Anthony Davis left the door wide open for heated discussions about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers when he hinted at the possibility that he could join the Chicago Bulls next summer.
While some fans may be wondering whether or not it will come to pass, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith sure isn’t.
In a recent episode of “First Take,” Smith was adamant that Davis would not leave the Lakers for the Bulls next year due to several reasons.
“Hell no,” Smith said of the six-time All-Star possibly going to Chicago. “He’s not going to no damn Chicago. Let’s stop this nonsense right now. It’s a nice thing for him to say.”
Smith went on to share what he would have done if he was in Davis’ place and his hometown team wanted him to come home and play for them.
“I would say all the right things,” Smith went on to say. “I definitely would do that.”
In other words, Davis is only saying what most people would say if they were in the same situation as the Lakers forward. However, according to Smith, since Davis is currently playing in a city as beautiful as Los Angeles, the seven-year veteran won’t be thinking about his hometown of Chicago when he makes a decision about where to play.
“Rich Paul represents Anthony Davis, and obviously the way Rich Paul operates, because he’s pretty damn smart at what he does. He’s going to encourage you to keep your options open,” Smith explained. “You don’t know what Jeanie Buss, and Kurt and Linda Rambis, and everybody else in between could do to just ruin the entire situation, but one would surmise they’re not going to do that.
“Let’s give credit where credit is due. The Lakers are a better organization right now. The fact of the matter is, after Magic Johnson has left with all of that chaos that we saw, think about what they’ve done. They acquired Anthony Davis, they hired Frank Vogel, who has them playing defense, that’s his specialty. You’ve got Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Phil Handy and these boys on your coaching staff. All these dudes can coach. You have a superstar in LeBron James with Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma has come back.
“Right now you look like the best team in basketball, you are clearly a title contender. And you’re gonna walk away from all of that to go home to Chicago which really hasn’t been relevant since Derrick Rose injured his knee? Stop it! Anthony Davis ain’t going no damn place.”
Laker fans should be encouraged to hear that Smith is of the belief that Davis is merely being polite about giving Bulls fans some semblance of hope.
With the Lakers set to play against the Bulls tonight, the discussion about Davis’ future should make for an interesting backdrop to the upcoming game at United Center.
