If you ask most NBA fans to name the top point guards in the game, they will probably respond with the names of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Those are good answers, but Baron Davis has enough talent to be mentioned in the same discussion - at least when the dreaded injury bug allows him to play.
Hailing from the state of California, Davis thought about going to Duke before deciding to stay in-state and play his college ball at UCLA. He was impressive enough in just two season to be drafted third overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1999 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he also played his sophomore season while recovering from an injury (a torn ACL) in what would become a recurring theme in his career.
Davis led the Charlotte/New Orleans franchise to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons and was named an All-Star twice, including the 2003-04 season when he put up a career-high 22.9 points per game while handing out 7.5 assists. But things turned sour the very next season. Frustrated by Davis' continuing health problems, the Hornets sent him back to his home state, dealing him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis.
It took several more injury-plagued seasons and the arrival of coach Don Nelson to do it, but Davis was finally able to show the basketball world the full range of his abilities in 2006-07. Compiling numbers close to his career bests in scoring, rebounding and assists, Davis helped return the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. He was especially impressive in helping Golden State become the first No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 since the NBA expanded the first round to seven games, averaging 25 points and six rebounds in six games and battling through - you guessed it - an injury as the Warriors took down the Dallas Mavericks.
Davis' blend of strength, quickness and clutch shooting makes him a unique talent when he's able to stay on the court. Collectors probably wouldn't mind seeing more of him either, and his cards have serious upside if he can help the Warriors become a fixture in the postseason. Coming into the NBA at the tail end of the 90's presents a bad news/good news story for collectors: the bad news is that he has 37 rookie cards so it might take a while to track them all down; the good news is that none are of the ultra-limited variety and won't cost a fortune to purchase.
Baron Davis 1999-2000 Rookie Cards
- Black Diamond # 93
- Bowman's Best # 103
- E-X # 69 - #'d to 3499
- Finest # 111
- Flair Showcase # 105 - #'d to 2000
- Fleer # 204
- Fleer Focus # 107
- Fleer Force # 204 - #'d to 1600
- Fleer Mystique # 103 - #'d to 2999
- Hoops # 169
- Hoops Decade # 31
- Metal # 166
- SkyBox APEX # 153
- SkyBox Dominion # 204
- SkyBox Impact # 55
- SkyBox Premium # 103
- SP Authentic # 93 - #'d to 1500
- SPx # 93 - autographed, #'d to 500
- Stadium Club # 178
- Stadium Club Chrome # 134
- Topps # 116
- Topps Chrome # 116
- Topps Gallery # 130
- Topps Gold Label Class 1 # 88
- Topps Tip-Off # 116
- UD Ionix # 63 - #'d to 3500
- Ultimate Victory # 123
- Ultra # 150
- Upper Deck # 158
- Upper Deck Encore # 93 - #'d to 1999
- Upper Deck Gold Reserve # 243 - #'d to 3500
- Upper Deck Hardcourt # 67
- Upper Deck HoloGrFx # 73
- Upper Deck MVP # 211
- Upper Deck Ovation # 63
- Upper Deck Retro # 108
- Upper Deck Victory # 433