One man has the ability to change the atmosphere in an arena and after 10 years of futility, Baron Davis has Warriors fans hoping that the Oakland Coliseum can once again become an arena of glory.

He only scored 10 points, he only threw 8 assists, but it was clear that Chris Mullin has scored himself a legitimate All-Star, one of the best 2 or 3 point guards in the entire NBA.  A player that will make Mike Dunleavy, Mickael Pietrus and Troy Murphy that much better and a player that will give Jason Richardson a reason to believe.

The Warriors gave the defending champion Pistons a fierce battle.  Within minutes of Davis entering the game, he and Carlos Arroyo got into a shouting match, instantly making himself a man that his teammates can rely on to do whatever it takes to win.

The Pistons were too professional for the Warriors on this night, as Golden State went with a small line-up that created mismatches all over the court, freeing up Detroit for open jump shot after open jump shot.

All 5 Pistons' starters were in double figures, led by TayShaun Prince's 25 and Rasheed Wallace's 17.

Richardson also scored 25 points for the Warriors.

Baron Davis will suit up for Sunday's game versus the defending champion Detroit Pistons, but he will be coming off the bench.

Davis has a bruised Achilles tendon and will see limited minutes, but he is excited about playing for Golden State.

"This is a fresh start," Davis said. "I'm 25 years old, I haven't even reached my peak. It's just been a frustrating season because I've been injured, and I haven't been in a situation where I could really concentrate on getting healthy.

"Once your mind is clear, it's easy to get the body right."

Dale Davis has not reported to the New Orleans Hornets and his  agents James Wells has told The San Francisco Chronicle that he is seeking a buy out.

Wells said he was in negotiations with the Hornets for a release and expected a resolution this weekend. Davis would like to join a playoff contender, and he would need to sign with a team by March 1 to be included on its playoff roster. Though Wells declined to name interested teams, a league source said the likeliest destinations are Indiana, Detroit and San Antonio.

The Warriors traded forward Eduardo Najera and a No. 1 pick to the Nuggets for forwards Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White, league sources told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.

Milwaukee Bucks-Houston Rockets

The Golden State Warriors have acquired two-time All-Star point guard Baron Davis from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for point guard Speedy Claxton and center Dale Davis, it was announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin.

"We're thrilled to be able to acquire a proven All-Star like Baron Davis," said Mullin. "He ranks among the best point guards in the NBA and we feel that he will be a tremendous addition to our roster - not only with what he brings to the table on his own, but also what he can provide to the continued development of our team."

Baron Davis, 25, earned All-NBA Third Team honors in 2003-04 as he ranked sixth in the NBA in scoring (career-high 22.9 ppg), fourth in assists (7.5 apg) and first in steals (career-high 2.36 spg) to become just the third player since the 1976-77 season to finish in the top-10 in those three categories (joining Gary Payton and Michael Adams).  Last season he was also a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team, an honor he received in 2001-02, as well, en route to averaging 18.1 points and a career-high 8.5 assists per game that season.  For his career, Davis has appeared in 381 regular-season games in six seasons with the Hornets, averaging 15.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.89 steals per contest.  Over the last three-plus seasons (since the beginning of the 2001-02 campaign), the Los Angeles native has averaged 19.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.08 steals in 217 games.

This season, the 6-3 guard has appeared in 18 games, averaging 18.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.72 steals in 32.9 minutes per contest. He has also missed 34 games this season due to injury.  Originally drafted by the then-Charlotte Hornets with the third overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft out of UCLA, Davis has also appeared in 35 playoff games, averaging 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per contest.  

Claxton, 26, appeared in 46 games this season (44 starts) for the Warriors, averaging 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.89 steals in 32.6 minutes per contest. He tallied a season-high 27 points versus Seattle on January 14 and scored 20-or-more points eight times this season. The 5-11 guard also posted eight double-doubles on the season and led the team in assists 31 times. He missed eight games due to injury, including six-straight games from January 21 - February 2 due to a right thigh contusion. After being signed as a free agent on July 23, 2003, Claxton appeared in 60 games for the Warriors last season, averaging 10.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.62 steals per contest.

Dale Davis, 35, appeared in 36 games this season, averaging 3.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per contest. He recorded his second double-double of the season with a season-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Warriors final game before the All-Star break - February 17 at Seattle. Davis also recorded 13 DNP-CDs this season and missed five games from January 5-12 while on the injured list due to lower back soreness. Originally acquired by the Warriors from Portland on July 20, 2004, the 6-11 center is currently in his 14th NBA season.

"I'm on the phone right now,'' Jason Richardson said. "Me and B.D. are good friends. That would be huge for the franchise. He can do a lot of things when he's healthy.''

Slam dunk champion Josh Smith watched intently while Jason Richardson completed a 360-degree slam that brought the Golden State fans to their feet.

Richardson, a two-time dunk champion, scored 31 points in a 101-96 victory over the Hawks.

``I was little worried about the five-day break,'' Richardson said. ``I thought we would be a little rusty, but guys were ready to play and came out hard. We're basically starting four guards, so we try to get up and down the court.

``I still think (Smith) would beat me. I'm getting old,'' Richardson said. ``That boy gets up. I congratulated him before the game. We're trying to keep the dunk contest alive. It's one of the most exciting things at the All-Star weekend.''

The Warriors were without Mickael Pietrus who has the flu.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Golden State Warriors are engaged in serious discussions with the New Orleans Hornets involving PG Baron Davis.

Going the Hornets' way would be the expiring contract of Dale Davis, as well as an accompanying package of other players and/or draft picks.

Davis has strong ties to the state of California; he was born in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA in 1999. Earlier this week in an interview to ESPN.com Davis said that it no longer felt like he was wanted in New Orleans.

The Golden State Warriors have activated forward Troy Murphy from the injured list prior to this evening's game versus the Atlanta Hawks, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today. In a related move, the team also placed guard Luis Flores on the injured list with a strained right hamstring.

Murphy has missed the last 10 games (nine on the injured list) due to a hairline fracture, left thumb that he suffered in the second half of the team's game versus Seattle on January 28.  He was placed on the injured list on February 2.  In 42 games this season (all starts), Murphy is averaging 16.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 35.2 minutes per contest.  He currently ranks 12th in the NBA with 25 double-doubles, and would rank fourth in the NBA in both rebounding (11.2 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (.463 3FG%) if he met the statistical minimums to qualify.  In his last eight games before being injured, Murphy averaged 17.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.4% (60-119 FG) from the field.

Flores has appeared in 15 games this season, averaging 2.1 points in 4.9 minutes per contest.  The rookie guard tallied a career-high eight points in seven minutes at Denver on February 5.  He has also missed 23 games this season due to injury, having previously served two separate stints on the injured list.

Troy Murphy is set to return to action as early as Wednesday and with Cliff Robinson now in the east with the New Jersey Nets, the Warriors young forward will have to log some minutes at the center position.

"I envision being used like I've been used all year," Murphy said after practice. "I envision going in there and playing and rebounding and hitting shots. ... You want me to play 5, play 4, it doesn't matter. I'm going to help this team when I come back and that's it."

Murphy was averaging 16.2 points and a team-high 11.2 rebounds before his thumb injury.

Michael Redd will return to the Bucks line-up on Tuesday after missing the last three games heading into the All-Star break.

The next few days will be filled with Redd trade rumors and one gathering steam at the moment, according to the Journal Sentinel, is a trade which would send Redd and Keith Van Horn to the Warriors for Mike Dunleavy, Dale Davis and a package of draft picks.

The Warriors would have a lethal combination of two of the league's best young shooting guards.

Also in the mix for Redd are the Blazers, Timberwolves, Cavaliers and Grizzlies.

"Teams that need a shooting two-guard, why wouldn't they be looking for him?" Bucks coach Terry Porter said. "I'm sure there are some teams that would like to come in under the radar and make a solid offer."