Anthony Davis Urged Not To 'Ruin Reputation' As Pelicans Relationship Sours

The New Orleans Pelicans would have imagined that the Anthony Davis saga would have come to an end after the trade deadline passed, but it has only got uglier since with head coach Alvin Gentry seemingly unhappy with the power forward’s commitment to the team.

The Pelicans denied Davis’ request for a trade before the deadline and instead chose to retain him at least until the end of the campaign. And after initially deciding to bench him for the rest of the season, they revealed that he will be part of the playing squad.

Davis was out with a fractured finger for almost two weeks during the trade saga and made his return for their game against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. It was a night to forget for the player as he managed just three points during his 24 minutes on the court, which was looked at too kindly by the coach.

The power forward then slammed his teammates suggesting that it looked like “nobody was interested in playing”. He had a better game on Thursday night when he scored 14 points in 16 first-half minutes but then suffered a shoulder injury in the final seconds before half-time.

Davis did not return to court for the rest of the game and was seen leaving the arena with his agent Rich Paul before the end of the game to get an MRI. The injury, according to ESPN, is a minor one and he will get treatment for the next few days before deciding if he will play in the All-Star game on Sunday in Charlotte.

NBA legend Charles Barkley has no doubt that Davis will end up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the near future, despite the team failing to complete a trade before the deadline. He believes the moment he signed with Paul, who also manages LeBron James, there was no other destination other than the Lakers.

But after witnessing Davis play in the last couple of games for the Pelicans, he has implored the forward not to spoil his reputation and is certain that the six-time NBA All-Star is not giving his 100 percent in the fear that he might sustain a serious injury that will jeopardize his summer move to another franchise.

“This is a bad situation,” Barkley said, as quoted on News.com.au. “It’s a bad look for the NBA because that kid can’t go out there and give 100 percent because he’s worried about getting hurt. The guy’s the second-best player in the world and he’s got three points? That’s not a good look for the NBA.”

“Don’t ruin your reputation as a great player, one of the nicest guys in the world,” Barkley added. “Remember, your agent works for you, you don’t work for him. They handled that situation wrong. It’s going to come back to bite them in the a**. It’s unfortunate.”