Baron Davis has a lot of questions coming into the season to answer. The Clippers guard missed 17 games last season, and in the games he did play, he was somewhat of a letdown. With a healthier team around him, and the addition of #1 pick Blake Griffin, will Davis return to his old form?
Not being able to win 20 games as a professional basketball team is very embarrassing. The Clippers were 27th in scoring and 25th in defense - at least they weren't dead last in both categories.
His statistics still don't show that he is completely healthy and playing at his high level again, but he has taken a leadership role. His numbers don't need to be at his all time peak if his leadership role plays a big part of the team.
Last year, he claimed to feel lost and without direction because he was a newcomer. This year, it's officially "his team." He knows if this is going to work, he has to lead them. He also knows that Blake Griffin is a huge addition and will help a ton.
You may remember that Duncan, alongside David Robinson, led the Spurs to an NBA championship during the very beginning of his career. Can Blake Griffin have a similar type of impact for the Los Angeles Clippers?
With a healthy Marcus Camby, a new stud in Blake Griffin, and a pair of young, talented wings in Eric Gordon and Al Thornton, he can become a great distributor.
Davis has always had a score first mentality, but he also has been getting 7-8 assists a game for the past few seasons. I expect him to put up a career-high in assists, while maintaining his 15 points or so a game like last season.
It can be another long and painful season - or it can be a season where the Clippers change their culture and win some games. - 31494
Not being able to win 20 games as a professional basketball team is very embarrassing. The Clippers were 27th in scoring and 25th in defense - at least they weren't dead last in both categories.
His statistics still don't show that he is completely healthy and playing at his high level again, but he has taken a leadership role. His numbers don't need to be at his all time peak if his leadership role plays a big part of the team.
Last year, he claimed to feel lost and without direction because he was a newcomer. This year, it's officially "his team." He knows if this is going to work, he has to lead them. He also knows that Blake Griffin is a huge addition and will help a ton.
You may remember that Duncan, alongside David Robinson, led the Spurs to an NBA championship during the very beginning of his career. Can Blake Griffin have a similar type of impact for the Los Angeles Clippers?
With a healthy Marcus Camby, a new stud in Blake Griffin, and a pair of young, talented wings in Eric Gordon and Al Thornton, he can become a great distributor.
Davis has always had a score first mentality, but he also has been getting 7-8 assists a game for the past few seasons. I expect him to put up a career-high in assists, while maintaining his 15 points or so a game like last season.
It can be another long and painful season - or it can be a season where the Clippers change their culture and win some games. - 31494
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