The Baron Demands a Trade

[Evilmav2]

Davis stirs up Hornets' nest

By Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY


Baron Davis and his agent are demanding that the New Orleans Hornets trade the two-time All-Star guard to improve Davis' chances to win an NBA title.

The Hornets have reached the playoffs seven of the last eight seasons while competing in the Eastern Conference. The team moves to the Western Conference this season after the expansion Charlotte Bobcats displaced them in the East. The Hornets will compete in the new Southwest Division, which also includes San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Memphis and is regarded as the most competitive division in the NBA.

"After talking with Baron and evaluating what the Hornets organization has been doing this offseason, I'm concerned with Baron's current status and his future with the team," Todd Ramasar, Davis' agent, told USA TODAY. "Baron was really disappointed with them losing the first round of the playoffs. I want to put him in the position where he can contend for a title or at least be in a position where he can reach the NBA Finals."

Davis, 25, is in the second year of a six-year, $85 million contract and the Hornets said that while there are some issues that need to be addressed, they will not trade him.

"We've got to straighten out some things," Hornets general manager Allan Bristow said but would not go into any details. "He's our franchise player. There's no possibility we'll trade him. We have no intention of even inquiring about trading Baron."

Davis didn't name a specific team he would like to play for but Ramasar said that his client would be a good fit with teams such as New York, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami.

"I trust my agent," Davis said. "He has my best interests at heart. I'm just focused to play well in the NBA."

Ramasar said he and Davis had hoped the Hornets would add a veteran to help Davis carry the scoring load. Davis averaged a career-high 22.9 points per game last season but to get it he averaged 40 minutes a game, eighth in the league.

"I think it's too much pressure that the Hornets are putting on Baron as an All-Star to carry that team," Ramasar said.

Davis met with Hornets officials following their first-round loss to Miami in May and told them that he believed they needed to upgrade the roster. The Hornets' only moves have been to sign forwards Rodney Rogers and Chris Andersen and guard Alex Garcia. They also drafted high school star J.R. Smith.
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