AD got a fair amount of heat from the media for how that situation played out with the Pelicans. Rich Paul: Yeah, but they didn’t understand it. What do you mean? Rich Paul: They didn’t understand the situation he was in. They didn’t play in the place for however many years and feel as if there was a change needed. A lot of times the people around sports discredit certain things because it is a sport. And growing up, sporting is recreational, all the way up until you get to this point, where it’s a billion-dollar fucking business. From AD’s perspective, he just felt it was time for change. There’s nothing wrong with that. As a player, the side that people don’t see is like, okay, yeah, I can go out and score 40 every night, but I can’t make you put certain things around me because I don’t have that power. I have to bet on you to do so. And in the event that I’m good enough that, if I feel that’s not happening, and I can change something? Then I’ll change it. Or I’ll seek to change it.
Tag: Rich Paul
Rich Paul believes media, fans ‘didn’t understand’ Anthony Davis’ trade request
In an interview with GQ, Rich Paul opened up about Anthony Davis joining the Los Angeles Lakers and his mindset about leaving New Orleans.
It’s hard to imagine a reality in which things are going better for Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Through the first 27 games of the season, the Lakers are an amazing 24-3, tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA.
But it wasn’t long ago that everything was flipped not only in Lakerland but also for Davis. The Lakers were struggling and Davis was persona non grata not only in New Orleans but among all NBA fans who had started to leave Davis out of discussions about the best big man in the league. However, all of that changed when the Lakers traded in their young pieces and several draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Davis.
During an interview with GQ, Davis’ agent Rich Paul discussed the way people looked at Davis as something that many fans and much of the media “didn’t understand.”
They didn’t understand the situation he was in. They didn’t play in the place for however many years and feel as if there was a change needed. A lot of times the people around sports discredit certain things because it is a sport. And growing up, sporting is recreational, all the way up until you get to this point, where it’s a billion-dollar (expletive) business.
From AD’s perspective, he just felt it was time for change. There’s nothing wrong with that. As a player, the side that people don’t see is like, okay, yeah, I can go out and score 40 every night, but I can’t make you put certain things around me because I don’t have that power. I have to bet on you to do so. And in the event that I’m good enough that, if I feel that’s not happening, and I can change something? Then I’ll change it. Or I’ll seek to change it.
In his case, he seeked to change something in the best way possible. People viewed it a certain way without knowing the facts. But again, that’s television, that’s entertainment, that’s people sitting in the room at 6:00 A.M., saying we’re going to get on TV and say this and say that and create this narrative, et cetera. We understand that. We was never bothered by that. At the end of the day, there’s only 30 teams. You’re blessed to play for one of them. But with anything in life, stature gives you the opportunity to do certain things, to position certain things, and when that stature’s earned, that’s the benefit of it.
In addition to Davis landing with the Lakers and finding immediate success around LeBron James, Paul also had quite the summer when it came to taking care of his clients as Draymond Green and Ben Simmons each signed massive contract extensions in the summer.
Davis and James are working out better than anyone imagined, with James and Davis both making a strong case for NBA MVP while Davis is making one for his first career Defensive Player of the Year award.
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Beasley, who will be a restricted free …
Beasley, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, signed with mega agent Rich Paul this summer and wasn’t able to come to an agreement on an extension with Denver before the deadline in October, despite an aggressive offer from the Nuggets, according to a league source. Teams have already been making calls on Beasley, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported last week, and reasons for the interest are obvious. He just turned 23 years old and is a plus athlete who is shooting nearly 41 percent from 3-point range this season after shooting 40 percent over a full season last year.
Anthony Davis makes return to New Orleans to close out Lakers trip
Anthony Davis is back in New Orleans and while he has plenty of feelings about it, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to stay hot.
That was all, folks, but this is now. Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are in New Orleans as The Brow will play his first game against against the Pelicans after orchestrating his exit from the Big Easy just over 10 months ago.
While a majority of the coverage surrounding this game is concerning itself with the reception Davis will get, or whether he will get a tribute video, Davis is in an uncommon position as a returning player by also being on the same team as LeBron James. Nothing will ever be worse than LeBron’s 2010 return to Cleveland and no matter how things went, Davis is surrounded by veterans who know what’s like to be disliked.
Having LeBron on Davis’ side tonight could be the ultimate weapon while also being another validation that he made the right call leaving New Orleans. Davis has admitted that he will be a little nervous heading into this game and why wouldn’t he? After seven years of his formative years, it would be impossible for him not to have them, a reality LeBron knows well.
But as for the practical, Davis, James and the Lakers can fall back on their defense that has led them to an NBA-best 15-2 start. After having a couple of games of slippage early on in their road trip, the Lakers closing out their trip by shutting the life out of the Pelicans offense would be the kind of thing to normalize a weird game Davis and also extend their NBA-best win-streak to nine games.