And just like that, not only is Baron Davis no longer contractually obligated to those Golden State Warriors, but he's a freaking Los Angeles Clipper. ESPN and L.A.'s CBS affiliate have both reported Davis has reached a preliminary agreement with the Clippers, and expects to sign a five-year, $65 million contract next week.
Is this a more shocking turn of events for the Warriors, or the Clippers? L.A. faced the risk of starting Brevin Knight and/or Paul Davis this fall had Elton Brand fled for greener meadows and had the decent point guard options (Sacramento's Beno Udrih, for one) gotten sopped up. Instead, the team looks like a contender for the eighth playoff slot in the West at least, which ...
... knocks those Warriors down a peg. Losing Davis hurts, but it seems the Golden State faithful had prepared for his eventual exile. But losing him this summer on his terms to a division rival without getting an asset in return ... that's not the plan, I'm guessing. Now, it's Monta Ellis at the point, unless Chris Duhon's your man.
Chris Mullin was a champion last summer in his hardball negotiations. This time? Not so much. Davis just did this to the Warriors.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-01-2008 @ 9:36PM
Todd Lerner said...
"Davis just did this to the Warriors." --
Brilliant, Ziller. I couldn't have said it better myself!
Reply
7-01-2008 @ 9:47PM
Ryan said...
shocking!! Clippers? They suck as a franchise!
http://www.collegefastbreak.com/
Reply
7-01-2008 @ 10:06PM
Todd Lerner said...
Oh c'mon, reminding people that the Clippers suck is like picking on the retarded kid at recess. You're not impressing anybody.
Reply
7-01-2008 @ 10:19PM
Shaz said...
If Kaman plays well then they will be an interesting team, although they still have a huge hole at the 2 guard
Reply
7-01-2008 @ 10:30PM
Martin said...
I wonder if there is a chance to convince Maggette to stick around. Davis, Brand, Maggette, Thornton, and Kaman would be an excellent starting 5, and that lineup would be competitive against the best (the Lakers).
Reply
7-01-2008 @ 11:00PM
grecat said...
Now ya know why the Warriors offered Arenas $101 mil. today (which he probably won't take). Baron wasn't going to be a long term solution to take the Warriors to the next level of the Lakers, Hornets, San Antonio, etc. Wish the Clippers all the best when Baron starts launching those long 3 pointers when he's 1 on 3 with no rebounding. He has his great moments, but not a long term superstar.
Reply
7-01-2008 @ 11:02PM
grecat said...
Now ya know why the Warriors offered Arenas $101 mil. today (which he
probably won't take). Baron wasn't going to be a long term solution to
take the Warriors to the next level of the Lakers, Hornets, San
Antonio, etc. Wish the Clippers all the best when Baron starts
launching those long 3 pointers when he's 1 on 3 with no rebounding.
He has his great moments, but not a long term superstar.
Reply
7-02-2008 @ 12:48PM
jwheeler said...
well. i am a blazer fan, let me state that right off. i am at a loss for why there is no commitment from the nba players. i know you want a ring. that's only normal, but these contracts strangle the teams. how can you expect maggette to sign for a few million a year? unless brand and davis are paying for all of his meals, it would be an insult to have these guys making 13 million and you are the 3rd best player on the team making a, comparable, pittance. I like my club. they are young and inexperienced, but they want to win. as a team. together. if this trend continues, my team will have to be broken up because of the salary cap in a couple of years (though i know that my team is a bit less selfish, at this point anyway). i wish both teams luck. though i hope and trust that my team will be ahead of them in the rankings.
Reply