New Orleans Pelicans All-Time Team: Backup Point Guard
May 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former Los Angeles Clippers guard Baron Davis attends game four of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nathan (@NathanHeck22): Baron Davis
Everyone forgets poor Baron Davis. Before Chris Paul rolled into town, Baron Davis (who had a really awesome beard before James Harden could grow one, by the way) was running the show in New Orleans. He was carried over from when the team was in Charlotte, and despite being banged up for both of his years in New Orleans, he led them to the playoffs in both seasons and was an All-Star in the 2002 season.
Davis was an electric player in his prime, and he is one of the main reasons I love the game of basketball. I was ten when the Hornets moved to New Orleans, and honestly, I was more upset about New Orleans losing its minor league hockey team, The Brass, than I was about the city getting a professional basketball franchise.
Baron Davis changed that in a hurry.
I had never really been exposed to professional basketball prior to the team’s arrival, and Davis was the perfect player to show me the light. He pushed the ball up the court, he found open teammates, he cut to the basket, he hit shots, and he made it all look stupid easy. If the Hornets’ star player had been a hulking big that bullied his way to buckets, I probably would not have taken to the team like I did. Instead, Davis led the Hornets with his flashy up-tempo play. He provided the excitement needed to engage a city that is through and through a football town.
If it weren’t for another incredible point guard talent playing in New Orleans, he would easily be my starter for an all-time New Orleans team. He’s the reason I love basketball, and he was my first favorite player. Baron Davis will always represent something special, something new, and something exciting to me.
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