Tension Between Baron Davis and Mike Dunleavy (Already!)

by Marcel Mutoni

When Baron Davis was in Oakland, he was the ring leader of a loose, at times wild hoops team. And his coach loved him for it. Don Nelson put the ball in Diddy’s hands, and more or less let him do his thing.

It was madness, a sort of controlled chaos if you will, but it produced wins and a memorable Playoff trip in 2007.

Well, Baron’s not in Kansas Oakland anymore, and his new boss is a lot less willing to let him “freestyle”. Predictably, this is leading to some friction. The LA Times has the details.

Said Davis: “There’s definitely a disconnect there. I’ve never had so many plays in my entire career.”

Said Dunleavy: “We’re working through it right now.”

Said Davis: “I have to figure out how to fit more into his system, and he has to figure out how to relax his grip.”

Said Dunleavy: “I’m confident everything will be fine.”

That reads like a script to a terrific sitcom. What remains to be seen is if Clipper fans will be laughing or crying by the end of it.

According to eternally wise Chris Kaman, this Davis/Dunleavy partnership is going to be either “the greatest thing ever, or it’s going to be a disaster.” I don’t know about you, but I’m leaning towards the latter.