Golden State Warriors: Revisiting Baron Davis

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Baron Davis (85) reacts on the court against the Miami Heat during the first half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Abducted by aliens? Baron Davis is most certainly an entertainer on and off the court, literally. We all know him as a basketball player but never as an actor.

Yes, the beloved “We Believe” Warrior is in fact an actor. He appeared in a couple of movies, The Cookout and That’s My Boy, and a few TV Shows, Lincoln Heights, Hot in Cleveland and The Forgotten.

The former UCLA Bruin first established himself as a basketball player. In the 1999 NBA Draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, where he spent the first five years of his career at.

On February 24, 2005, the Golden State Warriors made a blockbuster trade that was later seen in retrospect as a huge steal. By sending guard Speedy Claxton and forward Dale Davis to the New Orleans Hornets, the Warriors were able to acquire star point guard Baron Davis in return.

When Davis was brought over to Golden State, it marked a culture shift from a half-court oriented offense to a high-scoring system. The offense was built to suit Davis’ up-tempo style and his new orchestra was the legendary coach Don Nelson.

In their first season together, Golden State saw immediate success with the pairing of Nelson and Davis. Davis led the Warriors in scoring, assist and steals that season by averaging 20.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 2.1 steals. The Warriors were ranked second in the league for scoring with 106.5 points per game and clinched their first playoff berth since 1993.

The playoff run that Davis and the Warriors made created many memories for the franchise and its fans. People will never forget the upset they were able to pull off by knocking the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs. Aside from team accomplishments, the most memorable play of the playoffs that year was this:

However, with the great stories and plays, the season did not end as they wanted for that the Warriors were defeated by the Utah Jazz.

Following the playoff season, the Warriors saw success in the win columns, with a 48-34 record, but could not clinch consecutive playoff berths.

For Davis, the 2007-08 was a season of rollercoasters in which in that ended wrong. Davis battled knee injuries in the past, but for that season, he was able to play in all 82 games, which was a first since 2001-02 season.

He also made history as being part of the one of the highest scoring backcourt in NBA history. Playing alongside Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis, the three each averaged over 20 points per game. The trio was the first three NBA teammates to average 20-plus points per game since the 1990-91 season when the Warriors’ Run TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin) did it.

With a season filled with accomplishments, it did not have a happy ending for Davis. In a playoff elimination game against the Phoenix Suns, Coach Nelson benched Davis for playing poorly which caused negative repercussions. The Warriors were knocked out of playoff contention by the losing to the Suns and the season was over. Heading into the offseason, Davis choose to opt out of his contract with Golden State and sign with his hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers.

After leaving the Warriors, Davis was unable to attain success of the same magnitude. He became a journeyman by playing for three different teams in two years.

In 2011, the Clippers were looking to unload Davis’ contract and rebuild a roster with young players. The Clippers decided to ship him along with a lottery pick in the 2011 draft (which resulted as the number 1 pick Kyrie Irving) away to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

Playing in just 15 games with the Cavaliers, they decided to use the amnesty clause to get rid of his two-year $30 million contract. Cleveland’s intentions were to create more opportunity for Kyrie Irving and allow Davis to get a fresh start.

November 11, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Movie actor Will Ferrell (left) talks to former NBA player Baron Davis before the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings at the Staples Center. Lakers won 103-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

On December 19, 2011, Davis signed a one year contract with the New York Knicks. For the majority of the season, he served as the back-up for Jeremy Lin. Towards the end of the season, he took over the starting role due to a season-ending injury for Lin. Davis returned to the playoffs with the Knicks for the first time since his days with Golden State. In game 4 of the opening round against the Miami Heat, Davis suffered a devastating injury with a torn ACL, MCL and patellar tendon.

His season with the Knicks marked his last season in the NBA. He ended his career with averages of 16.9 points and 7.6 assists per game.

Outside of the NBA, Davis has been seen playing basketball in recreational leagues. This summer he participated in the popular Drew League playing alongside Kevin Durant, Metta World Peace and Anthony Davis. Although his knee will probably never be 100 percent, Davis has yet to state that he is a retired basketball player. He seems to be open to one day returning to the NBA and ending his career on a good note.

Davis has stated that once his basketball career is over he would like to pursue his interests in the film industry. We may see him in more films!