Garnett wasted 12 years in Minnesota before winning a championship with the Celtics, Anthony Davis must leave New Orleans or risk an even worse fate.
The New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, 126-121, and it sure wasn’t Anthony Davis’ fault.
The Brow was his usual dominant self, stroking 34 points and snatching 26 boards, but lacking the support to close out a win.
Davis is averaging about 30 points per game, 13 rebounds and three blocks. He’s a leading MVP candidate, and all that’s earned the Pelicans this season is 22 losses in 39 games. They have a Top 5 player in the game, but not much else. The math ain’t adding up in Da Bayou.
But we knew this three seasons ago.
Anthony Davis needs some help! pic.twitter.com/TooniF8jRe
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) November 2, 2016
For seven years, Davis has played at an All-Star level and Pelicans brass has failed to surround him with a team that has a chance to sniff a Western Conference championship.
His current squad is like something out of the ’90s. Julius Randle is as traditional a post player as you’ll find these days and he’s the team’s second-leading scorer.
In today’s game, that equals low impact when your other big man is getting all those touches. Jrue Holiday is solid, but no superstar. After that you’ve got E’Twaun Moore, Elfrid Payton, Darius Miller…you see where I’m going with this.
Before Kevin Garnett won a championship with the Boston Celtics, he wasted 12 prime years of his career remaining loyal to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves and mostly playing with talent undeserving of being in his Hall of fame presence.
The same thing is happening to Anthony Davis, who under his current contract can sign a 5-year $235 million deal next summer or become an unrestricted free agent in 2020. If he doesn’t get traded beforehand, Davis will have a tough decision to make in 2020.
Will he take the money ? Or go for the glory of the title and leave some cheddar on the table to chase rings and build a legacy befitting of a player of his unique skill set and ability.
It took Garnett two contracts and some urging, but he eventually figured it out, forced a trade to greener pastures and built a Celtics mini-dynasty with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (The Big Three).
The Pelicans are 2-9 in their last 11 games, with Davis averaging 32.2 points and 16.7 rebounds during that stretch. He can’t do any more than he’s doing and it’s time to move on to a bigger market with some marquee players.
Rumors have been circulating for months now about a possible trade that would land Davis in LA to ball with LeBron’s Lakers, but there’s nothing concrete there.
The Celtics, with their riches of young talent and draft picks, are sniffing around as well.
LeBron James wants the Lakers to trade for Anthony Davis. At the very least, he wants the conversation about it to start. So let's have a frank look at it: https://t.co/IkUMjYXn38
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) December 19, 2018
Can you imagine how different Garnett’s legacy would be if he stayed with one team throughout his prime like Patrick Ewing, minus those dreadful final seasons with Seattle and Orlando, and watched the team and his All-world skills deteriorate over time?
Garnett was known as one of the fiercest competitors in the game because he was able to finally showcase how great he was for a legendary franchise on a national stage. He went up against the Big dogs of the game and came out on top more times than none, cementing his place among the immortals.
It’s time for AD to be in a position to prove how great he truly is – beyond the numbers. A talent like his shouldn’t be wasted going up against Goliath’s and Super Teams with two packs of gum and a loaf of bread on the court with him (no disrespect).
If the Lakers become a real option prior to 2020, Davis needs to accept the trade.
Is $30 or $40 million more up front worth the possibility of ending up like Charles Barkley? Chuck is a legendary player who can’t partake in the VIP conversation between hardware holders because he never actually won one. That’s got to be torcher, being the best of the second tier greats, but more than a mile’s drive from Mount Rushmore.
KG knew better and doesn’t have to live with the regrets of a Carmelo Anthony. Whatever Garnett lost contractually, he regained because he was a champion.
Let’s hope Anthony Davis does the same.
