Baron Davis Returns Home

       There's a phrase I often borrow from my friend Jerome (who borrowed it from his friend Mike, who may have borrowed it from somewhere else) to describe shock. When something surprises me, the first words  out of my mouth are invariably this phrase. And so it was that last night, upon seeing the news that Baron Davis is to become an LA Clipper, the only possible words I could find were, "Say WHAT?!?!?!??!" But after thinking about the signing for a while, from a basketball and a business perspective, I realized that it actually makes complete and utter sense, for the Clippers of course, but especially for Davis, an LA kid, himself.

       But first, the basketball side of things: I guess Davis didn't know that this was supposed to be a boring free agent season for the NBA. He was supposed to re-sign with Golden State, Gil Arenas and Antawn Jamison were supposed to re-sign with DC, and Elton Brand was supposed to be the only big piece to possibly switch teams. Apparently, Baron didn't get the memo. The man who brought glasses and beards back to the NBA is now bringing his show to Hollywood, leaving the Bay Area and the rest of the league in shock. After all, it was Davis who brought the Warriors back to relevance, almost single-handedly orchestrating a first-round upset of the 67-Win Mavs two years ago. Not counting Barry Bonds - who no longer exists - Davis might have been the Bay Area's most successful athlete since Steve Young. And now he's gone. And barring Golden State luring Arenas from DC, the Warriors will return to irrelevance. The Clippers, on the other hand, are poised to matter once again.

       There are a few guys in the league who are leaders and know it, who can put a team on their shoulders and will them to victory. Baron Davis is one of those guys. With him leading the Clippers over the next five years, alongside 7-ft Chris Kaman, 20-10 man Elton Brand, and a cadre of roll players with phenomenal talent, the Clippers have a chance to become a perennial playoff team. This is certainly not a given, especially given the level of competition in the West, but this signing is surely the best thing Elgin Baylor has done since his playing days. Assuming they re-sign Brand and field a Kaman-Brand-Thornton-Mobley-Davis lineup with #7 pick Eric Gordon getting serious minutes off the bench, the Clippers will immediately matter, for the first time in a while - on and off the court.

       As good as they could be on the court, one of the Clippers' main strengths this season will be the emergence of the most marketable star in team history. Los Angeles fans have been forced to like Kobe and an assortment of European players they can't exactly identify with. Not anymore. Though Kobe finally won an MVP award and the respect of his teammates, he will never be embraced the way Magic was, or the way Chris Paul   has been in New Orleans, or the way Davis was in Golden State. Baron Davis, on the other hand, will   instantly become the best-liked basketball player in LA. He is Los Angeles born-and-bred. He grew up in the city and was a star for two years at UCLA. He has a Screen Actors Guild card and a movie star persona. He's a likable guy who plays hard on the court and charms people off of it. In short, he's the anti-Kobe Bryant. Davis knows this, I'm sure, and I would bet this was a huge factor in his decision to return to LA. He already has a SAG card and a production company and is now poised to become the face of Los Angeles basketball - a more likable face than Kobe's. Plus, this move feels like Davis is writing his own movie: a star coming home to help bring glory to a second-rate franchise. There's something particularly...Hollywood about that story, isn't there?

     This move is the best possible thing the Clippers - and Davis - could have done, for basketball and business reasons alike.

Comments

[Jerome]

Say WHAT?!?!?!??!