the game. He’ll give you whatever you need defensively as far as hustle. He stretches the opponent’s defense with his ability to shoot the (3-pointer). He put it on the deck, he knows offensive basketball and he’s a good passer. He’s one of those guys that can do a lot of different things."

Including earning minutes in the regular season?

"Absolutely, he has a shot," O’Brien said. "They all have a shot and if you defend at a high level, which he’s doing, he’ll find a way to get on the basketball court."

And that’s all Davis can ask.

"I’m just here to work hard and do the best that I possibly can," he said. "Some of these other decisions are left to other people. I have no part in that. If I come out and work hard and leave it on the floor then I can sleep at night."

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**Kunlun** · 10-24-2004, 06:25 AM

I made a mistake on Josh Davis. He is really a player i want on this team and I am sorry for calling him a useless tweener when we first signed him. I like his style of play and he hustles, makes everybody want to root for him.

**BEEZ** · 10-25-2004, 10:51 AM

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Originally posted by KL Dawger!
I made a mistake on Josh Davis. He is really a player i want on this team and I am sorry for calling him a useless tweener when we first signed him. I like his style of play and he hustles, makes everybody want to root for him.

Good Bye mr Brown

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