Boom Dizzle

by Jeff Laboon

Baron Davis laces up his shoes on a bench on the Brooklyn Bridge. He stands up and the show begins. With every step and every sight he finds a new challenger, a random person on the streets of New York City that thinks they can strip the ball from him.

No one does.

It’s not a matter of respect. It’s not every day that you see an NBA star dribbling a ball through the streets of NYC just for the hell of it. Of course people want to strip Davis of the ball.

No, it’s about the challenge.

Davis acted as the leader, the captain of the arguably the greatest upset in recent NBA Playoff history. Now he’s locked in year three of a five year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, the NBA’s equivalent of purgatory, and questions of his motivation continue to swirl amidst allegations by new Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro that Davis reported to camp out of shape. But Davis can make you a believer.

(Davis, 30, has been selected to the NBA All-Star game twice.)

Nicknamed Boom Dizzle, Davis strives for the challenge. Davis grew up in South-Central Los Angeles amidst gang warfare. Basketball was his out. He received a scholarship to play ball at UCLA, playing only two seasons before the Charlotte Hornets drafted him third overall in 1999.

In his third season, Davis became the face of the franchise and a national name. He helped the Hornets reach the playoffs in his first five seasons, but the team never made it past the second round. But Davis will always be associated with the 2006-07 Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors were the closest you can get to a Cinderella in professional sports. Head coach Don Nelson in his first season with the team encouraged a fast pace offense, which Davis thrived in. But heading into the last game of the regular season, the Warriors needed a win over the Portland Trailblazers to clinch the eighth seed in the playoffs.

(Davis and the Warriors captured the city of Oakland in 2007.)

Davis responded to the challenge with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists. The Warriors earned their first playoff berth in 13 years on the heels of Davis’ triple-double.

In the first round, the improbable Warriors faced the Dallas Mavericks, who many considered the best team in the NBA. The Mavericks were the defending Western Conference champions and were hell-bent on a return trip to the NBA Finals. Davis averaged 25 points per game and had two double-doubles as the Warriors shocked the Mavericks in six games.

(Even Dirk Nowitzki could not stop Davis' heroics in the playoffs.)

Never one to shy from flair, Davis put on a show as all eyes focused on the Warriors. The Warriors were the nation’s darling and Davis was their bearded leader, who could split defenders with a behind the back dribble so fluid that no one can see coming. The next season the Warriors had the most wins in franchise history, but missed the playoffs.

Amid rumors that Elton Brand would resign with the Los Angeles Clippers, Davis decided to leave the Warriors in free agency for a chance to play in his hometown of Los Angeles. The one-two punch of Davis and Brand would ignite the Clippers and make them instant contenders.

(Et tu, Brand.)

Instead, Davis signed a five year contract with LA and Brand left for Philadelphia. The Clippers won 29 percent of their games in Davis’ two seasons at the helm. The signing of head coach Vinny Del Negro, though, promises a more fast-paced offense, similar to the one Davis thrived in with the Warriors.

With dissension already forming between Del Negro and Davis, though, will it even matter? The Clippers changed their roster drastically over the offseason, adding new talent at every position, namely Eric Bledsoe and Jon Scheyer at point guard. Younger legs fit Del Negro’s system better.

Bledsoe and Scheyer are just two more guys trying to strip the ball from Davis. It’s about the challenge.



(Notice, the video also features Jim Jones and Common among others.)