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Anthony Davis was nonchalantly chilling on the bench when LeBron James dethroned Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the all-time scoring record in early February. AD was subsequently blasted by several sports analysts for his cold reaction to one of the greatest achievements in sports history.
Davis later said that the reason why he wasn’t jumping for joy at the time was because of the way the LA Lakers played. Kevin Garnett isn’t buying into the idea that it was simply a case of a frustrated Davis eager to lead his team to the win.
Here’s the Hall of Famer and former MVP on Anthony Davis’ controversial reaction:
“I saw how he looked when the biggest moment in sports, your teammate, he accomplished something that no one, none of us could, right? And the energy. to me, wasn’t there. Their brotherhood energy wasn’t there. That love, that ‘Hey, dawg, you did it.’ That looked kind of awkward.
“Lord, it kind of looked awkward. No one wants to say this s**t. No one wants to say this s**t out loud! He didn’t even stand up. They ain’t rockin'! They ain’t rockin' no more. And the writing’s on the wall.”
Last season, Anthony Davis played just 40 games, leaving LeBron James to carry most of the burden of unsuccessfully leading the LA Lakers to the playoffs. Russell Westbrook was available and put up solid, if not great, numbers but didn’t have an impact on winning as the Lakers floundered to a 33-49 record.
Much was expected of the Lakers this season if both Davis and James could stay healthy. Heading into the game against the OKC Thunder when “King James” surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring mark, LA was 25-30 and looked headed for another long offseason.
Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James have shown frustration almost every time they lose.
As bad as the Lakers were playing against the Thunder at the time, they were also not out of it. James scored the historic basket with a few seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Lakers had the next 12 minutes to win the game. But James scored only two points in the final quarter.
To Kevin Garnett’s point, Davis could have shown a little more support, particularly when all the biggest lights were turned on in that game. Instead, he didn’t even stand up in anticipation and excitement, as most in the building did.
The LA Lakers are putting all their eggs in the Anthony Davis and LeBron James basket
LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka repeatedly insisted throughout the season that they were committed to helping secure LeBron James’ legacy. He vowed that the team would do everything it can to help him win a championship.
Pelinka backed up his words by orchestrating a slew of trades to improve the roster. He opened trading with the acquisition of Rui Hachimura. Most basketball analysts, however, were dissatisfied with that move.
LeBron James, who sent some not-so-subtle messages about retooling the team, kept quiet as he probably knew Pelinka was diligently doing his work. Trading Russell Westbrook for reinforcements in a three-team deal eventually transformed the Lakers into a deeper, more balanced and stronger team.
Pelinka’s moves also confirmed that the LA Lakers are putting all their trust in James and Anthony Davis to carry them deep into the postseason.
Both James and Davis have two years remaining on their contracts. They also have player options in their last years with the team. If they can’t bring banner No. 18 to Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers might go into full rebuild mode.
