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halfbreed · 01-08-2006, 10:49 AM

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''I'll hear people on the outside say things like, 'Why is that guy getting so much attention and you're not?''' Richardson said. ''But when you're on the inside, you have to realize what's best for the team. If it's best for Baron to take over and have me take a backup role, then so be it.''

That, of course, is not how a younger Richardson would have reacted had Davis arrived with such fanfare a few years ago.

''No way would I talk like this,'' he said, smiling. ''I would be asking for a trade and raising hell, I can't lie about that. I'd be in the GM's office. I'd be jealous that I had been the face of the team, the guy with all the attention, and now I wasn't.

''I would have been mad.''

The NBA has no statistic to measure maturity, but if it did, Richardson would rank among the league's most improved.

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''We share a common theme,'' Richardson explained. ''We both have to prove something to people. And we know we can only do that by getting this team to the playoffs.''

The way Richardson sees it, they are both in reputation rehab. Davis' image took a hit in New Orleans, where he didn't get along with coach Byron Scott and his work ethic was questioned. Meanwhile, Richardson said he was tired of being labeled a flashy dunker who was less than a team player.

''I don't want to end my career as a loser who never really accomplished anything,'' he said. ''So I have no problem with Baron being the man as long as it means we're winning games.''

That is in sharp contrast to how he felt a year ago -- before Davis' arrival -- when Richardson concedes he was most concerned with earning his first All-Star Game appearance.

''I was just trying to get my numbers, and in the end I still didn't make it,'' he said.

The lesson learned: Until the Warriors make some noise, individual honors will keep eluding him.

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/mo...s/13578843.htm

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