After dumping former point guard Chauncey Billups to free up salary-cap space, the New York Knicks have reportedly just signed veteran Baron Davis to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million, according to ESPN.
A two-time All-Star, 32-year-old Davis split last season between the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers averaging 13.1 points and 6.7 assists over 58 games.
Although the move comes as welcome news to Knicks, who finished the 2010-2011 season with a record of 42-40, it remains unclear when Davis will officially be able to hit the Madison Square Garden floor.
He is coping with a back injury that could keep him on the sidelines for at least a month. His agent, Todd Ramasar, recently told Yahoo Sports that Davis would need 8 to 10 weeks to recover, which was widely viewed as a ploy to scare teams from claiming him off waivers.
Other reports have suggested that Davis could play in a month.
“Risk-reward is good on this one,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni told ESPN, speaking on the team’s acquisition of Baron. “The first order of business is to get him healthy and make sure that when he is able to play, he’s ready to go. If we get to that point, which, hopefully we will, we’ve got one of the better point guards in the league. He just adds another weapon to an already pretty good group.”
Once he returns to action, Baron Davis is set to join an all-star Knicks lineup that includes names such as Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Mike Bibby .
via ESPN
