Baron Davis to the LA Lakers: Why Signing Davis Is a Waste of Time

There has been some speculation that the Cleveland Cavaliers might use their amnesty clause exception in the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement to free themselves from the burden of point guard Baron Davis' $21 million contract.

The L.A. Times recently reported that the Los Angeles Lakers might possibly be interested in signing Davis, albeit at a much lower price, but I'm still trying to figure out why.

I'm aware of the Lakers' need to acquire a decent point guard, and at a glance Davis certainly fits the bill since he has bordered on the edge of being considered an elite point guard almost since he entered the league.

At his best Davis would provide the Lakers with size at the point guard position to go along with a skill set that has allowed him to average 16.5 points per game and 7.3 assists for his career.

Davis' vision in the open court and his explosive first step would seem to be an ideal fit in new head coach Mike Brown's offense, but unfortunately, we haven't seen that version of Davis in at least five seasons, if we've seen him at all.

I can appreciate the potential that Davis would bring to the Lakers, and it doesn't hurt that he's a homegrown product, but can the Lakers depend on Davis to be healthy when they need him the most?

The Lakers may only be a consistent point guard away from the 2012 NBA Finals, but Davis hasn't played a full season since 2008 due to myriad back and leg issues.

In fact, Davis has only completed four 82-game regular seasons in his entire 12-year career.

I'm not sure if the Lakers can afford to gamble on a soon-to-be 33-year-old point guard who only managed to play 58 games last season.

There is no guarantee that any other player who is rumored to be on the Lakers' free agency radar will remain healthy over the course of a 66-game regular season, but with Davis, missed games due to injury is expected.

The Lakers already have a player in Andrew Bynum to fill that role, and I'm not sure if fans can deal with facing consistent uncertainty from two primary performers.

The Lakers do need to upgrade the lead guard position in order to reach next season's NBA Finals, and a healthy Davis would more than compensate, but how can we be sure Davis is healthy?

Derek Fisher may have won his last championship as a Lakers starter, but if I had to choose between Davis and Fisher, I would pick Fisher. I realize that Fisher has little of Davis' talent or ability, but at least I know he will be available if the Lakers need him.