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Both sides won in Baron Davis Era
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CommentSo, um, yeah, about that tranquil offseason for the Golden State Warriors.
The thought was, bring all the horses back and try to elevate a 48-win team into maybe the 53- to 55-victory range to lock up a solid playoff spot next April.
The thought was, bring all the horses back and try to elevate a 48-win team into maybe the 53- to 55-victory range to lock up a solid playoff spot next April.
How? Watch Monta Ellis become a bonified NBA star, watch Brandan Wright develop into a solid (if skinny) complement to Andris Biedrins down low, let Stephen Jackson do his thing on the wing, and anything else that needs to be figured out, let Baron Davis take care of it.
The assumption was, Davis would play the last season on his contract next winter — to the tune of $17.8 million — and then, barring a deal this summer or during the season, both sides would figure it out next summer.
The assumption was, Davis would play the last season on his contract next winter — to the tune of $17.8 million — and then, barring a deal this summer or during the season, both sides would figure it out next summer.
Instead, he opted out Monday and apparently agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Technically, he can’t sign the deal until NBA free agency formally starts in a few days.
So now what?
So now what?
It’s hard to lose your franchise player, the guy who provides the swagger and the big basket at the end of a game.
The Warriors now have a decent amount of cash to spend on a free agent or two, but is there anyone on the market this summer that would fill Baron’s shoes? No.
Unless I’m mistaken, the Warriors can save their extra cash for next offseason, when the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are due to test the free agent waters.
Do I think the Warriors will land one of those guys?
Not necessarily, but I know they absolutely won’t if they spend all their money now in a panic move.
(See ZITO, BARRY under PANIC MOVES, GIANTS, 2007 for more on why this isn’t a good idea.)
And no, I don’t think burning Davis in effigy is the right thing to do here.
There is no loyalty in sports anymore, period. On both sides.
As great as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott were for the San Francisco 49ers, what happened to them in the end?
Gone, gone and gone. Let go or traded to other teams when they were no longer as serviceable as they once were.
So the Clippers offer Davis the chance to come home for more money.
He took it. Wouldn’t you?
Look, both sides made out great while Baron was here.
The Warriors became fun and relevant again, and Davis rehabbed his reputation from an injury-prone malcontent into a top-notch NBA point guard.
The Warriors won, and now Baron wins.
Of course, the common thought is the fans lose, but they might not.
Maybe Marco Belinelli, banished to the bench most of his rookie season last year, blossoms into Golden State’s version of Manu Ginobili at the off-guard spot.
Maybe Ellis, knowing he will probably play more point guard this year, continues to develop his outside shot to pair with his lethally quick first step to the basket.
(Envision this: A more explosive Chris Paul. Wow.)
Maybe not.
Either way, one thing I learned a long time ago: Just cheer for the uniform, because the faces in it are always going to change.
The Warriors now have a decent amount of cash to spend on a free agent or two, but is there anyone on the market this summer that would fill Baron’s shoes? No.
Unless I’m mistaken, the Warriors can save their extra cash for next offseason, when the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are due to test the free agent waters.
Do I think the Warriors will land one of those guys?
Not necessarily, but I know they absolutely won’t if they spend all their money now in a panic move.
(See ZITO, BARRY under PANIC MOVES, GIANTS, 2007 for more on why this isn’t a good idea.)
And no, I don’t think burning Davis in effigy is the right thing to do here.
There is no loyalty in sports anymore, period. On both sides.
As great as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott were for the San Francisco 49ers, what happened to them in the end?
Gone, gone and gone. Let go or traded to other teams when they were no longer as serviceable as they once were.
So the Clippers offer Davis the chance to come home for more money.
He took it. Wouldn’t you?
Look, both sides made out great while Baron was here.
The Warriors became fun and relevant again, and Davis rehabbed his reputation from an injury-prone malcontent into a top-notch NBA point guard.
The Warriors won, and now Baron wins.
Of course, the common thought is the fans lose, but they might not.
Maybe Marco Belinelli, banished to the bench most of his rookie season last year, blossoms into Golden State’s version of Manu Ginobili at the off-guard spot.
Maybe Ellis, knowing he will probably play more point guard this year, continues to develop his outside shot to pair with his lethally quick first step to the basket.
(Envision this: A more explosive Chris Paul. Wow.)
Maybe not.
Either way, one thing I learned a long time ago: Just cheer for the uniform, because the faces in it are always going to change.
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FrankJohnson wrote on Jul 3, 2008 7:55 AM:
Where I think loyalty should have come in is not in refusing the Clippers' offer but in giving the Warriors more notice.
It seems pretty clear to me that Davis and Brand had talked in advance about doing this. Apparently, Brand had told the Clippers that 1) he was opting out to give the Clippers more flexibility and that he wanted to stay with the Clippers; and, 2) that he would love for them to get Baron Davis.
So it also seems pretty clear to me that while Davis was saying he wanted to come back and play with the Warriors, he was actually plotting a move to the Clippers.
Why not just be up front with the Warriors and tell them that? If he had done so, the Warriors might have approached the draft differently and they might have used the $10M trade exception differently.
It's true that Davis revitalized the franchise. It's also true that the franchise revitalized Davis (you're the first I've seen to point this out in this current situation). I would think that loyalty and gratitude on Davis' part would have led him to at least give the Warriors fair warning of what was coming. "
matt g wrote on Jul 10, 2008 12:19 PM:
Don Nelson in OakTown = no star players in OakTown
(and that's just the way that Big Don wants it) "