Conclusion from a post of mine over at TrueHoop:
For Davis, Hughes’ vision couldn’t be more inviting. When Davis is happy, he’s very politic with the media. He managed to heartily endorse Hughes’ goals without evoking any residual qualms he had with Dunleavy’s system (and praised Dunleavy’s legacy at every opportunity).
“We should try to play in transition where we can all benefit from our talents,” Davis said. “I think it’s going to be up to me to manage the game — who gets the ball, how we play.
“We definitely want to run more,” Davis continued. “I think the element of fun and excitement were far and few in between.”
Davis’ funhouse opens on Saturday night as a struggling Spurs team, losers of seven of their last 11, comes into Staples Center. The Spurs rank 24th in pace factor. The matchup seems like an optimal opportunity for Davis to initiate his unshackled transition offense. That may mean fewer touches for Kaman, who has stated repeatedly he performs best in Dunleavy’s pre-ordained sets, deliberately picking apart slower big men on the block en route to the basket or with kickouts to stationary shooters.
Whether Davis orchestrates an open court free-for-all, or merely splits the difference between Nelson and Dunleavy with some early offense that utilizes Kaman on quick pick-and-pops from 17 feet, one thing is certain: The success and failure of the Clippers from now until April 14 rest on Davis’ shoulders. With his former coach now upstairs busying himself with scouting the incoming draft class, Davis can’t gripe about the playbook weighing down his knapsack.
He wanted his freedom and now he has it.
