Baron Davis is recovering from a serious right knee injury and isn't ready to return to the court, but he's agreed to join the Knicks as an adviser, and will do some charity and in-game entertainment work for the team as well, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The job, which comes with no official title, may include some scouting duties as well.
Davis is an unrestricted free agent as a player, and despite suffering a partial tear of his patella tendon and complete tears of his ACL and MCL, he said last month he hopes to return to play at some point this season. Begley writes that he's not expected to be ready before May, one year after the injury occurred, which means he's likely out for the entire 2012/13 season.
Though he's played only 29 games in a Knicks uniform, he's shown affection for the team, and the feeling appears mutual, as the Knicks reportedly approached him about an advisory role this summer while he was doing rehab with the team's trainers. When Davis returns to the court, it's clear his first choice will be to remain in New York.
"I hope I return. I want to come back," the point guard said in June, according to Begley. "I want to be a Knick for the rest of my career. … Playing in the Garden and the people, the fans. I feel like New York is the mecca of basketball. This was the best stage, for who I am, to give back to the community and play for a top-notch organization."