Only a year ago, the Baron Davis led Warriors gave fans a reason to believe in the possibility of making the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. So Davis’ departure would seem to be devastating.

However, with Davis departing and taking his cap consuming contract with him, the Warriors have the opportunity to add pieces to a roster that already sports one of top young cores in the NBA – right behind the Blazers, Hornets, and Cavs (having Chris Paul or Lebron James instantly gives you a strong young core). In fact, I would argue that Davis’ departure gives Warriors fans as much reason to believe in the future as his dunk on Andrei Kirilenko. Why?

Not to minimize his enormous talent, but losing Davis gives the Warriors an opportunity to build a more efficient and balanced roster around a core of young players. It’s not only the combination of young talent and financial flexibility that has me excited about the Warriors’ future, but also the fact that Davis may have been a poor fit for a young developing team.

Even prior to Davis choosing to leave the Warriors via free agency, I was hoping that the Warriors would trade him while his value is high. My thinking was that the team would be better off using him as a chip to acquire more pieces rather than paying him well into the future. I was ready for the team to go in a different direction.

That’s right – Davis the man undeniably responsible for the Warriors surprise playoff run in 2007 might not be the best choice to lead the team into the future.

Sound crazy? I think this is one of those times where observation reinforced by statistics can help illuminate a hidden reality.

Thanks for the memories

As much as Warriors fans have to appreciate Davis who just completed his first full season in years, there is an argument to be made that they might be just fine without out him moving toward the future.

When Davis arrived, he was the first true game changer that the Warriors had since the disgruntled version of Chris Webber was sent to Washington. Davis was charismatic, a scorer, and play maker all packed in a strong 6’ 4” package. The Warriors absolutely would not have made the 2007 NBA playoffs without Davis in the lineup – there’s no way to dispute that. 

However, the one glaring flaw in Davis’ game is that he also has the inclination to entertain. And sometimes that inclination can supercede playing good basketball. That is evident in the statistics.

Looking beyond the assist/turnover ratio, field goal percentage or even pure point rating, Davis’ game could potentially detract from the development and rhythm of this young core. The problem is that as talented as he is, he’s also a ball dominant point guard, which means that he not only handles the ball a lot, but he also squanders a number of possessions.

Statistics lie…but sometimes illuminate

Anybody who watches Warriors games probably knows that they are more than a little trigger happy from the three point line…and Don Nelson is an enabler in that regard. As a point guard, Davis only exacerbates the mantra of living by the three and dying by the three.

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