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Sources are telling ESPN's Marc Stein and the L.A. Times' Jonathan Abrams that Baron Davis and the Clippers have verbally agreed to a five-year deal.

That would leave the Clippers needing to re-sign Elton Brand. But Brand's camp has made noises all along that if the Clippers are in position to win, that's where he wants to play, and with a small pay cut, he can fulfill his desire to stay in L.A. while playing on a profoundly improved team.

Which leaves me wondering -- how good will this make the Clippers?

It'll certainly make them better. A top-quality point guard changes everything. And they have a quality center in Chris Kaman, and don't forget Al Thornton has shown signs of being a player. Maybe, at some point, Eric Gordon can prove the doubters wrong, too.

I'm not at all sure this means the Lakers start quaking in their boots. But gosh, if you are one of those West teams that is not elite (Spurs, Jazz, Lakers, Hornets) but are still spending like a playoff team (think Mavericks, Nuggets, Blazers, Suns, Kings, Warriors, Rockets) then make some room at this party for one more team.

One more of you big-spending teams will be in the lottery a year from now. 

If healthy, the Clippers have as good a shot as any of those teams of getting into the playoffs.

In the West, there are now as many as a dozen teams that are in some version of "win now" mode. The conference remains brutal.