NBA Rumors: Baron Davis and New York Knicks Would Be Perfect Fit
Baron Davis was waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. He cleared waivers and is free to sign with any team in the NBA. There are a few teams that may be interested in his services, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.
The Knicks would provide a perfect fit for the 32-year-old point guard when he returns from injury.
New York has interest, and Davis has interest in return. What does that say about their thoughts on recently acquired Mike Bibby?
He wouldn’t be able to run the offense like Davis could. Davis would be a clear upgrade.
Davis is known for having extraordinary talents but not always pressing 100 percent of the time. He has had weight issues that could describe the reasoning of his lack of effort—he’s lazy.
Surround talented players with several other talented players, and there can be a sudden spark in the interest level of a veteran player. Who wouldn’t want to play with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire?
Not only are the Knicks going to win a boatload of games, but it’s easy pickings in terms of assist numbers. He’s averaged 7.3 assists to go along with 16.5 points in his career.
We may be talking career numbers with Davis if he can stay healthy.
The NBA is about winning championships. Davis hasn’t been able to do that in his 12-year career, but I can guess that he would do anything for an opportunity.
He’s been on horrible teams in the past few seasons, like the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers. If he went to a contending team, like the Knicks, we would see the real Davis come out, similar to what we saw when he was at Golden State. When he was with the Warriors, Davis averaged about 18-22 points, eight assists and four rebounds per game.
If Davis landed with New York, it would complete a team capable of making a run in the postseason. They would have a formidable point guard capable of running a team, a player that can protect the rim in Tyson Chandler and two stars in Anthony and Stoudemire. It would give the Knicks the best opportunity to win a championship.
There is just one problem: defense. Could this group play defense under Mike D’Antoni? Chandler gives D’Antoni a defensive presence around the rim unlike any he’s had in his career. One player doesn’t make a defense, so others will be forced to up their defensive game.
There would be no excuse for the Knicks not to at least make the Eastern Conference Finals this season. This would be the final year for D’Antoni in New York if he couldn’t get it done with their roster.
