The New York Knicks formally announced today that they have in fact signed oft-injured point guard Baron Davis.
Davis' talent alone should answer a lot of questions for New York at the point guard position. With Mike Bibby the only other point guard on the roster, The Knicks were prepared to thrust Toney Douglas into a starting role come Christmas Day, when the team opens the season against the Celtics.
A two-time all-star, Davis can score the basket at will, but is also effective at getting his teammates involved as well. With no shortage of offensive firepower in his new Knicks teammates, B-Diddy could serve as a first-class orchestrator.
Yes, it's true that his talent answers many questions surrounding the Knickerbockers this season, which would be fantastic, if only his injury history didn't raise so many more.
Davis has an extensive history with various injuries, having only played in 75 or more games in a single season twice since 2003. What's more, he will join the Knicks, already plagued by a back injury that will reportedly keep him out for a minimum of eight weeks.
Did the team make the right move? Was Davis a solid choice to solve all of their newly created point guard woes?
Howard Beck of The New York Times reports that Davis did in fact sign for the veteran's minimum, rather than the Knicks' "room exception," worth $2.5 million. In this case, signing Davis was a worth while move to make.
Though the shortened, compacted schedule is likely to hamper oft-injured players like Davis along the way, there is no doubting his ability and production while on the court. He averaged a steady 13.1 points and 6.7 assists through 58 games while splitting last season with the Clippers and Cavs. His numbers have hovered around the mentioned production since 2008.
That being said, he isn't quite the answer to anyone's prayers. At least, no one can depend on him as though he is.
His injury history is certainly not a joke. Anything B-Diddy contributes to the Knicks will purely be a bonus to whatever production they already have on the court from their point guards, or anyone else for that matter. The Knicks need to proceed like normal, working with the other players currently on the roster to get the team where it needs to be.
Whenever and if he's healthy, Davis will come in and elevate his new team. His talent, along with the small contract, makes this union between he and the Knicks an absolute no-brainer.
By accepting the league's minimum contract for a veteran, Davis made sure that his new team only stands to benefit from any contribution he makes (be it small or large). Should #85 play in say, forty four games (66% of the season), during this shortened campaign, the Knicks should consider themselves lucky.
Fans simply need to get on board with this mentality as well, keeping expectations low for Davis, so that he only surprises all for the better.
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