Pelicans’ Anthony Davis’ similarities to Carmelo Anthony: Disgruntled Stars

Trading Anthony Davis would likely be the best move to begin David Griffin’s tenure leading the New Orleans Pelicans, regardless of any standing trade demands. How do AD’s antics and career compare to Carmelo Anthony’s, another star that requested a trade?

Anthony Davis has been built up as a transcendent star. He has spent his whole career with the New Orleans Pelicans, but now wants out. Perhaps his open demand changed the Pels’ leverage slightly, but it did not ultimately change the decision. David Griffin earned the task of handling AD’s future, but anyone stepping up to change the franchise’s fortunes has to trade Davis.

Carmelo Anthony was the last star with Olympic team appearances but no NBA Finals appearances to demand a trade. Despite his recent Looney Tunes antics, Anthony Davis seems to have a better reputation and higher trade value than Carmelo Anthony. The similarities besides the “star wants a chance to win” narrative are numerous, including their on-court results.

Carmelo is a suspected summer signing of the LeBron James Lakers, though Davis is the real prize recruit. These rumors will persist because of Bron and Melo’s friendship, but by playing standards, there is a reason Melo is out of the league. LeBron cannot get back to the playoffs using scrap heap veterans in their mid-thirties, so he’ll likely chase a disgruntled star in a small market instead.

Comparing trade packages

Carmelo Anthony’s returned trade haul when he became a Knick is the proper starting point for the Davis trade demands. The Denver Nuggets received Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks’ 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors’ 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash. The Nuggets sent Chauncey Billups and roster filler to New York along with Melo’s baggage.

The Pelicans can feel comfortable asking for basically everything they like on the Clippers, Lakers, Celtics, Raptors, or Knicks rosters. If the Pelicans are feeling particularly risky, they can add Solomon Hill to the deal and take back a flier on a failed signing looking for a new start.

When it comes to trading away a top 10 star, there is no such thing as asking for too much. Teams can give away too much and accept too little, but they can never ask too much. The team’s future and the executive’s next contract depend on the ransom for AD being substantial.

Davis is looking for a new start. Griffin taking a flier on Davis for one more season would just cost the Pelicans leverage later. The star Pelicans fans want might not have been the star they thought they had all this time. Davis is refusing a super-max extension, but he is also refusing to accept the franchise could experience better days soon.

On court comparison

The knocks on Carmelo Anthony were his reliance on a strong mid-range game and below average defense. That game used to work, but that shot is no longer mathematically successful in today’s NBA unless your team is coached by Gregg Popovich. Anthony lapsed on defense and was too ball dominate for his teammates to feel invested in the game’s outcome.

Anthony Davis never was a vocal leader and has complained openly about his teammates lack of talent. Davis is slightly more athletic, but also a touch more injury prone. Many small knocks have sent Davis to the locker room. Often, possessions went for naught as Davis took another mid-range jumper.

For a full season, this is not a great shot chart.

If that chart did not have the player’s name on top, many a NBA fan would have lost a bet on who owned those shots. Looking at both Davis and Anthony’s per game stats show they put up the same points numbers with about the same team results. Davis is better at the rim, Anthony is better from outside the paint.

Neither have attended a Finals except as spectators. Save for one series sweep, Davis has done little in the postseason. Without that one great Nuggets run, Melo is barely a mention in the previous era’s star debate.

Davis ran into the Warriors, yes. He also grabs more boards and has better defensive stats than Melo. However, Davis does not want to play in the five spot. It could be to avoid more bumps and bruises, though Davis has argued it’s a better showcase of his talent to use him at the four. His shot chart and off-ball work suggest he should be at the five if he were playing with a team-first mentality.

Davis wants to dictate not only his team but his position. It took some coaxing, but Melo finally relented on his positional role. Once Carmelo went to spacing the floor at the four, he hit .369 from three as a Knick.

Davis has shot .314 from three in his career. That’s great for a center pulling down a dozen boards along swatting a couple shots. Without that effort and defensive value, you’ve got a worse shooting Brook Lopez on double the volume.

Those stats at the four are great, no doubt. All-Star worthy even. They also have been hollow, like most fans view Davis’ words. the leadership behind the numbers has been lacking. The numbers are there because the player has the individual talent, not because of any team cohesiveness.

Similar career trajectories

Davis is just a few moves away from having a Melo-like career. Luckily, the Pelicans were wising up to his Davis-first approach to the game. Most of the time, it ultimately benefited the Pelicans. Davis was encouraged to look for his shots, but took some ill-advised shots as well.

Injuries derailed most of the team’s best rosters, though Anthony Davis did little to publicly raise team morale. It is not his sideline style, and he is a more reserved character in general. So Davis quietly played to whatever plan he felt like, and the team had to roll with it. That’s not been the case the last few years, and Davis slowly lost his love for the city.

Slowly, the team has become more of a shared venture. The Gordon, Anderson, Evans trio did not work. The DeMarcus Cousins #DoItBig Experiment was derailed before any playoff results. Jrue Holiday had a coming out party against Portland. Now, the team is rolling at Griffin’s pace.

Griffin has made it clear that Jrue Holiday is seen as a foundation piece of his Pelicans puzzle. Holiday has voiced his enthusiasm for staying. There is value in Holiday’s words. Anthony Davis could stick around, but would no longer be the lead voice and would have to sign an extension to show his loyalties.

Griffin wants an all-in answer before shipping Davis out. Griffin must hold himself to the same all-in standard. He cannot make any decisions based on a promise to Davis, unless Davis commits. Griffin also cannot make the best decisions for the long term if he is hoping to have Davis appeased in the short term.

If Anthony Davis wants to tightly control his legacy narrative, like Melo, he may wind up with a legacy to match. Dictating trade partners puts unnecessary stress on both teams.  If Davis is still straddling the fence concerning his team allegiances and positional flexibility, he has a problem with both the front office and the coaching staff.

The Pelicans do not need that attitude from a leadership position. Some stars are drafted to be traded. Once that moment comes, and it is here for David Griffin’s Pelicans, there’s no benefit to second guessing or temporarily mending fences. The only way to benefit is to sell high and be ruthless in the trade negotiations.

So, go for Zion and Mitchell Robinson from New York. Get Pascal Siakam, John Collins, Nikola Vucevic or Domantas Sabonis to replace Anthony Davis’ minutes in the frontcourt. Those players will come with others that can be moved along, plus some draft picks. Montrezl Harrell and Danilo Gallinari along with a couple standout young players and a couple picks would be close to equal the Melo trade haul, and even features Gallinari to bring it all full circle.

As long as Anthony Davis is running circles around any definitive decisions, the Pelicans’ best option is to trade him away before he gets too expensive or too much animosity destroys another season. This season is done, and Davis is only staying if he signs a cap crippling super max extension.

So as Anthony Davis was unable to stay mellow in New Orleans, he can take another step in following Melo’s career path. A trade is the smartest move regardless of Davis’ preemptive attack on the New Orleans Pelicans’ season. Griffin cannot take any short sighted chances and should want the distraction gone. As soon as the NBA Draft Lottery is done, it is time to move Davis along.