Baron Davis Takes Veteran Presence Deeper Than NBA

Baron Davis, a new member of the Delaware 87ers, takes the veteran presence idea deeper than just the NBA.

Baron Davis is remembered most for his playing time in the NBA in the early 2000s. He played in two different All-Star games throughout his career. Davis was a player of the week two times, and a player of the month one time.

Davis was a player known for often playing through whatever came his way, playing all 82 games 4 times in his career. But his career was cut short when he had to leave after less than 30 games in the 2012 season.

Davis had been looking for a place in the D-League (the NBA’s minor league system) to get back in the game, and retire on his own terms, not his injuries terms. The Delaware 87ers, the affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, picked him up just a few weeks ago. The player who once averaged 22.9 points, 2.4 steals, and 7.5 assists in a single season was now a player on a D-League team.

More from The Sixer Sense

The Sixers have been recognizing the need for a veteran presence this season. The Sixers have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, with plenty of rookie and sophomore players, but they also have Carl Landry, who is 32 years old, and Elton Brand, who is 37 years old. The goal of the veteran presence is to provide some basketball knowledge to the younger guys, as well as some life tips.

Brand loaned rookie Jahlil Okafor his Land Rover during the cold season so that Okafor could save money and not have to buy a separate vehicle for the snow.

But now, with Davis going to the Sevens, the veteran presence infiltrates the Sixers organization even deeper, and that can be a great thing. The Sixers have plenty of young guys on the Sevens that look to possibly be good NBA players someday, even on the Sixers, and getting some knowledge rubbed off on them early could be great for their careers.

Davis does have a goal of getting back to the NBA himself, as he’s talked about having to go back in time to think of himself as a rookie who has to start from the very beginning. “You almost have to give yourself amnesia and not even think about anything you accomplished or anything you did before. For me, it’s really like a clean slate.”

Although Davis might not have a goal of mentoring younger guys like Brand has, it will come naturally. Brand can’t forget everything that’s happened to him over the last 15 years, and has a lot of stories and knowledge to share with the 87ers roster as he looks to make his own path back to the NBA.

Next: 76ers Fan Guide to NCAA Tournament: The Centers

It’s pretty cool to see the veteran presence idea that’s been implemented into the Sixers roster naturally transcend the barrier between the major league and the minor league.