'Damn, This Game Is Long': The Dos and Don'ts of Life on an NBA Bench

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Take Ed Davis' predicament. At 28, he's the Portland Trail Blazers' second-oldest player. Unlike most of his peers, Davis always preferred the seat closest to the assistant coaches.

"You can discuss coverages, things like that," Davis says.

There's only one problem: Damian Lillard, the Blazers' franchise point guard, prefers that seat, too. He's a year younger than Davis and played two fewer NBA seasons. Yet Davis understands what's required of him when he's on the bench and Lillard comes out of the game.

"I slide over," he said.


Situations like those are exactly why Portland rookie Jake Layman dedicates so much thought to his seat selection each time the team gathers during a game stoppage. For one, he doesn't want to wind up like Davis and get displaced. More importantly, though, he makes a point of trying to avoid the seats adjacent to Blazers forward Noah Vonleh.

"You want to stay clear of the super-sweaty guys," Layman says. "Noah's one of them."

Layman isn't alone in this thinking. Most players try to steer clear of larger teammates and their sweaty, long limbs. Big men also take up more room in what's already a tight setup. Chairs are only between 18 and 19.5 inches wide, despite the fact they're propping up some of the world's tallest men.

"Some guys like to be all wide and s--t, but you let them know, 'Hey, I need space,'" Davis says.

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Read about other teams here - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ong-the-dos-and-donts-of-life-on-an-nba-bench

 

This is probably what Lillard was discussing with Paul.

barfo

 

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