Kidd Seal Of Approval: Jason Kidd Praises Anthony Davis for Pushing to Return from Injury
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd spoke about the rumors that Anthony Davis pushed very hard to return from injury to help the team. Kidd used the opportunity to praise the All-Star, claiming that Davis deserves to be recognized for the work he put in to get healthy and return to the team. He added that Davis gets paid to play, and him returning with just 12 games left in the season speaks to his character.
“I think you have to commend him for working to get back because this is his job. He feels responsible to get back to work. Just understanding that first part is who he is. The second part – we always talk about the future.”
“Tonight is the start of him working towards playing the rest of the season. Just remember, he gets paid to play. I know you think this is a joke, but his character of working to get back with 12 games left just shows how much he cares about what he wants to do and that’s to help this team win.”
It was reported that Davis was the one who pushed to return to the team, as the Dallas Mavericks wanted him to sit out for the rest of the season and not risk getting hurt again. Given the Mavericks’ injury issues, it is odd that they were willing to sit a player when he was healthy and ready to go, as they need all the help they can get heading into the final stretch of the season to avoid having to forfeit games.
The Mavericks wanted Davis to sit out primarily to protect him. The superstar has a poor injury history, and another injury could derail their future plans. On top of that, given Kyrie Irving’s season-ending ACL injury, there is no way the reigning Western Conference champions can mount a big challenge in the West with just Davis as the star player.
One NBA insider has suggested the Mavericks trade Davis in the summer, as Irving’s ACL injury isn’t an overnight issue, and will take years to fully recover from.
In a way, this willingness to come back despite the low stakes and high risk shows Davis’ commitment to the Mavericks. The superstar has embraced life on the Mavericks, despite being taken aback when he was traded away from the Lakers. Davis expected to be on the Lakes long-term prior to the trade and wanted to compete for an NBA championship.
But things did not work out that way, and AD finds himself on the Mavericks, in what looks to be a terrible situation. Mavs GM Nico Harrison has made a series of avoidable mistakes that have landed the team in such a dire situation, and there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel for whatever fans have stuck around and supported the team even after the Luka Doncic trade.
