Anthony Davis smiled when asked his preference of making his long-anticipated return to the Dallas Mavericks lineup Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, his former team, or the LA Clippers the following night.
“That’s a real question? You know what game I want to play, but we’ll see,” Davis said during his first news conference since suffering a calf strain Oct. 29.
Davis participated in a full practice Wednesday for the first time since his injury and will be listed as questionable for Friday’s game at Crypto.com Arena, where he hasn’t played since the Mavericks acquired him in February.
The All-Star big man reflected on his recovery process, his reaction to the firing of former general manager Nico Harrison, the subsequent trade speculation and watching his Mavericks play an NBA-high 15 clutch games.
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Davis has missed 14 games over a span of four weeks. During that time, the Mavericks (5-14) have a 3-11 record without him. Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont relieved Harrison of his duties Nov. 11, amid the team’s worst start since the 2017-18 season.
“It was surprising more than anything,” Davis said. “Nico’s my guy. Obviously, he played a huge part of getting me here and wanting me to fulfill his vision, in a sense, that he saw. It was definitely tough. … It’s the business of basketball. Once I had those conversations [with Harrison and Dumont], I was able to move forward and continue to rehab and get back on the floor and try to compete.”
Davis wouldn’t be in Dallas without Harrison, who stunningly traded Luka Doncic last season to the Lakers to acquire him. With Harrison no longer the general manager, Davis’ future with the Mavericks could be in question. Dallas will decide between now and the Feb. 5 trade deadline to keep the roster intact or prioritize building around rookie Cooper Flagg.
On Wednesday, Davis dismissed the speculation and said his focus is on basketball.
“Man, look. Y’all make it like we’re going to war or something. This is basketball. It comes with it,” Davis said. “I think everybody in their career has been involved in trade talks, or been traded or some type of move. That doesn’t affect me.
“I’ve been in trade talks for a while. My job is to do what I do when I’m on the floor, play basketball and try to lead this team. Whatever comes out of that, comes out of that. I don’t really have any control over that, but I do have an open line of communication with the front office and I’m just ready to get back on the floor.”
It’s been nearly a month since Davis’ injury and the Mavericks cling to the bottom of the Western Conference standings, but they hope he can provide some relief on both ends of the floor. Dallas ranks third in defense, impressive considering they’ve been without Davis and Dereck Lively II for the majority of the season, and 30th in offense.
Davis was averaging a double-double of 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in the five games before his injury.
“Rebounding, scoring and his leadership, those are three big areas that we need, especially with a lot of these games being close,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
Before the team said he would miss seven to 10 days, Davis reportedly targeted a return for Nov. 8 against the Washington Wizards. Dumont was actively involved in several conversations about Davis’ injury as the franchise erred on the side of caution, given the risk for calf strains leading to season-ending Achilles tendon injuries.
It appears the time is close for Davis to make a much-needed return.
“It’s always frustrating when you’re sitting out,” Davis said. “Our job is to play games, also listening to the medical staff and front office and just trying to be smart with the situation. But it is what it is. The time is now. A step closer to getting back on the floor, hopefully this weekend and go from there.”
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