NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis’ injury appears to be worse than initially thought, and it could cost him up to a month. That leaves the Pelicans in a bind
Originally, it was believed that Anthony Davis would only miss 1-2 weeks due to a finger injury. Now, though, it’s about to get a bit more difficult for the struggling New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans are only three games back of the 8th seed in the Western Conference, but haven’t faired well without Davis in the lineup this season. New Orleans is just 2-4 this season without Davis, but I find it hard to believe that record will get any better over the next few weeks.
Especially considering that the Pelicans have games against the Thunder, Spurs, Rockets and Nuggets on the horizon.
New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis will see a hand specialist with fear of a volar plate avulsion fracture in his left index finger, agent Rich Paul tells @TheAthleticNBA. If confirmed, Davis will likely miss 2-to-4 weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 23, 2019
Depending on how much time he ends up missing, the Pelicans could be completely out of the playoff picture by the time Davis returns. If the drop three games in the standings, that could leave this team roughly six or seven games back of the final spot in the playoffs with only 20, or so, games remaining in the regular season (if he misses a month).
It also makes how the Pelicans approaches the NBA Trade Deadline all the more difficult. Barring some unforeseen change, the Pelicans will likely be buyers in the coming weeks. However, how aggressive can they be without Davis in the lineup?
It won’t be easy for this team, and it wasn’t easy as it was with a healthy Davis. The timing couldn’t have been any worse for the Pelicans or Davis. This was a season in which New Orleans was supposed to take the next step as a franchise, possibly doing enough to secure Davis re-signing with the club during the summer.
However, that certainly hasn’t happened yet. That’s not to say that Davis won’t re-sign with the team during the summer, just that it’s not a forgone conclusion.