SFGate
Davis and Nelson won't commit
Janny Hu
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
(04-15) 04:00 PDT Phoenix --
For a franchise player who can rock his team by opting out of his
contract this summer, Baron Davis sure sounded as if he wants to be
back with the Warriors next season.
"I want to win a champion****p here," Davis said Monday. "We've been to
the playoffs, we're in a playoff run right now, so my whole thing is
to bring a champion****p to the city, to the Bay Area. That would be
great."
Now, is that to say that Davis actually will be back?
"I didn't say nothing," he added with a smile.
Such is the double-speak that the offseason entails, and the Warriors
are about to have a monumental one. As many as nine of their 14
players could be free agents, with Davis topping the list, followed by
Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins.
Davis, who turned 29 on Sunday, can forego the final year of his
contract that will pay him about $17 million and test the free-agent
market. Only a few teams, however, are expected to have enough salary-
cap space to chase a marquee player.
"Baron and I have already talked a little bit about it, but he's got
to make the right decisions for himself," Warriors coach Don Nelson
said. "Whatever they are, we can deal with it."
As for Nelson's decision to retire or come back, the coach - who
smartly reworked his deal last summer to guarantee $2 million in
playoff-based incentives - said he would not be swayed by missing the
postseason.
"No, not really," said Nelson, whose $5.1 million option for next year
was exercised by the Warriors last month. "I mean, we've had a great
year. It's just more of how much longer I want to do it more than
anything. I want some time to think about it. That's why I'm not
making my mind up (now)."
- Janny Hu
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/15/SP3T1057D5.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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