Anthony Davis Injury: Updates on Pelicans Star's Shoulder and Return
New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis left the team's Feb. 7 game against the Chicago Bulls after taking a nasty fall on his right shoulder. Davis would reinjure his shoulder on Feb. 14, and has been out ever since.
Continue for updates.
Davis to Play vs. Pistons
Wednesday, March 4
Davis will play tonight in New Orleans' game vs. Detroit, per Keith Langlois of NBA.com.
On March 3, NBA.com confirmed that Davis went through contact drills in practice and was listed as questionable for the Detroit contest.
On March 2, Pelicans coach Monty Williams commented on Davis' status, via NBA.com:
"He’s strengthening his shoulder and doing a lot of ice and stim… He’s working around the clock. He’s feeling better every day, I’m sure. We thought we were close (to seeing Davis come back), but we just don’t want to put a timetable on him, because that puts pressure on guys, when you start telling them when they should be back. We know AD and where his heart is. If he can play, he’ll be the first to tell us.
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Davis Comments on Injury
Monday, Feb. 23
Davis spoke to John Reid of NOLA.com about his injury and the team's ability to handle injuries:
"''It's basketball, it's life and it happens,'' Davis said after the Pelicans' shootaround on Monday morning. ''I just got to get it back right. It's the same exact thing, it's like it happened all over again. I got elbowed right on the same spot. I was going up and Whiteside was coming down.
''Jrue (Holiday) comes out, then me and Ryan (Anderson) goes out Saturday. It's tough because two weeks before I did all this work to try and come back.But we have enough guys to step up and still make that push. I know they are going to play hard and go out there and compete.''
(...)
Davis said he is unsure if he will take him up to two weeks before returining. If Davis is forced to be out for two weeks, he would possibly miss up to eight games and would likely return until around March 9.
''I'm doing everything I can get back,'' Davis said. ''So I won't put a time on it. I'm just trying to strengthen it.''
Davis said his treatment involves icing and he's going to do strength exercises with elastic bands.
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Davis Has No Structural Damage, Out 1-2 Weeks
Sunday, Feb. 22
Davis is expected to miss one-to-two weeks after aggravating his shoulder injury, according to ESPN.com.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Davis did not do structural damage to his shoulder.
Davis Re-Injures Shoulder vs. Heat
Saturday, Feb. 21
Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report reported that Davis aggravated his injured shoulder:
David Aldridge of TNT reported after the game that Davis has a sprained shoulder and will undergo further testing on Sunday.
Skolnick reported Monty Williams' conversation with a disappointed Davis after the game:
You can see his collision with Hassan Whiteside here:
Davis Misses NBA All-Star Game
Wednesday, Feb. 11
The Pelicans released a statement from Davis about missing the NBA All-Star Game:
"After careful thought and consideration, I've decided I will not be participating in this year's NBA All-Star competitions. I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star game and I am sorry I will not be able to play.
While I'm disappointed that I won't be able to compete this weekend, I'm still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York and celebrate our game with some of the NBA's greatest figures.
More than anything, I am anxious to get healthy and back on the court with my teammates after the All-Star break.
"
Davis' Arm Immobilized Following Game
Saturday, Feb. 7
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that Davis is "just sore." NOLA.com's Jimmy Smith reported that Davis had him arm immobilized after the game and will be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Monty Williams supplied his take on the injury to The Associated Press (via ESPN):
"He says he's a bit sore right now. He couldn't move his arm the way he needed to, so we got him out. He kept saying he was OK ... but the doctors didn't feel good about getting him back out, so we've got to get more evaluation and we'll have a better update [Sunday].
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Davis fell after finishing off an alley-oop on a fast break. NBA.com shows how it happened:
Voted an All-Star starter for the first time in 2015, Davis is in the midst of what can only be viewed as his breakout campaign. He's been on the periphery of the MVP discussion all season, becoming the two-way force New Orleans envisioned when taking him No. 1 overall in 2012.
Davis has put together video-game stat lines that have obscured the shortcomings of the rest of the Pelicans roster. That roster is arguably the main reason Davis isn't the MVP front-runner.
The Pelicans, Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder have spent most of the last few months battling for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Injuries to the likes of Jrue Holiday and wildly disappointing performances from players such as Eric Gordon have left New Orleans often galloping in a clear third place in that race.
Davis has also missed time this season with a number of ailments, most notably a toe injury and sprained groin. The Pelicans have fallen apart in those games, which have included losses to the bottom-dwelling New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
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