Alvin Gentry has about had enough.
The New Orleans Pelicans head coach has endured a difficult season with the looming distraction that is Anthony Davis.
Davis, the Pelicans’ All-Star forward, requested a trade in the weeks prior to the trade deadline that New Orleans wasn’t able (or didn’t want to) grant. So, now everyone is left in limbo, and things aren’t getting any less awkward.
The Pelicans played in front of a national TV audience Thursday night, and Davis again took center stage, not for his on-court performance but because he suffered a shoulder injury. ESPN.com reported he has a bruised shoulder and should be fine, but the injury happened right before halftime and Davis didn’t return.
Not only did he not return to the game, but he also didn’t return to the bench, and he reportedly left with his agent Rich Paul during the game to get an MRI.
Incredibly, however, New Orleans knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder, a rare bright spot in the Pels’ season from hell. After the game, Gentry wanted to talk about his team’s impressive performance, but the questions predictably centered on Davis and his shoulder.
Gentry finally reached his boiling point.
His frustration certainly is understandable. Who knows what Gentry’s own future holds at this point, especially with Davis forcing the team’s hand and putting the franchise at a crossroads moving forward. New Orleans almost certainly has to rebuild and will start to do so by trying to hit a home run on the Davis trade, but that’s far from a guarantee when you’re trading away your franchise player.
