Drama. Suspense. Speculation.
Anthony Davis will bring it all with him when he and the Pelicans visit the United Center on Wednesday night. The saga surrounding the All-Star forward will come along with his sneakers, which he may or may not need.
According to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, New Orleans’ front office prevented Davis, who was apparently healthy, from returning to action against the Pacers on Monday. It is unclear if he'll see the floor in his hometown.
It seems like every hour there's a new twist in the trade deadline buzz surrounding Davis, who requested a trade from the Pelicans last week. And if there's one Bulls player who gets a kick out of the Twitter frenzy, it's Bobby Portis.
"I’m a fan of the game." Portis said. "I like seeing the rumors. ... This morning I saw the Anthony Davis-for-(Joel) Embiid thing. Obviously, I don’t think that will ever go down. But it’s just fun for the fans just to see that, just for them to get a kick out of it. Obviously, the game is built on entertainment."
Portis, who was unable to work out a long-term contract extension with the Bulls before the opening-night deadline, is no stranger to hearing his name involved in trade rumors.
"It just comes with being in the NBA, being with a sports team. Obviously the trade deadline’s going each and every season. I don’t really think about it at all. I’m just out here doing what I do on a day-to-day basis; going out there playing the game that I love, playing the right way and practicing. I’m just worried about a game tomorrow."
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It’s a game that could feature one of the best big men in the game and allow Chicago fans to dream big about the thought of another one of their own suiting up for the Bulls.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst shot down this idea on his podcast saying: "One of the worst kept secrets in the league is that Anthony Davis does not want to play in Chicago, his hometown." A decision ever-passionate Bulls head coach Jim Boylen can understand.
"I think there's a phenomenon now, 'Let's go where there's a ready-made team, so I can win and be part of a winner.' I think that's more about it than anything else. 'Let's go where there's some established pieces that I can maybe help and we can get, play in the playoffs, get to the Finals.'
"We're not in that position right now, so from that standpoint I can understand why he'd want to go somewhere where they can play deep in the playoffs. I've been deep in the playoffs. There's nothing like it. There's nothing like the NBA playoffs, nothing."
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