With all the ACC Coaching news this kind of snuck up on me yesterday, but Ed Davis will be leaving UNC after two years to take his chances in the NBA. His injury-riddled sophomore campaign certainly won’t be one to remember, but Davis is a talented player with a lot of potential.
In this morning’s N&O, Caulton Tudor made the assertion that the Heels won’t feel Davis’ exit much next season. Huh? I know Davis was never spectacular, but he is a heck of a lot better than the Wear boys. No offense to them, but sheesh.
Tudor equates not having a ‘huge’ impact on the program as not being worth having back? I bet Roy Williams wouldn’t mind having Davis again. If he had returned the Heels would have once again had a very intimidating front line, at least on paper. He might not be great, but Davis can be an impact player at the college level. Maybe I’m missing something here. Who knows?
The one thing Davis’ exit does do is clear up who is going to get most of the minutes in the front line next season. Tyler “I’m hurt almost as much as Ed Davis” Zeller and John Henson better be ready for 28-32 minutes a night. Davis’ exit likely will get incoming freshmen Reggie Bullock and Harrison Barnes more minutes as well. Not that those guys wouldn’t have gotten the minutes anyway, but this doesn’t hurt their cause.
Here’s Tudor’s take.
Though Ed Davis is a gifted athlete with the potential to become a very good basketball player, the sophomore forward never really had a huge impact on North Carolina’s program.
That being the case, it’s difficult to say his decision Monday to move on to the NBA is a crippling blow to the Tar Heels.
Although Davis – who missed the final 13 games of the season after breaking his wrist against Duke – was a fairly consistent scorer, he contributed most at shot-blocking and rebounding.
Here’s the story from Robbie Pickeral
Davis will leave early for the NBA Draft
With his left wrist still healing in a soft cast, North Carolina forward Ed Davis might be taking a risk by giving up his final two seasons of college eligibility to turn pro this summer.
But after the school announced the sophomore’s decision Monday afternoon, Ed’s father Terry Davis said a bigger concern loomed if the 6-foot-10 Tar Heels starter – whom NBA draft analysts still project as a first-round pick – didn’t go now: a potential lockout that could shut down the National Basketball Association in 2011.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire after the 2010-11 season, and unless a new contract is reached, an NBA work stoppage could take place the following fall. Had Davis opted to stay for his junior season, a lockout might have kept him in Chapel Hill for his senior season, as well.
In other ACC news, it appears Wright State’s Brad Brownell will be the next coach at Clemson. A four o’clock press conference should make that official. Check back for more later in the day. FoxSports and Jeff Goodman have been all over this story.
