<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Todd Ramasar, said Tuesday that he doesn't expect Baron Davis to opt out of his contract before Monday's deadline. "It doesn't seem likely," Ramasar said. "The market could change anytime, but it's unlikely." The decision makes financial sense for Davis, who is due $17.8 million next season, an amount he would not be able to recoup as a free agent. But combined with stalled talks for a contract extension, it also casts his long-term future with the Warriors in doubt. "Baron's adamant about remaining a Warrior, but we've yet to come up with an extension," Ramasar said. "As of right now, there's no guarantee that those talks continue, and from a player's standpoint, it becomes emotional."</div> San Francisco Chronicle <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It's possible that Davis, who wants to stay in the Bay Area but was disappointed with the lowball offers from the Warriors, will ask to be dealt. And the team source said that the Detroit Pistons, rebuffed initially in their attempts to pry forward Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets, are now looking at Davis as a potential target. The source said Detroit is willing to divest itself of longtime stars Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups.</div> Contra Costa Times
Here's some more: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>While some will report that a trade for Carmelo Anthony is out of the question (and I wouldn’t close the door on that just yet), that doesn’t keep the rumor mill from churning in the waning days before the NBA Draft. The latest report making the rounds of the association is Detroit is inquiring about the services of Golden State point guard Baron Davis. While he has a season remaining on his contract at a guaranteed $17.8 million, he has told team mates that he will not take advantage of an opt-out clause that would make him a free agent. The possible Piston players to be parlayed? The word is a deal of point guard Chauncey Billups and forward/center Rasheed Wallace, who would make an estimated $25 million in ‘08-’09, which would require the Warriors to include another player, rumored to be Al Harrington, disgruntled at the way coach Don Nelson bounced him in and out of the rotation and is close to requesting a trade himself. Billups would certainly step in and give Golden State a versatile backcourt with Monta Ellis, who could alternate at point. Wallace would give Nellie the three-point shooting threat he wanted Harrington to be and has an expiring contract after the upcoming year. Would Davis and Harrington fit the Piston mold? You would be surprised with what kind of transformation can change when playing for a title contender while having a chip on your shoulder and team president Joe Dumars has proven to be effective with such players. Everything looks good on paper and the particulars look as if they are a fit. For myself, and I am certain some fans, we tire easily of talk and like action. While nothing is imminent and the draft is fast approaching, whom the Pistons select may have an impact on what deal is going to be made or not made. Stay tuned.</div> http://mvn.com/nba-pistons/2008/06/25/newe...ty-baron-davis/ If the trade is Sheed, Billups for Baron, Al I'd definitely go for it. I've also read a rumor that says it could be Sheed, Billups, Maxiel for Baron, Al, and the 14 pick. Still pretty good. Although Baron is our #1 option and has more potential to take over games, I'd go for the trade because I think it makes our team more well rounded. I'd say Billups is roughly equal to Baron as a player but his strengths lie in efficient shooting, running his team extremely well and efficiently, shooting, FT shooting, playing smart, etc. Not to mention we finally fill a HUGE hole at PF. Sure Sheed is old but even in his old age and unimpressive numbers I think hes a huge difference maker. Hes a guy whos a fantastic defender in the post, 6'11, can post up or hit the 3, veteran, etc. Maxiel is a stud plain and simple. I think if this trade were to go down we may be committing to Monta as our #1 option. With a team of Billups, Monta, Jack, Sheed, Biedrins with Maxiel, Wright, Azu off the bench it seems like scoring and shot distribution would be well rounded but if I had to pick one guy to be the #1 it'd be Monta by a hair. I think hes ready for it and besides Nellie is always going to attack the mismatch. After the season Sheed's contract is up and if Wright is ready we'd have the next few years of Billups, Monta, Jack, Wright, Beans. The more I hear about this the less I think its true though. Lepper sounds like he has some nice sources and, as Adam Lauridsen said hes not the type to spout off rumors with no traction to them. That being said, you NEVER hear about Mullin's moves before he does them, especially his trades.
One more day until draft! I would be ecstatic if we got Billups/Sheed for Baron/Harrington. I really dig Baron Davis, but Billups is super clutch and won't miss from the foul line and Sheed is like Clif Robinson in the way of defense/versatility and doing the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet. It also looks pretty nice on paper too: pg: Chauncey Billups sg: Monta Ellis sf: Sjax pf: Rasheed Wallace c: Andris Biedrins Defensively, the only sore area would be Monta Ellis at SG.
I just don't know. Man, I love Baron...he's the heart and soul of this team. He's got flaws, we know this, but Chauncey Billups? Yeah, he's efficient and can shoot from the line, but he's no Baron. That being said, yes, this makes us a much more rounded team...on paper.
The more I think about this, the more upsetting it is. I don't like the thought of losing Baron...we need him here for at least one more year. Plus, he loves it here. When was the last time a star player genuinely loved playing for the Warriors?
Billups is a player though. He's got an excellent midrange game and he knows how to create separation and get a shot off quickly (Think of it like having a second Monta Ellis only with a post up game). Billups is probably the best defender at the point guard position since Gary Payton/Jason Kidd got too old for the job. Billups proved he can be a great distributor to his teammates under Flip Saunders and can do the drive and kick plays. Billups will hit big shots in the 4th and he won't miss from the line when it counts (See Baron Davis in the Utah Jazz series where he pulled a Pietrus). Billups is a lot healthier. So if you compare these two players, Billups would be less of a risk than Baron because he'll take you farther if you got the big men for it and he'll most likely play at least 80 games a year all season. If Billups gets too old to really break guys down off the dribble, I envision him being very useful like having a Sam Cassell type player who also packs a great midrange game and post-up game. I'm not sure how effective Billups would be on the Warriors, because I attribute his success as a product of having teammates that he's played with for years. So having that chemistry makes him a better point guard stats-wise. Plus those teammates have made the all-star team for both offensive and defensive abilities.
FWIW Steven A. Smith was just on sportscenter ans aid he talked to sources from both Detroit and Gs and everyone told him its 100% false. He quoted one Detroit source as saying there was "no way in hell Dumars would do that".
Billups will be 33 years old and is looking like he's on the decline. Davis is 29. I've always been a huge Sheed fan, but he had a tough time taking it to PJ Brown in a matchup of two geezers.
Yeah, DC, lots of folks are saying Billups ain't what he used to be, but he's still a team leader on defense and he's crafty in making his way to the foul line and actually hitting foul shots at over 80%. I've been crying for guards that can do that ever since we got Bdiddy. In fact, I was thinking if we ever want Ellis to be a point guard some day, we get a similar combo guard that can mentor him and can play behind him when Ellis is ready to man the point full time. The reason I think Ellis and Billups are similar is that they are combo guards that both pack a devastating midrange game and can pass inside, they understand how to create separation, and they know how to get shots off with little space. Obviously, Ellis is quicker, less experienced as a point guard, and causes more chaos with his slashing ability, but Billups packs the all-around game with muscle like Bdiddy where he can post up, drive, and play defense without getting knocked around. The thing I like about Billups is he can close out games including at the foul line. I just don't trust bdiddy to ever be more in terms of purposely getting fouled and then going up there and knocking down 2 or finishing the and1 play. I'd also have to say Baron is more entertaining as he has the streetball flair and leaping ability over Billups, but Billups gets it done as a seemingly unspectacular, underrated combo guard. His defense and clutchness is why he has a ring. Plus, he'll probably be less of a risk at missing half the nba season even at his age. If Sheed is a throw-in with Harrington going out you have to take that deal. Sheed would give us all the versatility at power forward and center and he compliments any true center we can put in there because he's good defensively, he can play inside and out, he can pass, and he's very athletic still. He could be the second coming of Clif Robinson only younger and I really valued Clif Robinson's role next to Erick Dampier. Let's face it, Baron at max dollars ain't in the future plans or else the Warriors would have locked him up by now. I love Baron, but he's a franchise risk similar to Grant Hill. He's probably a season away from going back to missing half the nba games or getting even worse with age (back, hamstring) whatever, unless he gets a healthy streak like Mike Miller or Tyson Chandler. So with that said, I'm down for geezers if we're building on Beans, Wright, Ellis.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Jun 25 2008, 05:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Billups will be 33 years old and is looking like he's on the decline. Davis is 29. I've always been a huge Sheed fan, but he had a tough time taking it to PJ Brown in a matchup of two geezers.</div> I don't like this deal because the Pistons couldn't win with who they had. I would not trade Baron and screw the chemistry the Warriors have. The one deal that sounds intriguing is Harrington for Sheed. I can live with that for one or two years.
JV, the pistons hardly had any depth, we got young prospects on our side and we'd be gaining two all-star players, one of whom can sit behind Ellis one day. I love that trade. It already improves our D by leaps and bounds if we exclude Monta Ellis at SG. Plus, think about clutch factor. Who do you trust to shoot foul shots at a critical moment. I'd take Billups over Baron any day of the week in that situation.
Baron's my favorite player in the league, he was even before the Warriors had him, but I do that trade in a heartbeat. Sheed is exactly what this team needs. And Billups is the only other veteran PG in the league that has what I call the man factor (His presenence spreads confidence to everyone else on the team because they know he's in control at all times), ...well Kidd and Cassell did, but they visibly lost a step last year.
Rasheed and Billups are both pretty old. This team is not close to competing for a championship. I'd say keep Baron, and if you want to get value from him, look to deal him and perhaps Jackson for some younger studs to form a solid unit around Monta, Biedrins, and Wright. Another team will want Baron either for cap space - since his contract ends after the season - or if they want to get over the hump and compete for a title or something.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Custodianrules2 @ Jun 26 2008, 05:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>JV, the pistons hardly had any depth, we got young prospects on our side and we'd be gaining two all-star players, one of whom can sit behind Ellis one day. I love that trade. It already improves our D by leaps and bounds if we exclude Monta Ellis at SG. Plus, think about clutch factor. Who do you trust to shoot foul shots at a critical moment. I'd take Billups over Baron any day of the week in that situation.</div> Yeah CR2, I think Sheed would be a great fit at C or PF. When he's at C, then I see BW getting more playing time. When he's playing with AB, then I can see Sheed drifting to the PF position. I just don't see BW and AB playing a lot together under Nellie. The weird thing is then the Warriors would have four left handed front court players who are long, mobile and agile. As for the Baron-AL for Billups-Sheed deal, the main thing I don't like is changing our core if we have to include Baron in the deal. You say that we're getting two all-star players, but they probably would not be all-star players next season in the West while Baron probably would be an all-star in the East. Moreover, I'm not sure how Billups and Sheed would do if they don't have the same caliber of players they had on Detroit. I'm not sure who proposed the deal, or if it was ever seriously discussed, but it sounded like Dumars didn't want to do the deal as is and wanted more, maybe the 14th pick. IIRC he said it wasn't being discussed BEFORE the draft. But to be fair, I checked realgm and Detroit fans would do the deal, but would want something more like Marco Belinelli. It's probably the lack of depth factor that you mentioned.
