There is a scandal within the NBA
that is being overlooked…Maybe covered up. Wishful to be lost in the shadows,
but we are here to bring light to such scrutiny. January 28, 2019 is the date
that Anthony Davis initially made his trade request, this was the 1st
domino to fall…amongst many to follow. Davis had made it clear to his
agent(Rich Paul) that his destination was to the Los Angeles Lakers. The
constant coverage and speculation of which team may trade for him despite his
preference put tremendous pressure on the Pelicans front office to trade their
superstar. Davis still had a year left on his contract, but did not agree with
the direction the franchise was going. This now puts pressure on the Pelicans
Owner(Gayle Benson) whether to abide by the players wish or to abide by the
contract they signed.
What
many may forget is that the NBA is a business, and with the loss of any
superstar player the Organization will lose revenue due the lack of attraction such
team has. NBA Owners/Govenors also have a ton of power in this league. What if
you’re an Owner and are fed up with your teams Superstar leaving to go to bigger
markets. What if Gayle Benson went straight to Adam Silver once Anthony Davis
requested a trade and insisted that he get involved. To avoid being comparable
to the horrid David Stern (Veto the trade of Chris Paul to Lakers) he remained
hands off, But instead took a different page out of Stern’s book. Similar to
the ‘Frozen Envelop of 1985’, Adam Silver felt the need to compensate the Pelicans
with the 1st pick of the 2019 NBA draft in return for losing their star. This
is believable due the fact not only did New Orleans only have a 3% chance at
the 1st overall pick, but also everyone knew that the pick belonged
to the New York Knicks. The Cavs, Hawks, Suns, and Bulls were all also expected
to have a chance at the pick but fell out of the top 3. On a serious note this
would only be a quick fix with as the 2019 NBA free agency shook up the league
so much it caused Silver to launch a Tampering investigation. This news was
announced shortly after an NBA owners meeting in Las Vegas was held.
It
is unfortunate to see Adam Silver being strong armed by NBA owners. Silver has
proven himself to be about the improvement and advancement of the League. The
only reason Adam Silver may have committed such acts is to prevent any backlash
due to his preferred hands off approach on players trade requests. There are
various opinions on the right of player movement. Also to keep the owners of
small market teams upbeat and competitive through unforeseen circumstances. Do
these allegations against Silver require further investigation? I believe so.
Although intentions were far from malice, it was done nonetheless. The next
Organization that finds them with an unhappy Superstar may also have a 1st
overall pick hot and ready to be delivered.
