Baron Davis; The Leader of the Los Angeles Clippers

By Luke Feldbaum

The Los Angeles Clippers lucked out this year. While the team didn't have the worst record in the NBA last season, they were pretty downright bad. This was pretty surprising considering the fact that the team had signed both Baron Davis and Marcus Camby - two very big names.

My verdict so far is that he can. In preseason games, he has played with a definite chip on his shoulder. He came to Los Angeles with the goal of resurrecting a franchise in desperate need of success.

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.

An extremely versatile player, Griffin's power and forcefulness are the type that can positively impact any team. He's a franchise player in the mold of a Tim Duncan.

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?

The Clippers have a very long history of failures and never found that core group of players that meshed long enough to make a serious playoff run. The leading scorer on the Clippers last season Zach Randolph, who isn't on the team anymore. They only won 19 games with him as the leading scorer so it was time to make a change one would assume.

The Clippers will struggle to get points this upcoming season it would seem. Blake Griffin must carry the load and try getting more shot attempts for Baron Davis - who by his standards had an awful season. Marcus Camby missed 20 games and is getting older also.

Davis came to the Clippers with great intentions, and he can make a quick turnaround with a team that does have some nice pieces. Los Angeles will only have one relevant NBA team again this season though unless Baron Davis can lead the way at the point. - 31494

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here