Anthony Davis has sort of been lost in the mix.
He isn’t an old player by any means, but he isn’t the new fresh hot thing in the NBA any more. He’s just a really talented guy on a perennially losing team and that is why no one really speaks about him.
But, Boogie and Rondo are telling him he has the power to make change and there is nothing wrong with moving on. ESPN has the details.
As a franchise player, Davis has been largely naive to the powers of his position, muted in pushing management and ownership on issues surrounding the franchise. Upon their arrival, Rajon Rondo and Cousins have urged Davis to use his stature to effect change. Davis never considered talking to the coaching staff about moving back morning practice times based on the lateness of the previous night’s game — until Rondo and Cousins suggested it.
“They’ll come here and say, ‘This isn’t supposed to be like this,'” Davis said. “Or, ‘We should have this.'”
He shrugged. “I don’t know how it is anywhere else. This is the only place I’ve been.”
“You look at the Warriors, Cleveland, Boston,” he said. “They lose Gordon [Hayward], they’re still playing well. KD-Steph-Draymond-Klay. They play so well with each other. They move the basketball. They don’t care who scores. Steph and Draymond are out, and they still won. KD is out. They still win.
“That’s the way the league is now. I don’t see anyone winning without three or four All-Stars. … I was in the [MVP] conversation in my third year, and we didn’t win. We went to the playoffs, got swept, and I dropped out of all that so fast. It’s about winning. You can have all the numbers in the world, but you better win. That’s what it is. This whole league, everything is about winning. Every award. Everything. It’s all about winning.”
Boston has remained vigilant on the possibility of acquiring Davis, and Davis knows it.
“He told me that [Boston] was calling, but nothing was going to happen,” Davis said. “At the same time, though, you see how organizations treat players. Isaiah Thomas. DeMarcus [Cousins] told me that the [Kings] told him that he wasn’t going to get traded, but they traded him. Isaiah took his team to the Eastern Conference finals, and they traded him.
“It makes you wonder: Does this organization really have my back? I’ve been loyal to this organization. I love it here. I love this team. I think we’re moving in the right direction. DeMarcus, Rondo, some other players that are helping us, but people get judged on winning. And I want to win.
Makes you wonder what Davis is being told now that he has vets in his ear.
It is something to bear watching if the Pelicans don’t make the playoffs.