Can Baron Davis turn the Clippers into a playoff team?

Baron Davis has a lot of questions to answer before the season. The Clippers guard missed 17 games last season, and in the games he did play, he was something of a disappointment. With a healthier team around him and the addition of No. 1 pick Blake Griffin, will Davis return to his former form?

My verdict so far is that he can. In preseason games, he has played with a clear chip on his shoulder. He came to Los Angeles with the goal of resurrecting a franchise that desperately needed success.

His stats still don’t show that he’s fully healthy and playing at his high level again, but he’s taken on a leadership role. Last year he claimed to feel lost and aimless as a newcomer. This year, he is officially his “his team.” He knows that if this is going to work, he has to lead them.

It sounds like Davis is ready to accept the fact that he can no longer take charge of a game at any point. He could do that at Charlotte, and he could do that at Golden State, too, but he’s fading a little bit with age. With a healthy Marcus Camby, a new stallion in Blake Griffin and a pair of talented young wings in Eric Gordon and Al Thornton, he can become a big distributor.

Davis has always had a score-first mentality, but he’s also been getting 7-8 assists per game for the past few seasons. I expect him to set a career-high in assists while keeping his 15 or so points in a game like last season.

Davis came to the Clippers with big intentions and can turn around quickly with a team that has good pieces. Los Angeles will only have one relevant NBA team again this season, however, unless Baron Davis can lead the way at that point.