The last time the New Orleans Pelicans took to the court, they were shellacked at home by the Orlando Magic.
It’s a game that saw disgruntled star center Anthony Davis call his teammates out after the All-Star scored exactly three points on 1-of-9 shooting.
To say things are not going swimmingly in the Bayou would be an understatement. It was just late last month that Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans. Once a trade wasn’t worked out ahead of the deadline, Davis and the Pelicans were stuck with one another for the remainder of the season.
Given what we’ve seen recently, things are not going to get any better in New Orleans before Davis is ultimately traded this summer.
In talking about his team’s performance ahead of Thursday’s game against Oklahoma City, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry decided to put all the players on blast outside of Davis himself.
“The bottom line is you’re a professional,” Gentry said when asked about how Davis’ energy impacts the rest of the team. “You owe it to yourself to play. It shouldn’t be Anthony’s job to make you play hard.”
It shouldn’t be Davis’ job to get the most effort from his teammates, but his presence in the locker room certainly isn’t doing the team any good.
The NBA has threatened to fine New Orleans $100,000 for every time it sits a healthy Davis. This will make the situation pretty bleak as a lost season plays out for the Pelicans. Nothing Gentry says or does will change that.
Even then, he might want to go to bat for the players that will actually be with the Pelicans next season. The caveat here obviously being Gentry’s tenuous grasp on his job.