Baron Davis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Hire Baron Davis For Advisory Role

September 23rd, 2012 at 9:54am CST by Chuck Myron

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."

Agent: Baron Davis To Stay Involved With Knicks

August 24th, 2012 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

As he continues to recover from an ACL and MCL tear, Baron Davis is still hoping to return to the court at some point during the 2012/13 season. Even if that doesn't happen though, Davis will remain with the Knicks this season "in some capacity," his agent tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. According to agent Todd Ramasar, the Knicks have let Davis do physical therapy with their training staff, and have recently approached him about remaining on board in a mentorship role.

"He'll still be around the team and could kind of help some of the younger guys just through his experience," Ramasar said. "The Knicks have been wonderful in terms of just extending support to Baron, whether it be through obviously his physical therapy or just having him involved with the organization going forward. He really loves that team and that organization has done an excellent job with Baron, and Baron feels like that's home. He really, really enjoyed last season with the Knicks."

While Davis still hopes to make a comeback, Ramasar said it's too early to tell whether the point guard will be able to play this season. A 2013/14 return may be more likely. If and when he does come back, it seems as if the Knicks would be Davis' first choice, so it will be interesting to see if there's an opening for him. Raymond Felton's and Jason Kidd's contracts are both guaranteed through 2015, but third point guard Pablo Prigioni is only on a two-year, non-guaranteed deal.

Unsigned Amnesty Victims

August 17th, 2012 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

As Hoops Rumors' amnesty tracker shows, exactly half of the NBA's 30 teams have used their amnesty provisions to release a player and eliminate his contract from their books. These teams are still paying the players' salaries, but don't take a cap or tax hit for the contracts.

Many of 2011's and 2012's amnesty victims quickly found other NBA homes, with many of this summer's amnestied players not even clearing waivers before they were snatched up. But for every Luis Scola or Elton Brand, there's a player who has yet to catch on with another NBA club. Most of the following players are still receiving pay checks from their old teams, but are available to be signed as free agents. Here's the latest on them:

Baron Davis: Entering the final year of his old contract with the Cavaliers, Davis is unlikely to sign anytime soon, since he's still recovering from the torn MCL/ACL he suffered in May. However, Davis would like to return before the end of the 2012/13 season if possible, and it sounds like the Knicks would be his first choice.
Ryan Gomes: Our rumors page for Gomes is empty since he was amnestied by the Clippers, which doesn't necessarily bode well for his chances of signing somewhere for the coming season. Still, I expect him to at least get a training camp invite from a team, and even if he doesn't, he'll earn $4MM this season from the Clips.
Gilbert Arenas: A 2011 cut, Arenas managed to catch on with the Grizzlies for part of last season, but didn't blow anyone away with his performance in Memphis. Based on recent reports, the former 20+ PPG scorer is "slimmed down and fully healthy," which could make him a worthwhile risk at the veteran's minimum.
Chris Andersen: It seems that the former Nugget is at least drawing interest, with one report suggesting that he's received offers up to $5MM per year. I think if he truly had even a one-year offer worth $5MM, he would've accepted it yesterday, but the Birdman still looks like a good bet to find a bench spot somewhere.
Josh Childress: The Wizards were said to be one of a handful of teams with a little interest in Childress, but based on his horrid 2011/12 season in Phoenix, anything more than a minimum salary for the former sixth overall pick seems unlikely. With three years and $21MM still remaining on his Suns deal, Childress is under no pressure to accept the first offer he gets.
Darko Milicic: While spending a year overseas could make some sense for Darko, it appears it's not an option he's considering, based on comments made by his agent. The Heat, Nets, Bulls, and Clippers were said to be interested shortly after he was amnestied, but at least two of those teams have signed other big men since then, so Darko's options may be dwindling.
Andray Blatche: Blatche reportedly received at least exploratory interest from the Spurs and Heat, but I wonder if the young forward would prefer to try to rebuild his value on a non-contender that would give him more playing time. Given Blatche's upside, I imagine there are teams willing to take a flier on him.
James Posey / Charlie Bell: Both Posey and Bell had just one year left on their deals when they were released in December by the Pacers and Warriors respectively, and neither player has signed an NBA deal since. Bell played overseas this year, and neither Posey or Bell has announced his retirement, as far as I know, but it doesn't seem like an NBA return is in the cards for either player.

Baron Davis Hopes To Return In 2012/13

August 14th, 2012 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

When Baron Davis went down with a gruesome knee injury in the first round of this year's playoffs against the Heat, it was believed that he'd likely miss the entire 2012/13 season. However, Davis has been rehabbing his knee, and a source close to the veteran guard tells Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld that the 33-year-old intends to return during the 2012/13 season.

There's no chance that Davis will be ready to play by the fall, but it's not entirely out of the question that he could be healthy enough to join a team later in the year. A torn MCL and ACL typically means a recovery time of at least one year, but if Davis is able to accelerate that timetable by a month or two, he could be a candidate for a team in need of backcourt help down the stretch. As he tells HoopsWorld, he's working hard to make that a realistic scenario.

"I’m feeling good, getting there," Davis said this weekend at a Rising Stars of America fundraiser. "A lot of rehab. A lot of rehab. My summer is just consisting of rehabbing, focusing in on this foundation and these kids and doing as much good as I possibly can with my time off."

If Davis doesn't make it back in time for the end of the 2012/13 season, he'll be an unrestricted free agent again next summer.

Baron Davis

Odds & Ends: Allen, Evans, Davis

June 26th, 2012 at 11:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, the general consensus around the league is that Ray Allen will join the Heat next year (Twitter link). Since the team will be about $2MM above the tax apron, the most that Miami would be able to offer would be the mini-mid level exception of $3MM. Here's more of tonight's miscellaneous links, including Tyreke Evans, Baron Davis, and the Bulls…

Baron Davis Likely Out For Next Season

May 7th, 2012 at 4:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The knee injury Baron Davis suffered Sunday against the Heat is worse than initially believed. The Knicks announced today that an MRI revealed a partially torn patella tendon and a completely torn ACL and MCL. Davis will undergo surgery, with a recovery period of 12 months. That would mean the veteran guard would miss the entire 2012/13 regular season.

Davis is not under contract for next year, so if he signs another NBA deal it's unlikely to happen until at least the 2013/14 season. At that point, he'll be 34 years old, and would need to recover not only from this surgery, but from a herniated disk as well — it will be a long and challenging road back to NBA action for the former third overall pick.

With Davis out and Jeremy Lin also expected to miss Game Five vs. the Heat, Mike Bibby will likely be the Knicks' starting point guard Wednesday as the team tries to extend its season. We rounded up the rest of today's Knicks updates here.

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Davis, Pistons, Spurs

April 1st, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Michael Pina

The Bulls are doing battle with the Thunder today in another possible Finals match-up. Chicago is once again without their best player, Derrick Rose. In an Insider piece on ESPN.com, Basketball-Reference's Neil Paine explains that despite the team experiencing recent success without Rose, they have no chance at winning a title if he doesn't play.

Tim Griffin from Spurs Nation has a piece on San Antonio's probable decision to change their lineups as the playoffs grow near.
ESPNNY.com's Ian Begley writes about the importance of Baron Davis now that Jeremy Lin will have knee surgery.
Vincent Goodwill from The Detroit News thinks Joe Dumars needs to take the Pistons in a new direction.
Since Ray Allen went down with an ankle injury, and Mickael Pietrus suffered a concussion, Avery Bradley's insertion in Boston's starting lineup has been a revelation for the team's playoff chances, writes The Sporting News' Sean Deveney.
CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes poses an interesting question regarding a difficult decision Portland might have this offseason. With both J.J. Hickson and Nicolas Batum being restricted free agents, which one should the team set as a priority for keeping? For reference, here's a look at our list of 2012/13 free agents.
The Sacramento Bee's Stephen Magagnini wrote a piece about the impact rookie Isaiah Thomas has had both on the court and in the community.
The Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells writes about the relationship Pacers guard George Hill still shares with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Also, Indiana head coach Frank Vogel talks about why he's decided it isn't worth it to rest his veterans despite the season's hectic schedule.

Atlantic Notes: O’Neal, Garnett, D-League, Davis

March 30th, 2012 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics announced today that Jermaine O'Neal underwent successful surgery on his injured left wrist. And as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets, all went well with Chris Wilcox's heart surgery yesterday too. Wilcox was waived by the Celtics earlier this month, and Boston could choose to let O'Neal go as well if the team needs to use his roster spot. For now though, the Celtics don't appear to be eyeing any free agents.

Here are a few more Friday afternoon updates out of the Atlantic Division:

Celtics big man Kevin Garnett appeared on WEEI's Mutt and Merloni show yesterday, and made some interesting comments, as Rich Levine of CSNNE.com writes. "I never wanted to be pieced around, or treated like a pawn, or a piece on the board," Garnett said. "Loyalty in this game has been depleted on both sides. The business of this game is terrible for players. It's all over the place. I have to choose and make a decision to whether to be part of the future of that. I wish players would take more of a stand in our league and understand that it's a player's league." Reading between the lines, Levine surmises that Garnett may have been referring to the lockout, the trade deadline, or both.
The NBA's D-League has turned into more of a true minor league system and is helping players reach the NBA, writes Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger. Castillo's piece is an interesting read, with a focus on the Nets' D-League call-ups, including Gerald Green and Jerry Smith.
The Knicks' offseason addition of Baron Davis fell under the radar following Jeremy Lin's emergence, but Lin's injury has given Davis a chance to re-enter the spotlight, says Keith Schlosser of the New York Times.

Knicks Notes: Smith, Chandler, Backcourt

March 11th, 2012 at 10:50am CST by Daniel Seco

Struggling to make any strides in a muddled playoff picture, the Knicks kick off a full slate of NBA action on Sunday against a 76ers team currently allowing the fewest amount of points per game. The Knicks presently occupy the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a middling Bucks squad two games back. Making noise in the news for a multitude of reasons, let's head to the Garden to see what's going on with the Knicks.

With J.R. Smith demonstrating inconsistency as a starter since assuming Landry Fields' former role, Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni has reinstated Fields into the starting lineup effective immediately thanks to his improved play as a reserve, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Smith, signed just prior to the All-Star break after a stint in China, has averaged 8.9 PPG in his nine games with the Knicks. The former first-round pick out of New Jersey has been making headlines for his risque actions off the court leading to a hefty fine by the league.
By many accounts the Knicks made one of the best moves of the abbreviated off-season by luring Tyson Chandler away from the Mavericks with a lucrative contract. According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, Chandler believes the Knicks' roster has enough talent to close out games. "I feel like we may be the deepest team in the league. We should be able to come at teams in waves. It's a matter of putting that together." A newly-beardless Chandler, 29, makes his return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Sixers after missing two games with hamstring issues.
Rather than focusing on fixing the struggling Knicks via trade, D'Antoni wants to explore providing the tandem of Jeremy Lin and Baron Davis more minutes together on the court to see how such a pairing may improve the squad's overall performance, writes Mark Hale of the New York Post.

Knicks Notes: Davis, Novak, Lin

March 4th, 2012 at 10:48am CST by Daniel Seco

While overloaded earlier in the season with a relentless schedule, the Knicks have benefited from a cushy start to the post All-Star break season having played only one game in the last 10 days. They'll head to Boston today to take on the Celtics in nationally-televised game as the two teams battle for playoff positioning. Let's take a quick look at what's going on with the Knicks before Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the squad get underway in the first of eight Sunday games.

Baron Davis talks about signing with the Knicks over the Lakers and the Heat in an extensive interview with the New York Post's Steve Serby. For the former UCLA star, playing at the Garden amongst talented players was more than enough of a reason to lure him to New York. While Davis clearly came to the Big Apple with intentions of starting for the Knicks, he offers high praise for Jeremy Lin and is content with becoming the greatest backup point guard in league history.
Al Iannazzone of Newsday says minimum deals made by the Knicks have been as important to the team's success as the signing of Tyson Chandler, who has been an excellent addition to the roster. Iannazzone points to the shooting of Steve Novak as a critical reason why the Knicks didn't flounder when injury and personal tragedy kept Anthony and Amare Stoudemire off the court. Novak, 28, has hit 34-66 from three-point range in the Knicks' last nine victories.
The last time the Knicks played the Celtics, Jeremy Lin looked like a player who could be cut at any time, writes Howard Beck of The New York Times. With his points scored (two) equal to the amount of fouls he committed, Lin's effort against the Celtics could only be described as forgettable. Merely one night later, the phenomenon known as Linsanity took shape with a tour de force performance of 25 points and seven assists in a victory over the Nets.