Ellis Should Thank Baron: As shocked and surprised as the Golden State Warriors were to hear Baron Davis opted out of his contract, and then he verbally agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, Monta Ellis has to be just as happy because he just became that much more important to his team.

A restricted free agent the Warriors planned on keeping, Ellis was destined to getting a fat raise anyway, but with Davis no longer part of the team Ellis is the man in the backcourt. The Warriors made a pitch to Gilbert Arenas simply because they could, but they didn't expect him to take it anyway.

With all of that, Ellis remains the best option now to be the lead guard for the Golden State Warriors in 2008-09 and beyond, so expect him to get paid accordingly and expect it to happen soon. Other teams – New York and Miami come to mind – are interested and would be willing to part with some decent pieces in a sign-and-trade deal, but none of those pieces would be legitimate lead guards.

Ellis became infinitely more valuable to the Warriors when Davis agreed with the Clippers, and he's going to get paid big money. The next time the duo have dinner, Monta Ellis should feel obligated to pick up the check as a thank you.

Someone Not Thanking Baron: That money Baron Davis is getting from the L.A. Clippers? That was Corey Maggette's money. Now, with the Davis agreement agreed to and Elton Brand likely committing very soon, the Clippers will renounce their rights to Maggette. That means he can't even get the benefit of a sign-and-trade deal because the Clippers no longer will have Bird rights with him and can't pay him any more than anyone else.

That means Maggette left his $7 million and will only get a new deal starting at no better than the MLE, about $5.8 million. Because of that Maggette doesn't have to give extra consideration to teams with cap space – which would leave only Golden State (Mags not interested) and Philadelphia (Sixers want a power forward) – and he has decided he will pick his playoff team to sign with.

Bill Ingram is reporting that team is the San Antonio Spurs, and it makes a ton of sense. With Maggette the Spurs can keep bringing Manu Ginobili off the bench and it gives them another player who can get to the hoop at will, draw fouls, and make the game easier for Tim Duncan.

Mags says the money isn't that big of a deal because he has already made a ton and now he wants to win, so the MLE on a contender is fine. Easy to say of course, but if Maggette and Davis have dinner you can bet Mags will expect Baron to pick up the check.

Add Ron Artest: Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest apparently now wishes he had opted out of his contract, too. Raise your hand if you are surprised Artest has changed his mind yet again? No one? Yeah, this writer, too.

Artest is 100% when he says he doesn't see himself a King after the 2008-09 at the latest.  Really? Is that a surprise? The fact is nothing is worse for the Sacramento Kings than another season of Ron Artest.

Artest is a fantastic player. He can score when he wants to and he can defend any position on the floor, but he slows down an offense horribly. When Artest was on the floor last season the ball would go into him either on the block or at the free throw line extended and rarely would it find its way back out to another player. He holds the ball, his moves are slow, and because he doesn't pass out much at all teammates don't put a lot of work into making hard cuts. Why bother when you know you won't get the ball?

This style of play is the worst for Kevin Martin, the Kings highest paid and best player. With Artest dominating the ball Martin never sees it. When Artest is out of the game Martin's game is much more appreciated by his teammates, he sees the ball, he passes the ball, the offense is no longer stagnant, and the Kings play better.

Too many Kings are deferring to Artest – and to some extent this applies to Coach Reggie Theus as well – so he needs to be moved for the Kings to move forward. With Beno Udrih agreeing to a new contract the Kings have some good pieces in place, but unless they move Artest he will continue to hold them back.

Hornets Need Pargo: Reserve point guard Jannero Pargo did the smart thing for himself when he declined his player option and became a free agent, but the New Orleans Hornets need to make an attempt to keep him. Chris Paul is an amazing player, but he can't play 48 minutes every single game and Pargo proved in the playoffs and all last season he is the ideal backup to the all-everything young star.

While the Hornets apparently seem focused on extending Paul very soon, they could lose out on Pargo in the process. He is talking to various teams who are looking for inexpensive starters, players who can support their stars, like the Denver Nuggets. Pargo is a good distributor and excellent spot-up shooter, and he's a player the Hornets felt comfortable spelling Paul.

If Pargo signs with another team, the Hornets will be in the situation where they need to find a backup for Paul – and it will likely be a player less skilled than Pargo. Names like Carlos Arroyo, Shaun Livingston, and Anthony Carter will be thrown around. All of those players are decent, but do they give the Hornets what they need for a backup to Chris Paul?

It's admirable they want to get Paul's extension done quickly. However, there really isn't a hurry to get it done this week. He isn't going anywhere and they have all summer, but Jannero Pargo could be unavailable in the next few hours.