| Baron Has A Lot To Prove Authored by Payam Jahromi - August 21, 2006 - 6:57 pm
Before the start of last season, Baron Davis could have run for mayor in various Bay Area cities and won.
But last year didn’t go as planned for Baron and for the Warriors.
He hurt his hamstring in the season opener against the Hawks and never really got going all year. He was bothered by nagging injuries, and he was not in great shape.
There were rumors that he and coach Mike Montgomery didn’t get along.
Just like that, Davis went from being the savior to an overpaid, out-of-shape prima donna.
Meanwhile, while all this was happening, Baron watched another fellow point guard, Steve Nash, win his second of back-to-back MVP awards. He saw Chauncey Billups get MVP consideration. In his own division, he watched Sam Cassell lead a lowly Clippers franchise back to the playoffs.
He also saw his replacement on the Hornets, Chris Paul, win Rookie of the Year and get named to team U.S.A. for the World Championships. He knows Hornets’ fans are counting their blessings with the trade and the draft to get Paul.
And you just know that Davis does not like any of it. If he’s not motivated to come back better than ever this season, he’ll never be motivated.
Baron is a proud guy. He’s also very confident in his abilities. Deep down, he probably thinks he’s just as good as or better than Nash, Billups, Cassell and Paul. Yet look at where they and their teams are at compared to his situation.
Baron is a smart enough guy to know that perceptions can change in an instant. Just like how he went from God-like status to forgotten about in one season, he knows he can turn it around again.
There is no hype for the Warriors this season. No one is talking about Baron Davis like they were last summer. Nobody is talking about the Warriors like they were last summer.
Baron has now seen both sides of the coin.
I can guarantee that Baron wants to have a monster season to prove his critics wrong. I’m sure he’s looking forward to those individual matchups with guys like Nash, Cassell and Paul.
But again, Baron is no fool. He knows he can’t do any of that if he’s hurt. And he won’t stay healthy if he’s out of shape. Davis has reportedly lost a lot of weight since last year and is in great shape (but isn’t everybody this time of year?).
I hope that’s true. I believe it. Baron realizes that this is personally his most important season. He has a lot to prove to a lot of people.
I’ve never been accused of being overly optimistic, but I think Baron will have a huge year.
If you have any questions or comments, you can reach me at pjahromi@sbcglobal.net |
