Ed Davis Vs. Amir Johnson

[Apollo]

Who do you feel has the most talent? Who is the better player now and who do you feel will be the better player next year and beyond? Could they ever co-exist in a starting lineup?

[Joey]

I think they are very different players, that to say one is 'better' than the other would almost be unfair.

Ed Davis excels at weak side defense, help defense, defensive iq, great knack for rebounds.

Amir is far more polished around the basket on offense, perhaps a slightly more aggressive rebounder.

But I'd honestly say it's a wash. They're both going to be forces at the 4 spot.
And I could see Davis at 5 and Amir at 4. Would be a great combo.

[Nine New Faces]

I think this one might come down to who has a serious injury and loses a step. Otherwise I'd say Davis, simply because he's expected to fill out into a bigger guy than Amir.

[Apollo]

He's also two year younger and not far behind in development into a very nice player.

[RaptorsFan4Life]

I think they are very different players, that to say one is 'better' than the other would almost be unfair.

Ed Davis excels at weak side defense, help defense, defensive iq, great knack for rebounds.

Amir is far more polished around the basket on offense, perhaps a slightly more aggressive rebounder.

But I'd honestly say it's a wash. They're both going to be forces at the 4 spot.
And I could see Davis at 5 and Amir at 4. Would be a great combo.

Davis would need to bulk up quite a bit before he'd have any shot of playing 5.

IMO Hands down Amir is better. Better scorer, better rebounder and much more efficient. The only think Davis has on Amir is blocking.

[JoePanini]

Davis by far. Amir is a really good player, bring energy, effort and hustle. But Davis looks like a future all-star. And Amir is better off the bench.

[WJF]

Davis by far. Amir is a really good player, bring energy, effort and hustle. But Davis looks like a future all-star. And Amir is better off the bench.

A future all-star? Wow, I must be watching a different Ed Davis. Davis will be a solid pro, he is learning the game and had lots to work on, his foundation looks to be solid and that is a good start....not an all-star though. Lets look at all-star power forwards in the NBA, Amare, KG, Tim Duncan, Dirk, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, Bosh...thats just this year, look at guys that did not make it, Boozer, Aldridge Randolph, Josh Smith....I am not sure I see Ed in that company.

[duncan]

I agree with WJF; it's gonna be awfully hard for Davis to become an all-star, unless all those other guys die in a plane crash on their way to the release party for Bosh's "Second Ink" DVD.

I do, however, think that Davis will be the better pro long term because I think he's smarter, and has his dad (former player) working with him to be the best pro he can be.

Not that I know either of them, I just know that it's taken Amir this long to finally "get it", and I think that Davis already "has it".

[Apollo]

Ed's Statline In Last 15

In 21 MPG...

6.5PPG, .642FG%, 0.6FT%, 7.4REB, 1.1 BLK, 0.2 STL, 0.5 STL, 0.3 TO, 2.6 PF

His season stats are close to this as well. That's close to Joakim Noah's second season(age 23). Both players were highly touted college prospects. Both players were known for defense and rebounding. Both entered the league around the same size. There are many parallels. Ed opted for the draft a year younger than Noah by the way. If Ed can follow a similar development, both skill and conditioning, as Noah then then the Raptors might not have an all-star on their hands but they might have a game changer. Noah may never make the game because he's not flashy but I guarantee you most GM's would pick him over some of the flashy bigs like Chris Bosh who do make the game.

[mcHAPPY]

In 21 MPG...

6.5PPG, .642FG%, 0.6FT%, 7.4REB, 1.1 BLK, 0.2 STL, 0.5 STL, 0.3 TO, 2.6 PF

His season stats are close to this as well. That's close to Joakim Noah's second season(age 23). Both players were highly touted college prospects. Both players were known for defense and rebounding. Both entered the league around the same size. There are many parallels. Ed opted for the draft a year younger than Noah by the way. If Ed can follow a similar development, both skill and conditioning, as Noah then then the Raptors might not have an all-star on their hands but they might have a game changer. Noah may never make the game because he's not flashy but I guarantee you most GM's would pick him over some of the flashy bigs like Chris Bosh who do make the game.

If Davis became a version of Noah, I, for one, would be estactic.

[jeff_hostetler]

Davis would need to put on 10-15 pounds before anyone can talk about him becoming anything other than a dependable starter.

Same goes for Amir.

However, if both develop as best they can, I'd take Davis for the longer term, as he plays better defense and has a better grasp of the fundamentals.

[Eurobasket]

Davis has a potential to become very good player if he is coached properly. He obviously has talent and it looks like the work ethics is there, these are the two fundamentals to become great in any sport. Without one of them, the best you can hope for is an average rotation guy (we have plenty of those on the roster, some of them lack talent, the others are simply lazy millionaires who couldn't care less). Biggest concern for Davis' future are injuries and the losing team culture, if no one around you is trying, you can adopt bad habits.
What I like about Amir is that he is trying hard every night, plays through injuries, battling bigger guys. He is still young but IMO he`s already playing close to his maximum potential. Best we can hope is to become reliable team player, but his frequent injuries are something to worry about, as well as poor decisions and foul trouble. After all, its not his fault that he is overpaid with 30 M contract, at least he`s trying to do something in return. It's true that he's 4th in NBA in FG%, 9th in offensive rebounds which is all good, but he is far from All-Star caliber as some may suggest.

[Apollo]

If Davis became a version of Noah, I, for one, would be estactic.

If he keeps going in the direction he's going you're going to be ecstatic. That's my opinion anyway...

[Balls of Steel]

It's Davis and Johnson that puts me to sleep at night when I think of the Raps (lately that includes DD as well). I love Davis' work ethic as well as Amir. As for future all-star consideration, I don't see why not. ED has the potential to stand out as a hard nosed post-defender and occasional scorer. It's really refreshing these days. Amir is great too but I feel that ED has a higher ceiling. He's also bigger and continues to grow (it seems). The agility is there but when his timing and defense gets better, Ed Davis will be a force for the rest of his career.

[Balls of Steel]

Davis has a potential to become very good player if he is coached properly. He obviously has talent and it looks like the work ethics is there, these are the two fundamentals to become great in any sport. Without one of them, the best you can hope for is an average rotation guy (we have plenty of those on the roster, some of them lack talent, the others are simply lazy millionaires who couldn't care less). Biggest concern for Davis' future are injuries and the losing team culture, if no one around you is trying, you can adopt bad habits.
What I like about Amir is that he is trying hard every night, plays through injuries, battling bigger guys. He is still young but IMO he`s already playing close to his maximum potential. Best we can hope is to become reliable team player, but his frequent injuries are something to worry about, as well as poor decisions and foul trouble. After all, its not his fault that he is overpaid with 30 M contract, at least he`s trying to do something in return. It's true that he's 4th in NBA in FG%, 9th in offensive rebounds which is all good, but he is far from All-Star caliber as some may suggest.

I partly blame his foul issues to an overall porous defense and a certain partner that couldn't care less. He has issues of foul trouble in Detroit but he was so young. No one is talking about his foul issues of late and when pared with Davis, is not suffering from this malady as opposed to playing with Mr. Man. He actually alluded to this in an interview for Raptors TV. He said, with Ed, he doesn't have to worry about help D and that he can do his own thing. It's a jab if there is ever one if you ask me.