With the slate of opening Christmas Day games inching closer, teams are finishing up filling out their rosters. The Chris Paul drama is done with…thank you! The Clips have become a scary team with CP3 at the helm and also claimed Chauncey Billups off waivers. On the other side of the country, most recent news has Baron Davis inking a deal with the New York Knicks. The Knicks were looking to fill a much needed void at the Point Guard position with Toney Douglas not yet proving he is capable of handling a starting role and Mike Bibby coming off a porous year with the Heat and Hawks. “The Beard”, however, is expected to miss the first month of the season with a back injury. So, the addition of veteran guards Chauncey Billups and Baron Davis raises some questions for both the LA Clippers and New York Knicks. What type of play will these recently boosted teams receive from these guys? Will Chauncey Billups follow through on his “warning” to the team which claims him off waivers? Will Baron Davis become uninterested in New York? The answers to both of these questions could be very scary for both teams.
Chauncey Billups is long removed from his NBA Finals MVP days in Detroit and has moved around quite a bit lately. Mr. Clutch first became uneasy when he was traded from Denver to the Mecca last year alongside Carmelo Anthony. Billups ultimately came around to the idea of being in New York and saw a chance for another run to the NBA Finals. However, the Knicks used the new amnesty clause on Billups and put him on waivers. Next comes Billups’ warning to the team that signed him, stating he would do his best to be a distraction on the court and in the locker room. Well, the Clippers ignored the warning and days later added Chris Paul to form a very solid and tough backcourt. According to a story from the LA Times, Billups stated that he is “all in” and happy to be with the Clippers. That is good news for Clippers fans as Billups will provide them with much playoff experience, an outside threat, and another facilitator alongside CP3. On paper, the Clips figure to showcase a lineup that goes like this: Deandre Jordan, Blake Griffin, Caron Butler, Chauncey Billups, and Chris Paul. The Clippers will also have the likes of Mo Williams, Randy Foye, and Ryan Gomes coming off the bench. It appears Chauncey won’t have to be a distraction after all and very well might just be able to make a playoff run with a team that is figured to play an up tempo style and wreak havoc in the Western Conference. The tables have turned in LA and now the eyes are on the Clippers.
On the East Coast, Baron Davis will be joining a Knicks team that is primed to compete with the likes of Miami, Boston, and Chicago for the East crown. One reminder lingers however. Baron Davis has “checked out” on his teams in the past, but when he is fully committed can be one of the best scoring guards in the league. So, which Davis will the Knicks see? The Baron Davis who gave up when he was planning to get out of Golden State? Or, the Baron Davis whom led the Warriors over top seeded Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs years ago? Tyson Chandler already shores up the most significant hole for the Knicks, providing them with defense on the inside and a big man who can run the floor with Amare Stoudemire. Landry Fields is a viable outside shooter and Carmelo and Amare will demand consistent double teams. A committed Baron Davis will be left alone to operate one on one and could ultimately provide this Knicks team with double figures and a core unit that could dethrone the top teams in the East. So, let “The Beard” do work.
Alex Rosencutter is a former NCAA basketball player at Clarke Univeristy and a kinesiology major at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, this hoops addict and die hard Miami Heat fan, who is obsessed with old school hoops, has a fever for basketball and the only prescription is more basketball.
