Lakers’ Ed Davis says it’s “difficult” to sit even if he understands reasoning

One night after missing a potential game-tying free throw in the closing seconds against Memphis, the Lakers' Ed Davis shot 150 free throws at practice and has shown improvement at the free-throw line. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

One night after missing a potential game-tying free throw in the closing seconds against Memphis, the Lakers’ Ed Davis shot 150 free throws at practice and has shown improvement at the free-throw line. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

The stakes involved Lakers forward Ed Davis needing to make a half-court shot. Or else he owed Lakers coach Byron Scott $100.

Davis missed the attempt, but he quickly argued why he did not need to follow through on his bet.

“It was an April Fool’s joke, in my eyes,” Davis said following Thursday’s practice at the Lakers’ facility in El Segundo. “But he’s going to want this money.”

So much that Davis joked “I can’t walk by without him saying something to me.” Or without Scot mentioning the incident to reporters.

“That didn’t fly,” Scott said, and he knew where the question was headed next.

Does that partly explain why Davis has sat for three consecutive games despite Scott considering him “one of our most valuable big guys”?

“That wasn’t the reason,” Scott said, laughing.

Instead, Davis remains unsure if he will play when the Lakers (20-54) host the Portland Trail Blazers (48-26) on Friday at Staples Center because Scott wants to develop his younger players.

“It’s been difficult and sitting on the bench watching when I want to be out there,” Davis said. “But I’m staying ready, working out before games and after practices and things like that.”

Scott loved knowing Davis hardly feels happy about the situation. The Lakers’ coach reasoned, “I would hate to hear him saying, ‘I’m glad I’m not playing.’ That would give me a pretty good indication of a guy that doesn’t like competition.”But other than vowing Davis will play at some point in the Lakers’ remaining games, Scott offered no indication when that would happen. Scott even joked there remains “no rhyme or reason” on how he has sat out both Carlos Boozer (two games) and Jordan Hill (three games) during part of last week’s trip. In Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans, Robert Sacre also stayed on the bench because of a coach’s decision.

Such an incident could make a player feel alienated. But Davis stressed that even if his hope to play all 82 regular season games just remains a pipe dream, how Scott handled his recent demotion will have no bearing on his long-term interest with the Lakers. Davis plans to opt out of his $1.2 million player option in hopes of a more long-term deal with the purple and gold.

“If we were fighting for a playoff spot, it would be totally different,” said Davis, who has averaged 8.4 points on a career-high 61.4 percent shooting and a career-high 7.3 rebounds. “Obviously we’re not playing for nothing right now. You switch things up and give guys opportunities.”

Davis suffered at the mercy of a coach’s decision, most notably with the Memphis Grizzlies (2012-14). But Davis playing only 36 games in the 2012-13 season and 63 games in the 2013-14 campaign mostly involved playing behind a loaded frontcourt in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Davis also encountered philosophical differences with former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who publicly admitted he did not like Memphis traded Rudy Gay for Davis.

“It’s definitely different just because I felt like in Memphis, the games I wasn’t playing I felt like I could’ve helped the team,” Davis said. “We aren’t playing for something right now. Since we’re not playing for something, it’s a little different.”

Yet, Davis is still playing for something. Considering he will opt out of his player option, doesn’t he want to play as many games as possible to maximize his market value? Well, yes. But Davis believes that already has happened.

“I don’t think these last eight games will change anything on how I’m viewed around the league or viewed with this team,” Davis said. “I’m just going to try to finish out the year strong. But I don’t think it’s going to make a difference whether I play or not the rest of these eight games. I’ve played in enough games and been effective enough to show teams that I can stay in this league and belong in this league.”

Meanwhile, Davis vows he will stick to his routine, aware that how he responds to his demotion could show how he handles adverse circumstances.

“We all know what the situation is in trying to develop guys and get an opportunity,” Davis said. “With this offseason coming up, it’s definitely a big offseason for this organization. So I’m going to be professional. When I get called on, I’ll be ready to go.”

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com