[外電] Hold exit door open for 'unwanted' Davis
原文出自nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1109229486136540.xml
Hold exit door open for 'unwanted' Davis
Thursday, February 24, 2005
John DeShazier
You, too, could feel unwanted if your employer had offered,
and you had accepted, the maximum money possible at the
time you were due to cash in -- $84 million for seven years.
And there could be cause to feel a tad put upon if, in
exchange for those dollars and the status that accompanies
them, you had been expected to lead by word and example.
And even if the team hadn't improved, couldn't win a title
and you wanted out of New Orleans, you certainly might feel
unloved if the Hornets had the audacity to entertain trade
offers, if the coach and players you play for had begun to
show signs of wear from your absence, if words like "cancer"
had been leaking into sentences alongside your name.
No, really, you could, even if you are not the riddle
wrapped inside the enigma that is Hornets guard Baron Davis.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to understand how Davis
and the Hornets reached this stage of their union, where
parting seems imminent, the sooner the better for both
sides.
B.D. returned to action for the Hornets on Wednesday night
at New Orleans Arena, after missing 17 games with a bruised
right Achilles tendon, looking no worse for the non-wear
against Seattle.
The ball remains an extension of his fingertips, to be
toyed with on command. There seems to be no defender
capable of staying between him and the basket when he wants
to get to the hoop. He continues to see plays develop and
teammates poised to break free before anyone else.
But then, his talent and ability never have been questioned.
It's the other stuff, peripheral things that seem to have
precious little to do with playing basketball, that cause
the raised eyebrows and scratched heads. That's the stuff
that takes away from what's happening on the court (though
sometimes this season, that hasn't been such a bad thing,
a 103-85 loss Wednesday being such an occasion). That's the
stuff that makes the current cameo/audition necessary, the
stuff that will make the split a welcomed one when it occurs.
The Hornets needed Davis on the floor Wednesday night, and
he needed to be on the floor, only for one reason. And that
reason will remain for as long as he's a Hornet.
He has to play his way out of New Orleans, simple as that.
Potential suitors need to know he's healthy and reasonably
coachable for the Hornets to be able to get anything close
to equal value in a trade.
This could be the kind of deal that appears to bite the
franchise in the derriere in the future, with Davis
energized and motivated to prove himself in a new environment.
A talent-for-talent match won't be easy, not with Davis having
been hurt as often as he has the past few seasons, and not
with him draped by the perception that he's injury-prone or
hasn't always put forth the best effort in getting back on
the court.
The man is an All-Star-caliber player who's capable of
carrying a team for long stretches, several games at a time.
There are precious few of those in the NBA.
But it would be better to be bitten in the rear than to
continue to pucker up to B.D., if he no longer will allow
himself to be happy with the Hornets.
Despite what is being said publicly by both sides, the Hornets
that Davis isn't on the trading block and Davis that he's
ready and willing to play hard and hurt the rest of the
season, the relationship seems headed in the better-to-lose
-without-him-than-to-win-with-him direction.
Trust has eroded. Belief has dwindled.
The exit door is, or should be, open. A man who calls himself
unwanted, poised to walk through.
總之就是在說 既然黃蜂跟小胖不再相愛 不如趁早分手 @@
. . . . . . .
John DeShazier can be reached at jdeshazier@timespicayune.com
or (504) 826-3410.
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