In Bill Simmons’ column, “The Day They Didn’t Call It a Day,” Baron Davis discusses what went wrong with the anticipated Davis-Brand combo in L.A.

Baron agreed to terms on July 1, but it wasn’t long before local excitement faded. Whispers soon began about reigning star Elton Brand’s maybe jumping ship. Since Brand had just spent all of June recruiting him, Baron was flabbergasted. “Elton basically begged me to come,” Baron says. “He kept saying, ‘We can do great things!’ And I was with it.”

And Elton’s your friend, right?

“Was a friend,” Baron says. Past tense. Elton ignored Davis’ “What’s going on?” texts for three days, finally responding to say his own negotiations had broken down because the Clippers “didn’t treat him right.” Brand soon landed in Philly. Baron called to wish him well, but they haven’t talked since. When the Clippers played Philly in November, the ex-friends didn’t even make eye contact. “It is what it is,” Baron says.

I was stunned when Brand failed to re-up with the Clippers after they signed Davis. At the time, Brand acted like there was no promise or understanding between the two players, but these quotes from Davis dispel that notion.

Isn’t it fitting that Brand’s first season in Philly has been an absolute disaster?