The New Orleans Pelicans are not a playoff team, that much is clear. They have a record of 25-43, which has them at 12th in the Western Conference. With the profuse amount of injuries suffered by the Pelicans this season, one option for the team is to just tank for a good draft pick. The best way to tank? Shut down your best player for the season, like the Knicks did with Carmelo Anthony last year. So, will they shut down Anthony Davis? It wouldn’t be a bad move. He has multiple injuries.
Alvin Gentry, head coach of the Pelicans, discussed the option of shutting down Davis. From Brett Dawson of the New Orleans Advocate:
Team officials were due to have a conference call with doctors on Saturday afternoon, coach Alvin Gentry said, to discuss the left knee injury Davis sustained in Friday’s loss to Portland along with a shoulder injury that Gentry said he thinks has “kind of been there” previously.
The team figured to have significantly more information after that conference call, but Gentry didn’t rule out the possibility of sitting Davis
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Asked if two injuries might make the team more likely to shut down Davis, Gentry said, “I wouldn’t say no to that. I think we’ve got to be smart collectively, along with him.”
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With their playoff chances increasingly rare, the Pelicans will at least consider sitting Davis for the stretch run, but Gentry said the team would have a better feel for Davis’ health later on Saturday.
“I think we’ll know a lot more after they talk to the doctors today and then I think there can be some decisions made,” Gentry said. “But I think that’s something that you would definitely have to consider.”
Shutting down Davis could be a prudent move. The Pels would be killing 2 birds with 1 stone: they get to rest Davis and avoid him further injuring himself, and by doing so they become worse, and get a better shot at a good draft pick.
