What are we to make of Mr. Baron Davis?
Lost in all the vitriolic rants about the stupidity of the Cavaliers for agreeing to pay Baron Davis for 2 more full seasons was the fact that this is a chapter not yet written. We’ve discussed the absurdity of prognostication in sports before. And there’s no question that history serves as a precursor for the future.
Yet to simply write off Baron Davis completely in Cleveland is to eliminate any concept of free will. If Charlie Sheen can cure his addiction with his brain, just imagine what Baron Davis is capable of achieving with his fresh start in Cleveland, tiger blood and Adonis DNA notwithstanding.
All kidding aside, though, as we await for Davis to be healthy enough to make his Cleveland debut, it might be worth considering what is fair to hope for out of this side of the Mo Williams trade. We established last week that it should be clear that the Cavaliers didn’t make this trade for Baron Davis, they made it for the likely top 10 pick in the draft. But just because Davis wasn’t the ultimate goal doesn’t mean he can’t turn out to be a hidden blessing (to some degree).
Of course, for the sake of full discretion, I must admit that I am not a fan of Baron Davis’s game. As an NBA fan, I have always found his personality fascinating and even considering his diva side, I still have always enjoyed following his career. His time in Golden State was one of the first times I realized how the internet and social media was shrinking the chasm between athletes and fans. It was new, and it was exciting.
But I have never liked the way he has played basketball. He forces things too much, dominates the ball too much, takes bad 3s, can be lazy on defense, and has bloated assists numbers in the same way LeBron James does (dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, drive, kick out). Assists are always good, but I’m of the philosophy that an assist that comes in the flow of the offense is always preferable to an assists coming off a bail out kick out to a jumper as the shot clock is expiring.
There’s been a lot of talk about Baron’s re-establishing himself in Cleveland. Rebirth. Awakening. Redemption. Discovery. This really is an opportunity for Baron and a chance to prove himself and give himself one last chance to show that a contending team would be wise to try to acquire him. This is his last chance to ever play his way back onto a championship contending team.
We’ve heard some suggest that Baron plays well when he’s engaged. When he’s happy and the team is winning, he’s a model citizen and gives maximum effort. Well, the Cavaliers are not going to be winning this year. With Anderson Varejao already lost for the season and Antawn Jamison likely joining him, the Cavaliers’ options are becoming more and more limited.
Tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, the Cavaliers are starting Alonzo Gee at SF and Samardo Samuels at PF. Nothing against these individuals who, by all accounts, play hard and try their best, but starting multiple undrafted free agents against arguably the best team in the NBA is less than ideal. Not only would Samuels and Gee not start for any other team in the NBA, but there are plenty of teams on which these guys would not even be able to make the roster.
This isn’t meant as a slight on Gee and Samuels, two players that I genuinely like. Rather, though, this is to illustrate the dire straits the Cavaliers are in from a winning standpoint. The question will be what impact this has on Baron Davis’s outlook on life as a Cavalier.
For his part, Baron is saying all the right things right now, and I’m always one to give others the benefit of the doubt. There’s really no pressure on Baron. Nobody is expecting him to come in and be our savior. Nobody has any delusions about what his tenure in Cleveland is going to be all about. In fact, should Davis flame out and never help the team in any way, there’s plenty of passionate Cavs fans who probably would see it as a blessing as it would help lead to future lottery picks.
The point being, it’s hard to see how this could really turn ugly. What is everyone so afraid of? Baron Davis poisoning the winning culture of the Cleveland Cavaliers? That winning culture was sucked out of this team’s soul with the 26 game losing streak, and maybe sooner (December 2nd, anyone?). Call me naive, but what’s the worst that could happen here? The Cavaliers are the worst team in the NBA, and Baron Davis not playing well or being a malcontent isn’t going to make that worse.
Yet, through all of this tumultuous season in Cleveland, there still remains a sense of longing among many Cavaliers fans. A longing for exciting basketball and star caliber players in the wine and gold. This is where Baron Davis has an opportunity to exercise his free will to write his own chapter in Cleveland. He can bring excitement back to basketball in Cleveland. Not to the level of when LeBron was here, of course, but Davis does have the capacity for excitement.
JJ Hickson is Cleveland’s best hope for a young star at the moment, and Baron Davis can choose to help facilitate that growth. Baron’s almost certainly not going to turn the Cavaliers around, but he can turn around his own career and give Cleveland fans some fond memories of him hustling, giving full effort, and being a solid leader in a dark time. There’s a lot of merit in there, and I hope that’s the chapter he chooses to write.
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Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
