Love Baron, think he's definitely a top point guard in the league, but is he a max player? He claims he'd give up his 18 mill next season to initiate his early termination clause.
He's dialed in on extension
Davis wants Warriors to make an early call
By Peter May, Globe Staff | September 23, 2007
Baron Davis looks as slim as he's ever looked. "Just getting ready for training camp," he said. "It's the lightest I've ever been - under 213 - in a long time. I ain't been like that since my rookie year. I'm feeling good."
While lighter around the waist, the Golden State Warriors catalyst would like to be heavier in the wallet - and sooner rather than later. He technically has two years left on his contract, but he has a termination option for the 2008-09 season. He said he wants the matter cleared up before the start of training camp or else he plans to enter free agency next summer.
"There hasn't been too much talking. But in the next two weeks, I'm going to make a decision if I will re-sign or play the season out and be a free agent," he said.
"I know where I want to be. I know what I want to do. You just have to see if the team that you're playing for wants you the most. Hopefully, we'll find out that soon."
Through a spokesman, Golden State basketball boss Chris Mullin declined to comment.
This could all be posturing, of course, for Davis would be forfeiting a considerable chunk of change ($17.81 million) by opting out of his contract. This is not unlike the situation the Celtics faced last summer with Paul Pierce; they ended up giving him a max extension. One has to assume the Warriors are not so inclined, or something would have been done by now. Golden State is understandably concerned about Davis's durability; he has missed 47 games over the last two seasons with the Warriors and 130 over the last five with Golden State and the Hornets.
But Davis, who turned 28 last month, was indisputably the key player for the Warriors last season as they ended more than a decade of playoff drought - and then proceeded to shock the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round. Davis averaged 20.1 points and 8.1 assists in his first season under Don Nelson, who predicted Davis would have an All-Star year in his system. The playoffs were even better: 25.3 points a game.
Nelson is coming back and, at least for this season, will have Davis back as his starting point guard. And Davis sounds like he wants to remain where he is. He's a California kid at heart, growing up in South Central Los Angeles, attending high school in Santa Monica, and then spending two years at UCLA.
"I'm very happy there," he said. "That's the place I want to be. I feel like I'm starting something new and I want to finish on a great note. What better place to do it than a place that hasn't had that kind of recognition and that was in the dumps for years and years? And now we have something that everyone wants to be a part of.
"For me, it's taking a team I've been with and struggled with for the last 2 1/2 years and we've been able to turn it around. We just have to see how much they trust me and want me."
The Warriors were, indeed, a tremendous story last season. Following a 1-point loss to Washington on March 4, the Warriors stood at 26-35. They beat the Pistons the next night in Auburn Hills, Mich., and proceeded to win 16 of their final 21 games (nine of their last 10) to claim the No. 8 spot with a 42-40 record. Not only did they beat Dallas, they could have given Utah more of a struggle had they made free throws in an overtime loss in Game 2.
But things have changed. The Warriors traded Jason Richardson to Charlotte for rookie Brandon Wright, which still has Davis shaking his head.
"It's going to be hard going forward where we're losing 20 points a game," Davis said. (Gee, he didn't seem nearly as upset that Adonal Foyle was released. Golden State has also said good-bye to Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was almost as unimportant as Foyle.)
"We have to wait and see," Davis said. "You have to trust management that they know what they're doing and go out and compete.
"We got our work cut out for us. It's not like it's going to be easier, it's going to be a lot harder. We have to focus on being together as a team. A lot of growth and maturity is going to have to take place early because we have a tough schedule."
They do indeed. There's a five-game Eastern swing in November, with a stop in Boston on the 21st. The first five home games are against Utah, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, and the Clippers. They won't be weighed down during the exhibition season; they play only seven games, and one of those is against an international team (Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania).
Long before then, Davis's self-imposed deadline will have passed. He'll either be the beneficiary of a contract extension or, if he's true to his word, be playing his final season for the Warriors.
He's dialed in on extension
Davis wants Warriors to make an early call
By Peter May, Globe Staff | September 23, 2007
Baron Davis looks as slim as he's ever looked. "Just getting ready for training camp," he said. "It's the lightest I've ever been - under 213 - in a long time. I ain't been like that since my rookie year. I'm feeling good."
While lighter around the waist, the Golden State Warriors catalyst would like to be heavier in the wallet - and sooner rather than later. He technically has two years left on his contract, but he has a termination option for the 2008-09 season. He said he wants the matter cleared up before the start of training camp or else he plans to enter free agency next summer.
"There hasn't been too much talking. But in the next two weeks, I'm going to make a decision if I will re-sign or play the season out and be a free agent," he said.
"I know where I want to be. I know what I want to do. You just have to see if the team that you're playing for wants you the most. Hopefully, we'll find out that soon."
Through a spokesman, Golden State basketball boss Chris Mullin declined to comment.
This could all be posturing, of course, for Davis would be forfeiting a considerable chunk of change ($17.81 million) by opting out of his contract. This is not unlike the situation the Celtics faced last summer with Paul Pierce; they ended up giving him a max extension. One has to assume the Warriors are not so inclined, or something would have been done by now. Golden State is understandably concerned about Davis's durability; he has missed 47 games over the last two seasons with the Warriors and 130 over the last five with Golden State and the Hornets.
But Davis, who turned 28 last month, was indisputably the key player for the Warriors last season as they ended more than a decade of playoff drought - and then proceeded to shock the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round. Davis averaged 20.1 points and 8.1 assists in his first season under Don Nelson, who predicted Davis would have an All-Star year in his system. The playoffs were even better: 25.3 points a game.
Nelson is coming back and, at least for this season, will have Davis back as his starting point guard. And Davis sounds like he wants to remain where he is. He's a California kid at heart, growing up in South Central Los Angeles, attending high school in Santa Monica, and then spending two years at UCLA.
"I'm very happy there," he said. "That's the place I want to be. I feel like I'm starting something new and I want to finish on a great note. What better place to do it than a place that hasn't had that kind of recognition and that was in the dumps for years and years? And now we have something that everyone wants to be a part of.
"For me, it's taking a team I've been with and struggled with for the last 2 1/2 years and we've been able to turn it around. We just have to see how much they trust me and want me."
The Warriors were, indeed, a tremendous story last season. Following a 1-point loss to Washington on March 4, the Warriors stood at 26-35. They beat the Pistons the next night in Auburn Hills, Mich., and proceeded to win 16 of their final 21 games (nine of their last 10) to claim the No. 8 spot with a 42-40 record. Not only did they beat Dallas, they could have given Utah more of a struggle had they made free throws in an overtime loss in Game 2.
But things have changed. The Warriors traded Jason Richardson to Charlotte for rookie Brandon Wright, which still has Davis shaking his head.
"It's going to be hard going forward where we're losing 20 points a game," Davis said. (Gee, he didn't seem nearly as upset that Adonal Foyle was released. Golden State has also said good-bye to Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was almost as unimportant as Foyle.)
"We have to wait and see," Davis said. "You have to trust management that they know what they're doing and go out and compete.
"We got our work cut out for us. It's not like it's going to be easier, it's going to be a lot harder. We have to focus on being together as a team. A lot of growth and maturity is going to have to take place early because we have a tough schedule."
They do indeed. There's a five-game Eastern swing in November, with a stop in Boston on the 21st. The first five home games are against Utah, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, and the Clippers. They won't be weighed down during the exhibition season; they play only seven games, and one of those is against an international team (Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania).
Long before then, Davis's self-imposed deadline will have passed. He'll either be the beneficiary of a contract extension or, if he's true to his word, be playing his final season for the Warriors.
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