RealGM

It’s impossible to talk about Baron Davis without talking about the team around him, as his impact is as closely tied to the players around him as any other superstar. Just like in his first full season in Golden State, Baron and the Clippers failed to gel in his first season with the team. But the Clippers have put a lot of effort into making the second go-round better, and there’s a lot that could go right. Baron is allegedly healthy, and one would imagine his focus might have been shocked back onto basketball after last year’s fiasco. Pick-and-roll, full-court running rookie superbeast Blake Griffin is in the starting lineup. Eric Gordon is ready to build on his promising rookie year. Al Thornton’s ball-dominance should be replaced in the starting lineup by Rasual Butler’s floor-spacing and versatility. Zach Randolph has been miraculously exiled. Mike Dunleavy must know that he has one season to learn new tricks or go down as one of the worst coaches in NBA history.

The Clippers are starting to look like America’s favorite underdogs again, and seem hungry to wipe away the memory of last season. So much of that depends on Baron, and so much of Baron depends on the team. Will the Davis lead the Clippers to reinvent themselves as young, dangerous, fast-breaking, pick-and-rolling, cross-matching, bats out of hell with a swagger never really seen in Clipper Nation?

Or will they be another mismanaged, ill-conceived mix of players, some too young and some too old, desperately ISOing up and haphazardly launching jumpers early in the shot clock, with Baron being the biggest culprit of all? I honestly have no idea. All I really know is that Baron won’t be the 43th-best player.

John Krolik, SLAMonline