Hey, what do you know? A relationship more doomed than any retread that appears to be seeking out bad looks more shamelessly than J.R. Smith in his prime just got even more gratuitous in its awkwardness. I don't know if what happened last night is predominantly an indictment of a league that forced the entirely meaningless participation of an oft-injured player that apparently can't absorb a light bump without needing to be rushed to an examination table. Maybe it's more of an indictment of a player and his agent looking for just about any reason to create some breathing room so as to avoid ingesting the fumes from the dumpster fire they started...
Whatever the case may be, it doesn't look great that the lead arsonist in the burning of the bridge between a superstar and the organization with which he spent the last seven seasons, that being Rich Paul, was caught accompanying Anthony Davis out of the building mid-game like the shoulder he merely bruised was about to fall off. I know that New Orleans' medical staff has been much maligned, but I think their trainers are capable of deciphering between contusion and catastrophe. Therefore, looking as though he was in a rush to go on vacation with his recklessly ruinous representation isn't exactly a sight for the sore eyes of anyone invested in the best interests of the Pelicans' organization. Now, it would be fair to say that Alvin Gentry and Co. haven't handled an unprecedentedly amateurish situation perfectly, as benching AD during a 4th quarter of a nationally televised game that he dominated for three quarters only drew more attention to how icy things have become. However, let last night serve as the evidence that they were forced into an impossible position. Either Anthony Davis is injured and his trade value suffers or he's entirely uninterested and the team's chemistry suffers. Since those were really the only two ways in which a sabotaged stretch run was going to play out, he might as well stay home and collect a paycheck post-All Star break. The circulation of a video that either rightfully or wrongfully paints a picture of a premier player walking out on his team certainly isn't going to endear him to them. The Pelicans are trying to clean up the debris in the wake of a collusive and foundation crumbling trade demand (and doing a decent job, if last night's upset win over the Thunder is any indication), and every time Anthony Davis picks up the proverbial broom he's at risk of making things more of a mess.
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