Can Pelicans win over Anthony Davis like David Griffin won back LeBron?

David Griffin has experience convincing mega-stars to buy into what he’s selling. Can he win Anthony Davis back over for the New Orleans Pelicans?

A month or two ago, it seemed abundantly clear that Anthony Davis was guaranteed to be on his way out of Louisiana. That was, however, until David Griffin took over as the Executive VP of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. In his introductory press conference, Griffin made it clear that he’d at least take a shot at convincing AD to give the Pels another chance.

This is something that surely has been polarizing among Pelicans fans since this new rumor broke, but it’s a scenario that is definitely worth at least exploring if Anthony Davis is actually receptive to David Griffin’s plans for the future of the team.

Griffin has experience appeasing the demands of wayward superstars, too. In the summer of 2010, LeBron James made “The Decision” to end his first stint in Cleveland in order to chase titles with Wade and Bosh in Miami. That same season was right when David Griffin took over as Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While LeBron and friends became a dominant force in South Beach, the Cavs struggled mightily during the initial phases of their massive rebuilding process. Still, Griffin persisted and started to retool and recalibrate Cleveland into a team with potential. After their dismal first season under Griffin, the Cavaliers won the first overall draft pick in 2011 and selected Kyrie Irving, which marked the turning point in Cleveland’s trajectory.

In his first three years with the team, Irving was an instant star that was putting up incredible numbers despite his young age. The team was still under .500 in all three of these Irving-led, LeBron-less seasons, but there was steady improvement each year. During this time, Griffin added players like Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova to the team who would end up having a major impact on the Cavs’ success in the near future.

Finally, the Cavaliers were able to improve themselves enough to allow LeBron James to entertain the idea of returning to Ohio in 2014-2015, the same season Griffin took over as General Manager. This was the summer that David Griffin finally went all-in to win LeBron James over, making deals to acquire players like Kevin Love, JR Smith, and Iman Shumpert to combine talents with LeBron, Kyrie, Thompson, and Delly.

Griffin understood that to keep LeBron happy, the team had to compete immediately. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Griffin reflected on this aspect of his time in Cleveland saying:

"“LeBron’s presence means you must win championships… This is the greatest player of his generation, and if you’re not delivering championships you’re failing.”"

The rest is history as this David Griffin-constructed roster went on to make 4 straight NBA Finals appearances including one championship victory. So the big question now is whether or not Griffin can pull off an equally impressive feat in New Orleans to get Anthony Davis to stick around.

It’s risky, and there are a lot of things to juggle. The longer the Pelicans wait to trade AD, the lower his trade value gets. If New Orleans brings in major talent through free agency and locks players up on long-term, expensive contracts to try to show Davis they’re committed to winning, it could all backfire if he decides to leave town next summer anyway.

Still, Anthony Davis is a generational talent, and it’s worth trying to hold onto those types of players if you can. The New Orleans Pelicans likely can’t attract free agents like Kevin Durant, maybe not even Kyrie Irving. But the thought of adding a player like Klay Thompson or Jimmy Butler to a team with Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday is enough to get the blood pumping. Can David Griffin figure out a plan that’s too promising for Anthony Davis to turn away from?

David Griffin has to be very careful this summer. Keeping Anthony Davis on the team could lead to several great years for the New Orleans Pelicans if AD can buy into Griffin’s long-term goals. However, the team cannot afford to lose him for nothing in free agency next summer. Can Griffin win over AD similar to how he kept LeBron James happy in Cleveland, or is the situation already too far gone?