NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has not been afraid to make his opinion known regarding some of the league’s biggest issues.
The NBA’s decision to fine New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Anthony Davis for publicly demanding a trade earlier in the season magnifies this further.
Though, Silver is not letting the Pelicans themselves off the hook, either. In talking about the situation recently, the commish seemingly blasted New Orleans’ organization for playing Davis three quarters in recent games.
“Some things don’t lend themselves to easy solutions,” Silver said at the Sloan Sports and Analytics Conference recently. “And playing him for three quarters then resting him in the fourth is not a good solution. And maybe we’ll get to a different place.”
Silver also had some words of wisdom directed at those who believe that the NBA should stay out of the affairs of individual teams.
“When I hear people say, ‘Stay out of a team’s affairs. They should just be able to do whatever they want.’ Frankly, that’s not how leagues operate. We have resting rules. We have tanking rules.”
The NBA has threatened to fine the Pelicans every time they sit a healthy Davis. The compromise here is New Orleans playing Davis at a lower clip than what we saw prior to last month’s NBA trade deadline. That has included him sitting out the fourth quarter.
Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz was the first time Davis played in the final stanza since the deadline. Though, that came in a cameo appearance late in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans doesn’t want to risk injury to Davis with a trade likely coming this summer. And in reality, why would they want to even face that possibility while closing up shop on what has been a lost season?
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, Silver obviously doesn’t see it that way.