Magic struggling without Big Baby

The Orlando Magic have quickly realized how important Glen "Big Baby" Davis really is to their team.

The Magic were 12-13 before he suffered a sprain shoulder. He has missed the last five games and all those games resulted in an 'L' for the Magic.

Davis is becoming more valuable with every game he misses, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:

Big Baby's value never has been greater - and he can't even put his arm over his head without wincing. His trade stock has increased while he has been wrapped in ice bags.

[...]

Davis can't possibly live up to the expectations once he comes back next month. He'll have to average 25 and 12, hit 3-pointers and sell popcorn.

Who knew the Magic would miss him this much?

Even his teammates weren't truly aware.

"Baby covers up so much out there," point guard Ish Smith said after the Magic were pummeled by 35. "We didn't know. I'm sure nobody really knew. We have to make up for it."

Davis, 27, is having his best season as a pro. He's averaging 16 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Both marks are a career high with 25 games played.

Davis is in his second season with the Magic after being traded from the Boston Celtics. Despite having a strong campaign this year, he was basically an afterthought last season. He averaged 9.3 points in 61 games last year, with only 13 starts.

The sixth-year pro out of LSU made a name for himself in the playoffs, though. In five starts, he averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He averaged 38 minutes on the floor in the playoffs last season.