Ricky D.

ESPN (Testimonial)

MINNEAPOLIS -- This summer the Timberwolves dispatched two players to spread goodwill and market the team to outstate Minnesota. That Mark Madsen was one of those players came as no shock at all. Actually, it was downright predictable. Madsen is one of the NBA's all-time good guys, and everyone knows it. He's long had a reputation for being a wonderful teammate, an active member in the community and an all-around nice guy. But his traveling mate on the three-day caravan probably came as a surprise to many. It was Ricky Davis. Throughout his nine-year NBA career, and even before that when he was in college at Iowa, Davis has been called everything in the book -- thug, malcontent, locker room poison, selfish player. Coach Dwane Casey has a different label. Community conscious," Casey said earlier this week after practice. Ricky Davis? Community conscious? Does that fit? After watching Davis for nearly a year in the Twin Cities, it sure does. The Timberwolves occasionally send members of the media e-mails alerting us to the different community projects in which their players participate. It's all part of the league's never-ending effort to accentuate the positives and hopefully divert attention away from the many arrests and other boorish behavior that often grab headlines. And it seems like 75 percent of the e-mails include Davis in some fashion. He's done everything from bringing Thanksgiving dinner to a shelter for homeless women and children, to holding a contest for season tickets. And while many teams have to pull teeth to get their stars to participate in community programs, Davis initiates most of his projects. He comes to us," Wolves spokesman Mike Cristaldi said. In April 1999 while with the Charlotte Hornets, Davis donated $10,000 to help a local high school basketball player who was put in a coma after a car accident. Just growing up in the neighborhoods, being unfortunate and not being able to see certain stuff, see certain people until you finally get to college, it's a great feeling to finally be able to give back to certain people, feed them, and make them happy," Davis said. That's not what many expected to hear when he first arrived in Minnesota last January in the Wally Szczerbiak trade. He brought with him from Boston plenty of baggage. There were rumors of clashes with LeBron James in Cleveland, selfish play with the Celtics and being uncoachable at Iowa. You hear a lot of crazy stuff," Davis said. "Do you hear about the book and not read it just because you hear about it? Everybody who knows me knows what kind of person I am and who I am generally. When I hear other people still saying crazy stuff I just know they really don't know. They're finding out now. One of Davis' marquee projects is the "Get Buckets Brigade. Known as "Get Buckets" for his ability to put the ball in the hole, Davis devised the plan when he was in Cleveland. Fans entered the contest to compete for tickets -- purchased by Davis himself -- and Davis watches finalists perform, often singing and dancing, to show him who is the biggest Timberwolves fan. Initially planning on awarding five winners a pair of season tickets, Davis wound up purchasing 10 pair of tickets for the lucky fans. It's a way to give back and certain people don't get a chance to ever see an NBA game," he said. "It's just something to be fortunate to be able to give back and see the most exciting fans, finally, instead of sitting in front of the TV, sitting in the seats and watching prime time. Casey smiles when he hears that. It's all part of a maturation process that has taken years. Ricky's done a great job in the community," Casey said. "And it's a great step on Ricky's path of growth and maturity and everything. Now Casey hopes to see that show up on the court. How's that for a switcheroo? An NBA coach wanting his player to act on the court more like he acts off it. Davis has the physical talents to be Robin to Kevin Garnett's Batman. But last year he didn't play well enough on defense to help the Timberwolves out of a rut. This season he started off in a shooting slump, but has picked it up as of late, shooting 49 percent in his last 10 games. The Timberwolves are 5-1 in games when he scores at least 18 points. Because as nice as Davis' community work is, he knows he will ultimately be judged by what he does on the court. Being a leader is what I've always challenged Ricky with," Casey said. "Go out and lead a team to winning, lead a team to the playoffs. He's gotten his numbers, he's got the big contract, so now it's time to be a leader and he's doing that. ^------= Jon Krawczynski can be reached at jkrawczynski(at)ap.org. Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index SPONSORED HEADLINES