The Top 50

#18 - Baron Davis
It was a tough year in Golden State. The team was riding high after their stunning run into the West playoffs, looking to continue burning teams that now had their guard up against their frenetic attack.

But things got off to a rocky start when emotional lynchpin Stephen Jackson was suspended for the first seven games – all Ls. They bounced back into the playoff picture in an insanely tough conference, led by the inspired play of Davis, one of the toughest guards in the league himself. He had conquered an MVP and a 67-win team, rained triple-doubles when Tracy McGrady’s playoff ambition got a little premature, and wouldn’t let Golden State stay in the basement. They stormed through the season’s middle stages, making up lost ground behind Davis’ 22/5/8, adding 2 ½ steals/game against West point guards, no easy feat. The team seemed poised for return to the playoffs, and the race went down to the season’s final games, but the wheels came off down the stretch, just as the season had started, and the
Warriors found themselves outside the bracket.

The strain of the season had worn on the whole team, most visibly Davis, who spent the second half of the team’s final game parked on the bench, holding several pounds of Don Nelson’s smoked beef. His upcoming free agency was no doubt on his mind, and probably should’ve been on Nelson’s. Baron bolted to the Clippers, who will be joining Golden State in the desperate race for the West’s final playoff spots. Without their best player (and with their new point guard battling a serious injury), the Warriors are going to be hard-pressed to play on the same level. They’ll miss his shooting, his crossover, his fearless takes to the hoop, his clutch playmaking, crowd-hyping hysterics and, of course, the beard. Things are going to be much tougher without him.