Pelicans To Keep Anthony Davis In Lineup For Remainder Of Season

[RealGM Wiretap]

The New Orleans Pelicans will keep Anthony Davis in the lineup for the rest of the season.

The status of Davis was uncertain following his trade request as the Pelicans want to avoid him suffering an injury ahead of an anticipated offseason trade. Furthermore, the Pelicans will be positioning themselves for a lottery pick.

Davis has said that he wants to return to the lineup and finish the season on the court.

In a statement Thursday night explaining the decision, Dell Demps said, "A number of factors contributed to this decision. Ultimately, Anthony made it clear to us that he wants to play, and he gives our team the best opportunity to win games.

"Moreover, the Pelicans want to preserve the integrity of the game and align our organization with NBA policies. We believe Anthony playing upholds the values that are in the best interest of the NBA and its fans. We look forward to seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon."

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

[FreeBoosie]

Well this is awkward

[hyberx]

"Moreover, the Pelicans want to preserve the integrity of the game and align our organization with NBA policies. We believe Anthony playing upholds the values that are in the best interest of the NBA and its fans. We look forward to seeing Anthony in a Pelicans uniform again soon."

That is a nice payback to AD, Rich Paul, and LeGM.

[Future Coach]

This press statement was completely unnecessary, and is ultimately regrettable.

This is a complete non-issue because it was never an option to sit Anthony Davis.

The NBA is an entertainment product that needs to maintain its product, and that product is based on the idea of honest competition. A healthy and productive player who positively impacts their team cannot be held out without legit justification. ****, the Bulls got warned for not playing Robin Lopez, and folks act like a MVP candidate like Anthony Davis can simply be told to sit with no consequences.

[alienpick]

So Silver basically told them they’d better get inline with NBA values and not sit AD, or else.

[Jcity08]

Pelicans lost their window to tank for a lottery pick now. Good for them I guess.