How To Grade the Baron Davis Signing

Baron Davis has always loved the big stage.

Effort.  Night in and night out.  That is what it's going to take for the Knicks' latest acquisition, Baron Davis, to succeed under the bright lights of the big city.  We know that the talent is there.  Basketball skill and ability have not been the issues holding Davis back, who at one point was one of the league's best point guards.  When applying concentration and determination to the game, Davis has the ability (especially with the talent surrounding him on the Knick roster) to continue to be an elite basketball player, and a key piece to the 2011-12 Knick puzzle.

However, injury and lack of commitment have historically been the two obstacles standing between Davis and consistent All-Star level play.

Read on to find out what the Davis signing can mean for the Knicks...


There's no question that Baron Davis has one of the more infectious and likable personalities in the NBA.  He's intelligent, a genuinely nice guy and has a smile that lights up a room.  None of that has changed from when he first broke into the league in 1999.  Other than his health concerns, Davis' dedication to his physical conditioning and, in conjunction, his decision to play consistently hard on the floor, have been the real question marks throughout his career.

Davis, though one of the most well-liked figures among basketball insiders, has been known to "dog it" on plays, a source tells The Educated Knicks Fan.

The well respected basketball writer who we spoke with thinks highly of Davis, both as a person and as a player, saying, "he's a really good guy," and that he still has the capability, if healthy, to easily be a top 10 to 15 point guard in the league.  But our source went on to point out that Davis has also had well-documented issues with maintaining basketball intensity in practice, preparation and, on occasion, in-game.  Every so often he'll "turn it on and be spectacular, only to be underwhelming the following night," said the source.  Even Carmelo Anthony said of Davis, "Everyone knows what he can do when he's healthy and when he's focused."

But let's not get ahead of ourselves in pointing out the deficiencies of the Knicks' new point guard before he's even had the chance to play for the team.

This signing is most definitely good news for Knicks fans.

Davis is, without a doubt, an upgrade at the starting point guard position.  In signing Davis (assuming he makes a full recovery from the herniated disk currently keeping him sidelined), the Knicks have acquired a truly talented and capable leader at the point.  Davis has plenty of experience in the playoffs as well, playing in 46  post-season games, averaging almost 20 points per game to go along with 6.5 assists.  In the 2006-07 season, Davis led the Western Conference's 8 seeded Golden State Warriors in a memorable series win over the No. 1 seeded Dallas Mavericks in 6 games. - Side Note: Davis missed time earlier that year, returning to the team after undergoing mid-season knee surgery, proving he certainly has the ability to come back after an injury and help a team when it really matters. - Davis, since signing in New York, has made a point of stating his determination to play hard with the Knicks.  He has expressed excitement over playing on a talented team, a situation that Davis has not really experienced in his career.

The 32 year old Davis has the opportunity to prove that he can still lead a team and compete with the best point guards in the league.

Barring injury, there is certainly a lot to be excited about, as Davis has always had a flare for playing as big as the stage he's on, and there is no stage bigger than the one in New York.

With the increased scrutiny, Davis will likely be sure to do his best to prove any doubters wrong.  Let's hope that he recovers from injury, and that his play earns him not only an "A" for quality, but an "E" for effort.  If he's committed to basketball every night (though I'd take full commitment for just the playoffs), there's no doubt that his talent and ability will take care of the rest.  A healthy Baron Davis could prove to be a huge part of this season's Knicks team.