Warrior makes deal with Clippers
Wait, did the Warriors just lose Baron Davis to the Clippers?
How very un-Clipper-like of them.
Approximately, say, 24 hours after opting out of the final year
of his contract, a single year that would have paid him $17.8
million next season, Davis reportedly agreed to a five-year, $65
million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Really, doctor?
Warrior makes deal with Clippers
Wait, did the Warriors just lose Baron Davis to the Clippers? How very un-Clipper-like of them.
Approximately, say, 24 hours after opting out of the final year of his contract, a single year that would have paid him $17.8 million next season, Davis reportedly agreed to a five-year, $65 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Really, doctor?
You know, if Baron Davis wanted to shock me more than he already has, he’ll suddenly stop launching 3-pointers in Los Angeles, and suddenly start playing defense.
Naw, won’t happen.
Of course, I said that about the opt-out, and then said it again once I heard Davis was rumored to be going to the Clips. Clearly, though, what with the quick turnaround and all, the Clippers already had something under the table waiting for Davis – which would be illegal. There’s absolutely no other reason as to how Davis, who said he wasn’t going to opt out last week, can sign a massive contract Tuesday hours after he opted out at the last minute on Monday.
Don’t worry, David Stern is currently not looking into it.
Davis is gone from the Warriors, though. Before the news broke on Tuesday of the verbal agreement – which can’t be finalized until July 9 – I wrote a whole column on how the Warriors should not re-sign Davis, how the Warriors will be better off without Davis.
Yes, he was the face of the franchise and led the team to their recent uprising, but Golden State was not going to win a championship with him. And by the way the team has been drafting and dealing in recent years, they felt the same way.
After the Warriors traded Jason Richardson to the Bobcats for Brandon Wright, the season after they posted the greatest upset in NBA Playoffs history, it was clear which direction the team was going.
I still don’t understand why they traded Richardson when they did, but when it happened, there was an obvious push toward the future of the team. For a squad that is predominantly made up of players in their early 20s, Davis was not the team’s point guard of the future?
If anything, Davis opting out and subsequently signing with Los Angeles rids the Warriors of his contract, and allows them to jumpstart their transition/rebuilding phase a year earlier than expected.
The question that Golden State gets to deal with one year sooner, though, is who in the world will play point guard?
In a copycat league – aren’t all leagues? – a shoot-first point guard is becoming a thing of the past. As is not playing defense.
With that said, I don’t think Gilbert Arenas is the answer, no matter how much Zito-like cash the Warriors throw at him. And Monta Ellis – who the Warriors can easily sign back now, along with Andris Biedrins – is more of a 2-guard than anything.
With the Clippers spending all their money on Davis, their point guard, Shaun Livingston, may come on the cheap. He suffered a nasty knee injury in 2007, so he could come at a discount. He’s unrestricted, he was very good prior to the injury and is a tremendous talent, and he’s only 22.
It is all about the future, right?
Another option could be Chicago’s Chris Duhon, who is unrestricted, or Kirk Hinrich, who the Bulls could be looking to trade since they added Derrick Rose in last week’s draft.
With what is available right now and with what could be traded for, though, I don’t foresee the Warriors making the playoffs next year anyway, unless something big happens. The West is stacked, and Golden State’s best trading chip is Al Harrington.
Faaaaaan-tastic!
But they can compete next season, and heading into the 2010 off season with a slew of cap space could very well be the best option right now, when names like LeBron, Wade, Bosh and Amare will be looking for big money.
Baron Davis is already moving on with his career, and pretty quickly, I might add. The Warriors may be taking a step back, but they need to move on too.
