A humbled Davis looks in the mirror

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...rs/14393404.htm

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It was unlike his typical interviews. There was no joking, no lively vibe, no brash promises. Just frustrated eyes, a mellow tone, meek words.

``I'm not saying nothing,'' Warriors point guard Baron Davis said Thursday. ``Everybody just sit back and watch. I don't think I'm in position to really say much of anything but to apologize for not being out there.''

Of course, Davis -- just before speaking to participants in a Warriors camp held at Cupertino High School -- did say something. Speaking with local beat writers for the first time in over a month, he avoided going into much detail about what went wrong this season or addressing some of the issues surrounding the team. But he did express disappointment and frustration -- with himself.

A disappointing season, apparently, has humbled Davis. Being out of the playoffs, missing 28 games because of injury, shooting under 40 percent, losing favor with the fans -- it seems to have him soul-searching.

The good news, for Warriors fans, is that it has returned Davis to a familiar disposition -- carrying a chip on his shoulder.

Once seen as the franchise savior, Davis is viewed as the scapegoat by some, who now question whether he can rescue the Warriors from postseason exile.

Now, Davis is on a mission, a silent one. Operation Show and Prove.

``I just feel like I've got a lot to prove,'' Davis said. ``I feel like people are counting me out, writing me off, and that's the best. I live for that.''

Davis, 27, said the last time he felt this way was the 2003-04 season. He responded by posting the best season of his career: 22.9 points, 7.5 assists, an All-Star team berth and an All-NBA third-team selection.

His mindset heading into the off-season is vital to the Warriors' future. Taking on the remaining four years and $63 million of Davis' contract, which will pay him $15.07 million next season, has the Warriors heading toward paying a luxury tax.

Because of the cap space his contract eats and the fact he is the most talented player on the roster, any chance the Warriors have lies with Davis. They need him motivated and at the top of his game.

The disappointment of this season might be enough to get him there. Davis acknowledged not living up to the hype he came in with and said he wasn't the leader he wanted to be.

``It just didn't happen,'' Davis said. ``Maybe I didn't win enough people over or maybe I didn't do the things necessary from my standpoint to be that.''

He said this off-season is going to be different. After spending last off-season resting his sore body, Davis said he's ready to get back to work this summer.

First, he has to get healthy. He's back in a protective boot because of a setback in his rehab for a bone bruise in his right foot and a sprained right ankle sustained Feb. 11. He said the bone bruise was what kept him out of the Warriors' final 19 games and he expressed regret for coming back for six games in March, which he said made the injury worse.

Still, he said the injury wouldn't interrupt his off-season workout plans. He said the boot comes off in three weeks. After that, he goes to work.

After a sour ending to his stint in New Orleans, Davis may be losing the benefit of the doubt. Warriors fans are certainly weary of excuses and empty promises and just want someone to deliver.

In the past, Davis was likely to boast that he was the man for the job. But now, broken down by injuries and shortcomings this season, he's changing his tune.

He knows what's expected of him. He knows what he needs to do. He knows it's time to shut up and produce.

``I was brought here to help this team win, so I put it all on my shoulders,'' Davis said. ``I don't care. It don't matter to me. I've got big shoulders.''</div>


Davis has aching foot, fire in belly

http://www.insidebayarea.com/warriors/ci_3734360

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">As he sat out 26 of the Warriors' final 32 games this season, Baron Davis listened carefully to every knock directed his way by the doubters who had crawled out of the woodwork.

The thing is, Golden State's star point guard agrees with many of them:

Yes, he wasn't in the shape he needed to be at the start of the season.

No, he wasn't the leader he envisioned himself being for a long-dormant franchise.

And yes, his damaged right foot suffered a setback as a result of his pushing to come back too early, costing him any chance of recovering before the season ended Wednesday.

"I just feel like I've got a lot to prove," Davis said. "I feel like people are counting me out, writing me off, and that's the best. I live for that. ... People write us off and criticize ? I accept all of that. I use all of that as a challenge."

Davis spoke to members of the media on Thursday before addressing the youthful attendees in a Warriors-sponsored basketball camp at Cupertino High School. He arrived wearing the same protective boot on his right ankle that he had shed a couple of weeks ago, and finally acknowledged that the injury ? originally diagnosed as just a sprained right ankle when it occurred on Feb. 11 ? was significantly worse than that. In addition to the sprain, Davis also suffered a bone bruise on his right foot, which cutshort his comeback attempt after six games in March ? one at home and then five on a critical Eastern swing against almost exclusively sub-.500 opponents.

"You could see that I was limping, (but) it wasn't because of the ankle, it was more so because of the bone bruise," said Davis, who averaged 17.9 points and 8.9 assists per game, the assists average second in the NBA to Steve Nash. "I should have stayed out for three or four more games on that East Coast trip and tried to come back for the last two or three and let the bruise heal a little bit (longer)."

Davis said playing 40 minutes in the opening game of that fateful trip, a 103-90 loss in Minnesota, made a considerable negative impact on the foot, "and after that, it was just basically trying to get it every game to be good enough to play. Coming back at that particular time was not the best idea."

One reason for pushing the timetable might have been Davis' regret over not being in better shape after giving his body some rest during the summer as he continued to rehab various nagging pains.

"I didn't come (in) as prepared as I should from the get-go," Davis said. "I should have come out the gate smoking, and I wasn't. I just wanted to try to ease my way into the offense and into conditioning, kind of get my rhythm by December, but it was just the wrong approach."

Perhaps also he felt the need to try to prove himself as a bona fide leader. Davis admitted that, although most outsiders assumed that this was his team to guide, that wasn't necessarily the case.

"It just didn't happen that way," Davis said. "Maybe I didn't win enough people over, or maybe I didn't do the things necessary from my standpoint to be that. ... The good thing about it is every year you gain more experience, and being 27 now, I feel like I'm going into my prime. I have a different perspective and a different outlook on the game and a whole different level of appreciation."

He's even got some appreciation for the lack of appreciation he's been shown of late. The last time Davis has felt this slighted was before the 2003-04 season, when he was coming off surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and had to mesh his game with the regimented style of new Hornets coach Tim Floyd.

So what happened? Davis scored a career-high 22.9 per game, increased his production in every major category, made his second All-Star team and led the Hornets to within a game of a second-round playoff berth.

Davis would love to make good on the promise Jason Richardson made at Monday's home finale ? to make the playoffs in 2007 ? but he wouldn't match it.

"I'm not saying nothing, man," Davis said. "Everybody just sit back and watch." </div>

 

Thanks AF. I don't know about Baron... While he's a kickass player with the ball, he's got to get healthy and also be the kind of point guard that can drop the ego. We don't need a Stevie "Franchise" or the self proclaimed best point guard in the league Stephon Marbury. We just need a guy that can run plays, break down defenses, dish, shoot, play D, and not turn the ball over so much. He needs to be an extension of whoever coach we have.

 

While people compare Baron to Francis and Marbury, I think Baron is tons better than them with both his game and attitude. Sure Baron has to work on some things, but I'd choose Baron ANYDAY over Francis and Marbury. Baron is second in assists this season, you'll never see Marbury or Francis doing that.

 

Actually Marbury has a pretty high assists per game and is actually similar to Baron in that they seem inflated because they play out of system and more one-on-one style games. That's why I've always kind of compare Baron to Francis and Marbury. More of the scoring point guard mold, which being a fan of John Stockton, I was never a big fan of this type of pg.

And Marbury was second in the league in assists per game in 2004 with 8.9 assists per game to Jason Kidds 9.2

Here's the link where I got the assist numbers. Pretty nifty site.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2004.html

 

Baron > Starbury

And I thought Nash was the leader in 2004/2005?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">While people compare Baron to Francis and Marbury, I think Baron is tons better than them with both his game and attitude. Sure Baron has to work on some things, but I'd choose Baron ANYDAY over Francis and Marbury. Baron is second in assists this season, you'll never see Marbury or Francis doing that.</div>

Yep -- he's a conundrum because deep down inside there's a really special basketball player in there and it's different than your typical sports prima donna. He does certain things that leaves everyone's jaw on the floor.

Personally, I like Baron with all his "flaws:" I like his swagger, I like his ego, I like the fact that from his first game in a Warrior uniform he was already the most vocal player on the court. I like his flaws because they make him Baron. It's fun watching him succeed on the floor. I know -- we all get frustrated when the PG goes 2-13 from three -- but not every player is Steve Nash.

Personally, IMO it's fun to root for Baron. No one's perfect. Some players can't catch a pass. Some can't finish a lay-up. Some can't make a steal. Baron's not perfect either. But I sure am glad he's a Warrior.

That game last year against Dallas, when Dirk Nowiztki was getting all pissed at the refs, and Baron walked by at a timeout and was slapping him in the chest saying "C'mon man!" at Dirk, as if he was saying "lay-off the refs," and Dirk kinda didn't get it at first, and then he realized Baron wasn't trying to smooth it out, Baron was trying to mess with him and get him irritated, and then Dirk swung his arm to ward off Baron's annoying antics, and Baron and the Warior Bench got a good laugh -- he wasn't trying to be a punk, he was just having fun, man that one moment right there was enough to be glad he's a Warrior -- that was a funny moment to watch and no Warrior has had the gusto to do anything remotely rousing like that in a long time.

The guy gives this team some mojo. I'll take that along with any "flaws" any day.

 

And he said he's going to try and reduce his flaws this offseason. He realizes what he can do better and ackowledged that he didn't play the way he should this season. Plus he's playing on a team full of bench players, he makes the team better, but they're still bench players.

He admits he could have done better. You don't see other Warriors doing that. I'd like to hear Adonal apologizing for horrendous play and saying he'll be better next season, I'd like to hear Murphy saying he's gonna work on D, I'd like to hear Dunleavy apologizing for stealing 44 mil and shooting 1 of 7 all the damn time.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">Baron > Starbury

And I thought Nash was the leader in 2004/2005?</div>

Yeah, I agree with you on that. Baron's definitely better than Starbury. Marbury's ego is too much. And hopefully Baron will prove everyone wrong next season, but definitely I'm waiting for him to show it on the court next season. That will prove to me that his ego can be humbled a bit.

I agree with alleyoop that his swagger is what makes Baron an exciting player, but at the same time he needs to control it a bit better, even if he has to hold back his lack of respect for Monty and just try to listen to him.

I think the stats were for the 2003-2004 season.

 

A couple of good articles on Baron AF. Thanks.

I am still torn on Baron. Two seasons ago I, like all of you, became a BIG Baron fan. Thought he was going to be the savior. Bought and wore his jersey and was expecting him to be the great PG that the Warriors needed since Tim Hardaway. His first season he didn't disappoint. We saw his flashy, uptempo style of play, incomparable passing and unstoppable playmaking. Expectations rose to a crescendo and rightly so. The Golden State Warriors were going to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and the team started off at 12 - 5! Wow, people WERE comparing Baron and JRich to the best backcourts in the NBA. Life was GOOD.

Then the doubting Thomases started creeping in. The Warriors hadn't proved themselves yet. They had an easy early schedule and late season schedule the year before. Baron still had a dismal shooting percentage even though he could make the shots under pressure when it counted. Baron was a scorer, not a shooter.

And then the unthinkable happened. What the doubting Thomases were saying started coming true. I think it was the game against the New Jersey Nets at New Jersey that did it. The Warriors started losing games to good teams, but the players went out to a holiday party in New York the night before playing the Nets. They shoulda beat the Nets at the time, a team not playing well, but got their @sses handed to them 118-90. After that, they got beat by the weak Eastern Conference Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers and ended up losing five consecutive games. Looking back, that was the beginning of the end for 2005 - 2006 season.

Some of the horror games start coming back to me. Baron going for the last shot against the Clips after the Warriors had what looked like an insurmountable lead in the 3Q (the Clips front line had outrebounded and dismantled the Warriors front line the day before). MP making that unmentionable intentional foul with the game tied and Dunleavy making with the F-bombs afterwards. Monty making coaching mistakes early in the season. Baron and Monty bickering on the sidelines. Pau Gasol hitting the game winner against Foyle and Dunleavy. Kobe hitting the shot to tie the game over Fisher (LOL!) which the Warriors went on to lose in OT... Gruesome.

So now, we're expected to forget all that and put it behind us just like Baron. Well, to play devil's advocate, I'm not too sure. I watched Baron a lot this season and he just doesn't seem to be the guy who's gonna work hard to raise his game to HIS next level. Sure, it's easy to see his talent, but he just doesn't put in the work like a Michael Jordan would to raise his game to where HE is the one who makes the difference. Right now, Baron is a secondary player who can be a difference maker IF you put him with another stud player like KG. I don't think BARON can do it on his own despite anything he says. If he really was APOLOGIZING for this season, then he would PRACTICE his @ss off to raise his game to the ALL-STAR level.

Short of that, Baron is, I'm sorry, another one of the Starburys and Stevie Franchises albeit maybe the most talented. And to think I once thought Baron could be better than Steve Nash overall (except not in shooting).

 

First of all, I commend Baron for being humble. He has realized he has problems. But here is the thing, he is the closest thing to an All Star that we have. I dont want him to be like John Stockton and just hand out dimes. I want him to be the guy with a chip on his shoulder. I dont want him to be like Kobe or Marbury and alienate his teammates, but I want him to be an All Star again. If he shoots 45% and hands out as many assist/game as he did this year, he would be a lock. I remember him saying at the beginning of the year that he was going to make Jrich the highest scoring 2 guard in the league. I am all for making your teammates better, but IMO, Baron needs to be at his best for the Warriors to win, not Jrich. IMO, the ball needs to be in Baron's hands primarily if we need a bucket with 30 seconds left in the game. Jrich is the second option. I think Baron has a natural leadership ability and Jrich is a natural sidekick. He wants to step up and take a leadership role, but he just does not have the clout of Baron. They can both be All Stars and I think Jrich can be happy scoring 20pts per game and Baron scoring 25 per game and dropping 9-10 assists per game. Its the other players that need to step up.

 

I've loved watching him play since I saw him play live in college. I think Baron, if fit, is the best offensive point guard in the game. He's a streaky scorer, but he helps people get the ball in the hoop. Next season is a decisive year on where he'll end up in the ranks of point guards... if he struggles, and the Warriors sink again, he'll just be a load of wasted talent. I don't see him failing this season though, but I'm biased.

 

Come on Warriors fans, we put way too much hope on one man: Baron Davis. And we got dissapointed, but is that Baron's fault? We set ourself up for dissapointment, which is why I don't blame Baron. One player can not turn a team around, Baron makes the Warriors better, but he can't make them a playoff team. Look at KG.

Everyone seems to forget that we have Foyle, Murphy, and Dunleavy as starters. Dunleavy and Foyle would barely see 5 mins a night on any other team. They are THAT bad. Not only are they bad, but they had a horrible season as well. So its just even more worse.

Look at Baron's stats, they are very comparable to last year when we went on that hot streak. Baron has been playing very similar to last year, but we didn't complain because we were winning. So if he was playing the same way, why did we suck? Well last season Dunleavy was shooting 45% and 40% from 3pt (end of season) and Adonal was actually blocking shots last season also.

I think people need to lay off on Baron. He needs to work on some things, but the rest of the players on the team need to work on even more things and I say they are more responsible than Baron for what happened. Remember, we have a slow SF that can't shoot, a PF that only rebounds, and a center that makes me want to jump off a bridge. Say Baron did shoot 44% and made better decisions, the Warriors still wouldn't make the playoffs because our starters suck (dun, foyle, murphy).

I'll be like JRich and say that I gurantee that if the Warriors get a legit center and a SF that can shoot, Baron (if healthy) will bring us to the promised land.

Before you guys diss Baron, just remember these 3 things:

1. Dunleavy
2. Foyle
3. Murphy

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">
I believe that Baron was to injured all season to really play his game, hes always shot alot of 3's but this year he wasn't as dominant of a penetrator as he usually was and he didn't make nearly as many tough layups and and 1 plays around the rim as he usually does. Something was definitely wrong with him and he wasn't 100%.
</div>

Driving and dishing can be tough on the body. I don't think Baron wants to drive and dish when his team mates shoot 40% and miss wide open shots. All his energy in penetrating ends up clanking off the rim by our golden boy Dunleavy or off the hands of Foyle.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AnimeFANatic:</div><div class="quote_post">Come on Warriors fans, we put way too much hope on one man: Baron Davis. And we got dissapointed, but is that Baron's fault? We set ourself up for dissapointment, which is why I don't blame Baron. One player can not turn a team around, Baron makes the Warriors better, but he can't make them a playoff team. Look at KG.

Everyone seems to forget that we have Foyle, Murphy, and Dunleavy as starters. Dunleavy and Foyle would barely see 5 mins a night on any other team. They are THAT bad. Not only are they bad, but they had a horrible season as well. So its just even more worse.

Look at Baron's stats, they are very comparable to last year when we went on that hot streak. Baron has been playing very similar to last year, but we didn't complain because we were winning. So if he was playing the same way, why did we suck? Well last season Dunleavy was shooting 45% and 40% from 3pt (end of season) and Adonal was actually blocking shots last season also.

I think people need to lay off on Baron. He needs to work on some things, but the rest of the players on the team need to work on even more things and I say they are more responsible than Baron for what happened. Remember, we have a slow SF that can't shoot, a PF that only rebounds, and a center that makes me want to jump off a bridge. Say Baron did shoot 44% and made better decisions, the Warriors still wouldn't make the playoffs because our starters suck (dun, foyle, murphy).

I'll be like JRich and say that I gurantee that if the Warriors get a legit center and a SF that can shoot, Baron (if healthy) will bring us to the promised land.

Before you guys diss Baron, just remember these 3 things:

1. Dunleavy
2. Foyle
3. Murphy</div>

Okay AF, I'll try to be more positive. One player can't make a playoff team, but a LeBron James would sure help .

What's tough is losing for 12 straight years. That has something to do with my sourpuss tude. I started with the Run TMC years and it reached another high with the Warriors drafting Chris Webber, but since then each positive year has turned negative. Last season was the most promising, but oh well...

Second, I like to think the Warriors will do something to get better for next season building on Baron, JRich, Monta, Ike and AB, but then look at Foyle (scoff) who is untradeable because of his contract and Dunleavy (very difficult) because he'll be BYC. So that leaves Fisher and Murphy to deal unless we include Monta, Ike or AB. I think Ike can replace Murphy while Monta replaces Fisher. We also have Bynum who looks like he can be the backup PG. He seems like a good pick up. The only question mark is AB because he tends to pick up quick fouls.

So, it looks like we'll have to get someone to replace Foyle. Mullin has said that he'll get a big man, but you have to wonder who that's going to be and at what cost. We also may be able to get someone like Paul Pierce to replace Dunleavy, so that may be another way to go. Pierce would take some pressure off AB, so that he doesn't feel like he's the only defender in the paint out there.