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Weekly NBA Winners: Baron Davis and Clippers avoid curse, Miami’s Shaun Livingston sees game action, and Darius Miles impresses in Boston auditionOctober 26 08  Every Sunday, HoopsVibe The Blog will review the NBA’s biggest winners and losers of the past seven days. The Winners … Winner #1: Baron Davis and the L.A. Clippers Separately, they have had ups-and-downs. Davis, a charismatic point guard, sometimes dazzles and sometimes is disinterested. And the Clippers, despite inching towards respectability over the years, still seem cursed. I had concerns about Davis and the Clippers joining forces this summer. An inconsistent player and the organization behind Benoit Benjamin and Michael Olowokandi seemed like a potential disaster. Things would either go terribly right or terribly wrong. No in-between. No middle ground. Earlier this week, I nearly spat up my morning coffee on the news Davis was to miss significant time with a finger injury. The curse lives, I thought. There must be a medicine man with a ‘B-diddy’ voodoo doll. Hours later, news broke that the injury wasn’t serious enough for the former All-Star to miss regular season action. I was pleased. Together, Davis and L.A. can exercise past demons and perhaps build something substantial in 2008-09. Winner #2: Shaun Livingston Five points and three assists is an insignificant stat line. I guess it is all relative when you haven’t played in 20 months and most predicted you’d never return from a gruesome knee injury. Such is Livingston’s story. After missing a season and a half, the former blue-chip prospect took a step forward in his comeback by seeing action in a pair of exhibition games for Miami. I have no idea if Livingston recovers to fulfill his can’t-miss status. In many respects, he has already succeeded. Winner #3: Darius Miles I know. Boston cut Miles. And Portland was doing cartwheels. After all, ‘Rip City’ has to pay 18 million dollars on his insurance settlement, if Miles plays 10 or more NBA games over the next two seasons. So how can the former lottery pick be a weekly winner? Well, Miles received positive reviews from the world champs during training camp. They liked his play, professional attitude, and only cut the three-man because his deal wasn’t guaranteed. Miles, based on his Celtic audition, will land somewhere. And the Blazers will be on the hook for his contract even though reports indicate they’ve been spreading nasty rumours about their former employee. Click here for this week’s losers, featuring Isiah Thomas, Larry Brown, and Chris Mullin. Will Davis and the Clippers have a strong year? Can Livingston contribute in Miami? What team signs Miles? Get at us in the comment box below with thoughts and come back to HoopsVibe’s The Blog for more NBA tidbits. Photo courtesy of Jacky W. |
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