"I want to be smart about it and give my finger enough time to heal, but at the same time, I've practiced the last couple of days," Davis said. "I just want to go out there and see how it feels. Just being able to tolerate pain, that's about it."
"I want to get to the season and see what I've got to offer," Davis said. "From that point, then let the city get a glimpse of what we have in store. There's a certain way to do it. I want to do the work first before I take credit for anything.
"I haven't done anything but just come to the Clippers. First we want to make this team an exciting team to watch and a team that has an attitude of playing hard and giving your all every night. That's what we have to establish first."
Dunleavy calls Baron the best point guard he's coached since Magic Johnson...
"That's a lot coach, that's a lot of pressure," Davis said. "I don't think there ever will be another guy in this league, at 6-9, to play all five positions. He just wasn't a point guard, he was a phenomenal, dominant player.
"If I can be just a shadow, 10% of what Magic was for this league . . . and what he did for the Lakers, I feel that I'll have definitely a Hall of Fame career. Magic Johnson was somebody I always idolized. To come here and to be the Magic Johnson of the Clippers. . . . "
Davis chuckled at the thought.
"That's something that, obviously, I want to kind of change that look, change that face, the same way Magic did for the Lakers," he said.
Lisa Dillman, LA Times
``I want to establish myself and set my mark. I just want to get to the season and see what I got to offer, then let the city get a glimpse of what we have in store in the years to come,'' the former Crossroads High and UCLA star said Tuesday after going through a complete practice for the first time in nearly three weeks.
``I ain't throwing any parties or welcome home dinners. There's a certain way to do this. I want to do the work first before I take credit for anything. I haven't done anything yet but just come to the Clippers.''
``The most important thing is for us just to be patient with each other as a team, knowing that we're going to hit some bumps and lumps early because we lost the preseason,'' Davis said.
``Really everybody is new because no one has played with each other before. So it's going to take some time. We can develop an attitude and an identity early and once we establish that it's just about building on it.''
The beard, which made him something of a cult figure up in the Bay Area when he led the Golden State Warriors to their shocking first round upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks two seasons ago, helps to remind Davis that success in the NBA is a ``struggle'' and a ``grind.''
``I was going to switch up my look and have a clean cut when I came to L.A., but I might keep it for opening night,'' he said. ``It's like my little protective layer, letting me know that I'm still in the struggle. I've been hurt, I've been in the grind. So I might leave it for opening might. Once we get rolling, maybe I'll cut it off.''
Ramona Shelburne, Inside the Clippers
