Does Baron HAVE to sign with the Clips?

[Who]

Agents are replacable, players aren't.  If GM's decide they won't work with a certain agent, then the players will drop that agent.

Yes I agree

Wasn't it Cuban who recently refused to go after a player in a deal because the player's agent was the guy who told George to veto that midseason trade costing Cuban millions?

A GMs relationship with an agent and vice versa can be very important.

[fairweatherfan06]

I think Baron waits now to see if the Clippers can get Josh Smith from ATL before signing...though I think ultimately he has to anyway.

[Who]

plus, talent is at such a premium in the NBA if you have a guy that can help teams, they are going to get signed...that's how i see it anyway...

I agree with you fully when it comes to the top level talent and likely the starting level talent. The guys at the end of the rotation or worse at the end of the bench? I do think it'll effect them.

who got stabbed in the back? i think it was Baron by the Clipps not getting it done with Brand.

Depends on what happens next and how the agreement was reached.

If Baron previously made it clear in the agreement that he was only signing if Brand was on the team? If he did do that then he hasn't stabbed them in the back. If he hasn't then it's possible that it's Baron at fault.

Is it a co-agreement or is it Baron snapping out of the deal?  If it's one-sided by Baron then he and his agent will have stabbed them in the back.

We'll see how it plays out. It'll come out in the next day or three anyway.

[winsomme]

plus, talent is at such a premium in the NBA if you have a guy that can help teams, they are going to get signed...that's how i see it anyway...

I agree with you fully when it comes to the top level talent and likely the starting level talent. The guys at the end of the rotation or worse at the end of the bench? I do think it'll effect them.

who got stabbed in the back? i think it was Baron by the Clipps not getting it done with Brand.

Depends on what happens next and how the agreement was reached.

If Baron previously made it clear in the agreement that he was only signing if Brand was on the team? If he did do that then he hasn't stabbed them in the back. If he hasn't then it's possible that it's Baron at fault.

Is it a co-agreement or is it Baron snapping out of the deal?  If it's one-sided by Baron then he and his agent will have stabbed them in the back.

We'll see how it plays out. It'll come out in the next day or three anyway.

agreed. for all we know, Baron actually wants to play in LA.

it did seem like the rumored numbers were below his market value though.....

[TripleOT]

In my eyes, Baron Davis is lucky that a team was willing to give him a five year, $60m contract with his injury history and relative lack of winning success in the league.

In the five seasons previous to his (miraculous contract year) 82 games this past season BD played in 63,54,46,67 and 50 games. He's one of the least efficient scoring "stars" in the league, and is 3 and 5 in playoff series, never advancing past the second round.  He puts up decent assist numbers, but I wouldn't want him running my team with his shoot first (and second, and third) mentality.   

It wasn't too long ago that New Orleans was giving Baron and his lousy contract away for expiring contracts and a bag of beignets.  He put up decent numbers (for him) under Don Nelson, conveniently on his way to another big contract. 

[Steve Weinman]

Baron wanted to play for a winner and was willing to take a pay cut?  Seems silly to go to a team with the Clips' uncertainty when Rajon Rondo might have needed a veteran back-up who could play for the vet's minimum...

(I kid, of course -- and I recognize the slight differences between 'league minimum' and what the Clips offered as well as Baron's roles on the respective teams involved here.)

The real lesson as always: Rough times for Sterling's boys.

-sw

[The Walker Wiggle]

In my eyes, Baron Davis is lucky that a team was willing to give him a five year, $60m contract with his injury history and relative lack of winning success in the league.

But then Maggette gets a deal worth only $10 million less? He's not 80% of the player that Davis is, he's won even less, and he's equally injury prone.

[zerophase]

Technically, Baron doesn't have to sign anywhere.  While verbal contracts are enforceable, it's unclear whether all the specific terms have been agreed to.  Even if they were, legally all contracts for more than a year have to be in writing, and generally a court won't enforce them; this is something known as the "statute of frauds".

As a practical matter, though, I think both Baron and his agent would be black-listed if they attempted to back out of the contract at this point.

um, the agreement was that if baron were to go to la then brand would have to come back in order to team up. with brand going to philly, baron should back out and go to back to gsw. la is looking like real losers in the free agency market. no use in baron going there and losing.

[TripleOT]

In my eyes, Baron Davis is lucky that a team was willing to give him a five year, $60m contract with his injury history and relative lack of winning success in the league.

But then Maggette gets a deal worth only $10 million less? He's not 80% of the player that Davis is, he's won even less, and he's equally injury prone.

Did you see anything about Maggette in my post? The league is littered with guys with big contracts and skimpy resumes when it comes to winning. 

[Cman]

Hats off to the OP.  It would be real interesting if BD decided not to sign with the Clips and instead signed a 2 year deal with Boston instead (for example).  After all, nothing is "official" until later this evening/ tomorrow morning.

But let's face it -- there was no question that the Clips were not going to field a competitive b-ball team.  They never have and never will with Sterling at the helm.  Baron took the deal because it was closer to home and big big money.  That's all. Sometimes getting tens of millions of dollars more matters a heck of a lot more than getting that elusive championship ring.....


Okay, slight twist -- do the Clips HAVE to sign Baron? Since it is all falling apart for the Clips, maybe Sterling says, forget it, lets play lottery ball for a few years.....

[JollyGreen17]

Clips are going to suck next year.

[lon3lytoaster]

Hm. I remember back in the day when we almost got Baron Davis...

[Roy Hobbs]

Technically, Baron doesn't have to sign anywhere.  While verbal contracts are enforceable, it's unclear whether all the specific terms have been agreed to.  Even if they were, legally all contracts for more than a year have to be in writing, and generally a court won't enforce them; this is something known as the "statute of frauds".

As a practical matter, though, I think both Baron and his agent would be black-listed if they attempted to back out of the contract at this point.

um, the agreement was that if baron were to go to la then brand would have to come back in order to team up. with brand going to philly, baron should back out and go to back to gsw. la is looking like real losers in the free agency market. no use in baron going there and losing.

How do you know what the agreed to deal was?  While I appreciate the sarcastic "um", I'm pretty sure that you're, um, speculating.  If that contingency wasn't specifically agreed upon, it's bad business for Baron's agent to allow him to back out. 

I think Who's solution is the best one: LA should release Baron from any obligation. 

[CelticBalla32]

Unless Baron wants to play for $5.585 million next season (hahaha), he's not backing out of this deal. Baron has shafted organizations many times, as he shifts into cruise control, gains weight, and misses games after every contract he signs. Then, when it's time to play for another one, he puts it back into overdrive for a short time. It's almost fitting that this most recent scenario backfired on him. What goes around, comes around.

[Markeras]

What if Baron just wants to play in LA and that's it? Isn't he involved in film making? Wasn't he dating Teri Hatcher? Maybe he just thought like any other of us mortals and said "hey I can get an awesome contract in my hometown, where my girlfriend lives, where the sun is shining..." Why turn that down when having been offered big money on top of it?

What I do not understand, on the other hand, is the whole Brand story of "opting out, so that the team can chase a top level free agent" and then bolting for Philly? What the Ef?

I cannot agree with the Clippers or Baron's agent being at fault here, at least from what the press has been telling us. I cannot understand either that with the difference between what the Sixers and the Clippers offer to Brand being so low, he would just say "oh well, let's go to Philadelphia. My team - for the first time in their freakin' history - just landed a star free agent but screw it, I prefer heading East". And yeah, Brand would be much closer to home in Philly but there is a big difference between going back to your home town and going back to "somewhere closer to your hometown".

So I am lost with Brand's decision here. Did he ever say he disliked LA? I thought he even felt proud of being a Clipper...
I actually almost feel bad for the Clippers and for the the missed opportunity of seeing these two guys play together...