A report from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, where the Clippers faced the Suns on January 2nd.About 90 minutes before the Clippers were set to face the Suns, Mike Dunleavy informed us that Baron Davis would miss the game due to a bruised tailbone. It's unclear exactly when it occurred (he had hard falls against both Denver and Sacramento) but Dunleavy did say that the Clippers' trainer warned him after the team's New Year's Eve loss to the Sixers to plan on him missing the contest in Phoenix.
The fact that Baron was out meant that I didn't get the chance to talk to him about his poor shooting, which has been going on for a little while now. Over the last eight games, Baron is shooting a ridiculous 36-for-132, which translates to a dismal field goal percentage of just .272.
Since Baron wasn't around to discuss the possible reasons for his recent slump, I asked coach Dunleavy to give me his thoughts on what was going on with Baron's shot.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't goin' in," Dunleavy said.
"He had some good looks, and I think when you're in that mode and you're not making shots, then what you've got to try and do is get to the rim, and get to the free throw line. You know, he's shooting 85 percent from the free throw line. So that was my suggestion. Look to drive to the rim hard, go to the basket -- which he did, he got knocked down a bunch of times and didn't get any calls, but, you know, he was starting to get there for us."
The tailbone injury isn't one that would likely affect a player's shooting, so Dunleavy's subtle remark about Baron's shot selection might indeed be the reason for his recent stretch of low field goal percentage performances.
I overheard Davis tell someone in the tunnel after the game that he thought he'd be out for about two weeks. Whenever he does return, here's hoping the time off allows him to come back with his shooting percentage closer to the 43 percent he put up over the past two seasons, instead of the 27 percent mark he's been hitting since mid-December.
