We interrupt the regularly scheduled Red Sox obsessions you can normally find out here to talk a little NBA.  Since Crundy just sent me an email basically asking “Is Baron Davis worth a 5 year $65 million contract?  The answer is no.

At least not for the Warriors and about 20 other teams

Mind you, I think Baron Davis is a really good point guard.  And I’ve loved watching him play for the Warriors the last few years.  He’s made the Warriors one of the most entertaining teams to watch on a nightly basis.  He’s cocky and clutch.  He knows how to run a team.  He’s a leader.  No, he can’t drain 3’s on a consistent basis - and he probably shoots too many of them - but the guy can simply play.

All that said, at this point in his career he’s not THE MAN on the team anymore.  He can not lead you to the promised land all by himself.  He’s best as a second fiddle or player 1-B.  So no, he’s not deserving of big time money.  With the exception being that  you are a team that’s got a stud already and needs to add a piece to make a run at a title.  If you think Baron is that guy for your team and you’ve got the cap space, then yeah…pay Baron what it takes.

Here’s 4 Teams that should make a run at signing Baron Davis

And they aren’t Golden State or the Clippers.  And  I have no idea if these teams can work the cap space. 

Cleveland - Baron with Lebron…let Lebron do what he does off the ball…and Cleveland has a chance to win it all.  Cleveland should open up the bank to win sometime in the next couple of years. After that, Bron-bron is gone-gone.

Orlando - Adding Baron to a team with the best low post player in the NBA (Dwight Howard) and a bunch of 3 point shooters would make for a deadly team.

Miami - Veteran permiter ballers like Dwayne Wade, Shane Marion, and Baron, even with a rookie low presence like Michael Beasley puts them easily on the same level as the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

Houston - Adding Baron to Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady looks good on paper and looks like a team that could make it the finals, but …I don’t know…theres something about McGrady that doesn’t seem right.  He’s an incredible talent that can fill a boxscore, but I don’t see him ever being on a team that contends for a title.  Unless, he goes the Ray Allen route and becomes a 3rd option on a loaded team.

But here’s another thing.  This isn’t about basketball for Baron.

If it was, he would never leave a Golden State team coached by Don Nelson.  Nellie lets these guys play like they are on the playground. He keeps the reins pretty lose and gives his point guards a lot of decision making power. Nope, this is about going home to L.A. for Baron.  And its about being part of Hollywood.  Its no secret that Baron wants to be the filmmaking business.  In fact he already is.

And regarding the Warriors…

They are wise to let Baron go.  They would also be wise to sign Elton Brand and pair him with Monta Ellis (who could be a superstar).  Time will tell if that type of Warriors team can seriously content for the finals (that pretty much depends on how Monta turns out) , but its at least a playoff contender every year.  And what the warriors are missing are inside post players that can score and attract double teams.  They’ve got plenty of guys willing to hang around the 3 point line and shoot. 

I think Golden State has a bright future ahead.  They don’t appear to be a guaranteed threat (like Portland does) but it could happen.  There’s a good young core - Monta Ellis, Branden Wright, Andris Biedrins, and Anthony Randolph are as worth rolling the dice with as any young foursome in the league.  How Ellis and Randolph develop are the real keys.  Question is how long will that take and does adding Elton Brand help them get to where they want to be or stick them into a cap situation they can’t work with. 

One thing is for sure.  Watching Golden State this year just won’t be the same.

Lastly…

One final thought before returning to our normally scheduled programming.  We brought the NBA here and it wasn’t about the Celtics championship?  That seems a bit odd. Well…this should make up for that:

OK.  As promised, back to baseball and the Red Sox.

Tonight is a must win game for the Red Sox.  We’ve lost 2 tight ones in a row to Tampa Bay.  They’re getting increasingly confident that they are just as good as us.  This will not stand.  Even if they are as good as us (and they very well might be), it’s time to let them know that we’re not about to roll over and play dead.

I admit that I haven’t watched the first two games of the series very closely, so I don’t really know what the difference has been the past two nights.  But I know this, those Yankees teams of the 90s would understand the importance of winning a game like tonight.  If we truly want compare the current Sox franchise to the Yankees run of the 90s, it means you win tonight.