Pelicans forward Anthony Davis gives us his thoughts ahead of this weekend’s NBA All Star Game in New Orleans.
Davis: “I think that not having a home gym with stands and where youâ€
re friends and family that support you, you know you treat every game like a road game. So, you get used to all the negativity and all the boos so now it doesnâ€
t matter if Iâ€
m playing home or away. I treat every game the same. We only had 400 people in my high school so it was a small school and it was just a grind honestly just a grind. But it definitely helped me out as a player, different mind-set to work even harder to try and get my name on a map which is tough to do when you donâ€
t have a home gym or if you go to a small school thatâ€
s not really known.â€
Davis: “Itâ€
s All-Star game man, we go out there and have fun, no one really takes it seriously. And of course no one really wants to go out there and get hurt, itâ€
s all about fun. Iâ€
ve played against him twice, he can really play and bring a lot to a team. He can get the ball, get up the floor and find guys so itâ€
s going to be a fun match up Iâ€
m looking forward to it.â€
Davis: “I like the team we have now, weâ€
re always kind of injured so itâ€
s tough to win games when a lot of the top guys are out but weâ€
ve got to find a way. Weâ€
ve got a team that can compete for the playoffs, weâ€
ve proved that a couple times this year, we can match up against anybody. Weâ€
re not afraid of anyone, we feel that weâ€
re just as good as any other team in the league but weâ€
ve just got to find a way to stay healthy and be a little bit more consistent thatâ€
s really it.â€
Davis: “First off I donâ€
t plan on leaving make sure you write that down and secondly I think I said it before, we just need to get healthy thatâ€
s really it, getting healthy and staying consistent. Sometimes weâ€
re inconsistent so that hurts us, if we keep all our guys on the floor and get more consistent then weâ€
ll be fine.â€
Davis: “Iâ€
m going to go out there and try and win MVP. Itâ€
s in New Orleans so Iâ€
m going to go out there and play to the best of my ability but itâ€
s definitely one of the goals to go out there and try to win MVP.â€
Davis: “Iâ€
m not trying to sell anything to anybody, if guys want to come here they can come. Itâ€
s not my job to go sell, my job is go play basketball. Thatâ€
s the job for the front office, they handle that thatâ€
s their job to bring guys in.â€
Davis: “Iâ€
m not sure how itâ€
s going to be. Last time out I didnâ€
t get that much playing time but the fans definitely appreciated I was there. Iâ€
m pretty sure this time is going to be crazier than 2014 so Iâ€
m definitely excited for it. Being able to play in New Orleans and being able to play in front of the home crowd and family and friends is going to be something special for me.â€
Davis: “Thatâ€
s a question for the front office, my job is to go and play basketball. Whatever the front office decides, they can ask my opinion but right now Iâ€
m just trying to help the team win and let the front office do their job.â€
Davis: “Iâ€
ll play more aggressive, even when I play Sunday I am going to play the same way like any regular season game. I am going to go out there and be aggressive and just play my game, thatâ€
s the only thing you can do. Of course, it is not taken that seriously except the fourth quarter. I am just going to go out there and play defence and you know do my thing on offense and have fun, the most important thing is to have fun and thatâ€
s what I am going to try to do.â€
Q: On what he learnt from the London Olympics in 2012Davis: “I learnt a lot. To go over there and participate in an Olympics before I stepped on an NBA floor, it taught me a lot being around all those guys who are future hall of famers and done tremendous things in their careers and so being able to get that experience and trying to learn a little from those guys and bring that back to New Orleans and just try and help the team win. I definitely got a great experience and a great learning experience from London.â€
Q: Is Dirk Nowitzki a role model for you?
Davis: “I watched a lot of Dirk clips in the past few years. The way he creates space, he uses his body very well and it is easy for him because he can just shoot over guards. So, yes, I watch a lot of clips and try to do things that he does from the elbow area or even down to the block and I try to put that in my game.â€
Davis: “The Skills Challenge is always fun, I had fun last year. It was the first time I was doing it and it was something different for me, so I definitely wanted to do it again this year, so Iâ€
m looking forward to have fun. If I win, I win, of course I always want to win, but my goal is to have fun and to enjoy the All-Star Weekend. I would love to win the entire competition, but going against players such as Embiid, heâ€
s a very skilled player as well, so it is not going to be easy.â€
Davis: “There are no traditional big men in the league anymore. The big men now are able to shoot the basketball, some even shoot threes. The game has definitely evolved and thatâ€
s the way the game is going. Every big man that comes in the league is getting better and better, adding more to the game and making it more fun. Of course, there are still back-to-the-basket big men, like me or Dwight Howard, who go back and defend.â€
Davis: “The atmosphere will be great. The city of New Orleans is a great city. Of course you have Mardi Gras at the same time and that will make the All-Star Weekend a lot more fun. The food I great, people are great, itâ€
s just fun and beautiful. Iâ€
m really excited to be in that game and to play in the city of New Orleans in front of our fans. Itâ€
s going to be a fun and emotional game.â€
Davis: “I feel more comfortable at the four, but with the team that we have now it is better for me to play at the five. We have been successful with me playing at the five, but you have to adjust to what the team is looking and what the line-up is. Iâ€
m cool with the five right now, but I prefer the four.â€
Davis: “Iâ€
m going to say myself. I donâ€
t think there is anybody better than me, this is the mentality I have. The other guys, [Kristaps] Porzingis, Karl [Anthony Towns} or Embiid are definitely up and coming players. All of us are to do some of the same things, shoot the basketball, handle the basketball, be a playmaker, rebound. It is always fun to go against all three of those guys, but you never know what you are going to get.â€
NBA All-Star 2017 from New Orleans will be broadcast on BT Sport 1 and NBA League Pass. Coverage includes:– Friday evening/Saturday morning, 2am: Rising Stars Challenge– Saturday evening/Sunday morning, 1am: All-Star Saturday Night– Sunday evening/Monday morning, 1am: The 66th NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans
Photo: David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
The post ANTHONY DAVIS TALKS ALL STAR appeared first on Hoopsfix.com.