Pelicans media day was Friday afternoon, and of course, Anthony Davis' future was a topic of conversation. Davis signed a max extension a year ago that takes him under contract with New Orleans through at least 2020 (with an opt-out for the 2020-2021 season). But with Kevin Durant's departure to the Warriors, which shocked and wounded Oklahoma City fans, it's going to be a relevant question for years whether Davis will remain in the Big Easy once this first big-money contract is over.
Davis was pretty plain-spoken about the subject on Friday:
Davis calls himself old-school and says, "I never plan on leaving here. I love it here. I plan on bringing a championship here."
— Oleh Kosel (@Redhopeful) September 23, 2016
Well, glad we cleared that up and can count on Davis being in New Orleans for the rest of his career.
Oh? What's that? You want to know what Chris Paul said about New Orleans after signing his extension?
ESQ: Does living in New Orleans affect your style?
CP: I love New Orleans. I think it gives me the best of both of worlds. Being from North Carolina, it's kind of slow-paced. There's not too much going on there, whereas in New Orleans, there's always something going on. I just love all the people, going out to dinner and enjoying anything I want.
Source: Chris Paul Interview - Bio of Chris Paul.
And there's this:
"I would love to be here. I want to win many, many championships here," the Hornets' three-time All-Star point guard said during a charity golf event for his CP3 Foundation.
Source: Chris Paul wants Hornets to show urgency to win | OregonLive.com.
Well, that's one guy. I'm sure Chris Paul was an outlier. What's that? You want to know what LeBron James said on the subject in 2009 after the loss to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland?
"I just didn't have much to say; congratulations to the Orlando Magic, they played a great series and they deserved it," he said. "I've always expressed the fact that I love playing here. Fans were great and have always been great. Losing this series doesn't affect the way I will continue to approach the game here in Cleveland."
And here's Kevin Durant in 2013, three years from when he'd abandon OKC:
Q: Did you hear what Jalen Rose said about the Houston thing?
A: Yep.
Do you have any thoughts on that?
Nah, I'm here for the Thunder (laughs). I mean, that's all I can say. I'm not thinking far down the line at all. It's about today. Today we got better against the Chicago Bulls. I can't tell the future. I can't speak on that. That's his opinion. I'm just going to keep playing for the Thunder. I love playing here.
People probably will continue to say that for the next three years.
Unfortunately.
How do you deal with that?
I mean, just let them know I'm not thinking that far down the line, I guess. I mean, I love my teammates. I love where I live. I love playing for this organization. So I'm just taking it a day at a time.
Source: Kevin Durant responds to Jalen Rose prediction he'll leave in free agency | News OK.
The point here isn't that Davis will absolutely leave, or even to criticize those players for those comments. Things change, people change, circumstances change. The point is that Davis' comment should be expected and yet he shouldn't be held to it. Kevin Garnett, whom Davis is often compared to, genuinely loved Minnesota and didn't want to leave. But great players want to win championships and sometimes team situations don't allow for that possibility.
Davis could stay in New Orleans his whole career. Many players have said "I love it here, I never want to leave" and stayed with one franchise their whole career. However, where Davis is now won't be where he is in 2-3 years and at this point, after Durant left OKC despite everything he'd said constantly about wanting to stay, the fans, media and public simply shouldn't expect any player to stay. It's just not realistic. It's good that Davis loves New Orleans, that he wants to stay.
It just doesn't mean that he will.
