NBA Giving Davis Rave Reviews

If UCLA’s Baron Davis is eager to get to the NBA, the NBA thinks a lot of Baron Davis too.

A canvass of general managers before the NCAA tournament suggested he would be a top-10 pick, with a shot at the top five--pending the doctors’ examination of his knee at the Chicago pre-draft camp in June.

The general managers’ general impression from watching Davis was that he came back noticeably favoring his surgically repaired knee but got better as the season went on.

He’s still considered something of a physical prodigy at 6 feet 2, 190 pounds. Even while playing his knee back into shape, he was a dominating player who got to the basket at will.

“I think he has tremendous potential,” the Lakers’ Jerry West said Wednesday. “I’ve been watching him for two years, and I think he has a bright future.

“I think he’s a real leader. The way the league is constructed now, with all the doubling in the post, you need people like him to push the ball upcourt, which he’s done very well. I think he’s made great headway with his shooting. That’s an impressive thing because there are a lot of players who have trouble and who don’t get much better.

“He’s already a quality defender and defenders at that position are usually slow to develop.”

Said Utah’s Scott Layden: “I think he’s a terrific player. I think he’s got a little bit of charisma, which is good. I think he’s got a chance to be a great pro.

“The most impressive thing about him to me is, he defends and he plays hard.”

And from the Clippers’ Elgin Baylor: “I think the guy’s a very, very talented player. He has a point guard mentality. He’s a true point guard. He’s very physical and he’s tough and he knows how to use that body of his.

“He has a lot of qualities I think a lot of teams would like to have. He has no problem getting to the basket, and his shooting improved last season.

“He’s somebody we’ve watched, as we’ve watched several other point guards. He’s somebody we’ve looked at and we’ll certainly have him in.”

The Clippers, assured of drafting in the top three, are expected to have a shot at Davis. At this point, the other top picks are thought to be Maryland’s Steve Francis, whom the pros project as a point guard; Duke forward Elton Brand; Miami (Ohio) forward Wally Szczerbiak; and, if they declare for the draft, Rhode Island’s 6-9 swingman Lamar Odom and Duke freshman forward Corey Maggette.