The New Orleans Pelicans will almost certainly be trading superstar Anthony Davis this summer, so, as you would expect, they are treading carefully with how they handle his minutes the rest of the season.
What the Pelicans have been doing is resting Davis in fourth quarters, which NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is not a fan of:
“Playing him in three quarters and resting him in the fourth is not a good solution,” said Silver, according to Brian Robb of The Boston Sports Journal.
If it were up to the Pelicans, Davis would not be playing at all, but Silver is basically forcing the team to get him on the court.
Perhaps Silver's problem should be with Davis' trade demand rather than how New Orleans is choosing to allocate his minutes.
The Pelicans are not the ones who want to part ways. Davis is, so why should the Pels risk damaging what they can get in return in a trade this summer by playing the 25-year-old?
What if Davis gets hurt? What if he suffers a season-ending injury that lowers his value in trade talks over the summer? Then what can the Pelicans do?
We can talk about how the current plan is “not a good solution” all we want, but the fact of the matter is that the problem does not lie with New Orleans.
Davis was originally drafted by New Orleans back in 2012 and has made the playoffs just twice during his time with the franchise. The lack of success is what ultimately resulted in Davis requesting a trade.
Follow Us
Subscribe