What was the vibe when it was official that Anthony Davis wanted out?
David Grubb:
"For a lot of us in the media, it wasn’t an unexpected development. There had been buzz for more than two years that AD’s former representation had encouraged him to seek a trade to another market. The fear of that was heightened for fans as soon as Davis signed with Klutch Sports. Most people thought that the prospect of the Super Max contract was more than enough to keep him in New Orleans, so when it was announced on Monday that he had requested a trade, I believe a lot of people felt betrayed. Honestly, you come across fans who are going through the stages of grief about this. There is anger and denial, but also there are plenty of fans who are just glad that this whole saga will be coming to an end soon. The largest portion of the fan base’s anger is directed towards ownership and management. People are upset that seven seasons were essentially wasted because of some horrible decisions."
To piggyback on what David said, there was a source close to Anthony Davis reported by The Athletic’s Sam Amick mentioning the following.
"“the idea that the Pelicans were less of a priority to ownership than the Saints has been a growing concern.”"
This is something that Pelicans head coach, Alvin Gentry strongly denies.
"“That’s the furthest thing from the truth, and if you don’t believe me, I’ll take all you guys to the practice facility, and you go visit any other one in the NBA, and you tell me that it’s not as good as any other place in the NBA,” Gentry said after Wednesday’s game. “To say that (the Pelicans are second-class citizens) is really disrespectful.” “All this stuff to me, to be honest, it really pisses me off. … ’Cause you should ask us if we feel like second-class citizens, and I can tell you right now that’s the furthest thing from the truth. There’s nothing that we ask for or want that Mrs. (Benson) won’t give us to try and help us win games."
Maybe the issue lies with the fact that the Benson family has the General Manager of the football Saints, Mickey Loomis, doing double duty running things in the Pelicans front office.
Not saying he can’t do both. It’s just unusual.