The New Orleans Pelicans had really high hopes coming into this season, and it was hard to blame them. They had just made the playoffs as the eight seed last season, they have a young core, and they have one of the best players in the NBA. Because of all of those factors, it was expected that they would be in the playoffs again and maybe even win a series, but the season has not gone that well.
The biggest factor in the Pelicans being a disappointment this season has been injuries. They have had several key players miss significant amounts of time and three guys (Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Eric Gordon) ruled out for the season. New Orleans' best player, Anthony Davis, has been healthy for the most part this season, but it hasn't been enough. Now, though, even he is having injury issues of his own.
Head coach Alvin Gentry said earlier this week that Davis was dealing with a sore left knee that caused him to leave their last game early. Since then, it has been revealed that Davis is also dealing with a shoulder issue on top of the knee injury. The team isn't exactly sure what that shoulder issue is, but they had doctors look at it to test the severity.
Davis has already been ruled out for Sunday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Pelicans are now considering shutting him down for the rest of the season. Gentry said that the team may have to consider shutting him down due to the two injuries, but they are not quite at that point yet.
It would make sense from a team standpoint to shut Davis down, as they are close to being eliminated from playoff contention and Davis is the key to their future. The 23-year-old forward has shown that he is one of the best players in the NBA, and New Orleans does not want to risk any sort of long-term injury to their star.
From Davis' personal view, though, he has incentive to keep playing. The fourth-year man out of Kentucky has a clause in his contract that pays him a hefty bonus should he make one of the All-NBA teams. Davis would seem like a lock to make one of those teams if the season ended today, as he is averaging more than 24 points and 10 rebounds per game, but if he were to miss the final 14 games, it would certainly hinder his chances.
In the long run, if their is a long-term risk for Davis, it would be wiser for him to shut it down, but if there is not a long-term risk, he should play. The money is a reason why, but it is also not a good precedent to set by having a guy sit out when he is capable of playing.
