The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams reportedly interested in signing Baron Davis, and the former All-Star guard will decide which team he will play for on Monday, writes Ric Bucher from ESPN.com.
The Lakers are in need of an upgrade at the point guard position, but they should try to avoid signing Davis. Although Davis has a history of performing well, his All-Star days are well in the past.
He did put up some intriguing numbers last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers (13.9 ppg and 6.1 apg) but his problems with injuries cannot be overlooked. The Lakers need a healthy roster this season, especially with a compacted schedule, and adding an aging, injury prone point guard is not the road to take.
Davis is currently battling with a back injury which will sideline him for eight to 10 weeks. On top of that, Davis has had to deal with weight issues in his career, and you know how coach Mike Brown feels about players who are out of shape. Metta World Peace is now a bench player, so who knows what will happen to Davis if he cannot take care of his body.
Derek Fisher may not be as productive as Davis in terms of statistics, but his leadership qualities and relationship with Kobe Bryant cannot be replaced. Fisher may struggle in this new offense coach Brown has installed, but he has a proven track record in big games.
The Lakers do need to address that position, but going after a younger and more explosive guard is the better option. The front-office tried to go after Chris Paul, but there are still a plethora of capable point guards in the NBA. The Lakers need to improve their roster to get to the NBA Finals, but signing Baron Davis will not help them get there.
