Exquisite Courts

Last summer, one of the biggest (and most controversial) free agent moves that went down was Baron Davis, the leader  of the Golden State Warriors and one of the biggest figures in the team’s revival opted out of his contract with GS and headed home to the City of Angels.

This move was supposed to singlehandedly murder one franchise and lift another to another level.  Instead, it’s starting to look like it may have just killed both.  The Clippers have long been known as the League-Wide punchline, from serving as second banana and little brother to the Purple and Gold team to having Dunleavy Sr. as head coach (say what you will, but the man has only been to the playoffs once in six years as coach), to being cursed with some of the worst luck of any professional sports team, period (See Livingston, Shaun.).  Many thought that Baron coming home would be the thing to finally push the Clipps back into playoff contention.  The Batman&Batman duo of B-Diddy and Elton Brand, some “experts” commented, would skyrocket LAC into the top tiers of the West.

You may ask what came of this shake-up.  We all know the story: Brand dips for Philadelphia, Baron tries to lead a young and directionless team, gets hurt, and generally stinks up the court while he’s healthy.  Could there be a more fitting turn of events for those unlucky Clippers fans?  Most likely not.  Davis has more or less contributed uninspired play to his new franchise, leading them to a 8-25 record, good for fourth in the Pacific Division. (They’re ahead of only the equally-stinky Sactown Kings.)

So how do you chalk Baron’s season up? You could say it was his playing time last year, his first full season since 01-02.  You could say it was the knee and leg injuries generally catching up with the big guy.  You could say that he missed playing in the Bay.  I, for one, would argue that it’s the Dunleavy system they have him playing in.  It’s obvious that BoomDizzle is at his peak when he gets to run and play the transition game, something that is just not possible in Senior’s halfcourt style.  Last season, the Warriors had the second highest pace in the league (behind the D’Antoni Suns), and Davis had arguably the best season of his career.  This year, in L.A., the Clipps have the 14th highest pace factor, surprising for a Dunleavy-led team, but even a 12 spot drop in pace makes Baron average at worst, and very good at best.

If the recent rumors of Davis’ return to the Warriors are true, then maybe the argument can be settled for sure.  If not, have fun with your caged cheetah, Clipperdom.