Anthony Davis is “very eager” to get back on the court for the Dallas Mavericks, which could happen next week.
Davis has been sidelined since straining his adductor on Feb. 8 — his one game as a Maverick since the shocking trade that sent him to Dallas for Luka Doncic — and has been working to get back on the court. However, with Davis out and Kyrie Irving since tearing his ACL, the Mavericks have slid down the Western Conference standings. Davis is still pushing to return, he has had two 5-on-5 practices with the Texas Legends of the G-League, the most recent one with fellow injured centers Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.
Davis hopes to return to the Mavericks’ lineup during Dallas’ upcoming Eastern road trip starting Monday, reports NBA insider Marc Stein. No timetable for Davis to play has been set, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said (the same is true of the other centers). This road trip starts Monday in Brooklyn and then heads to New York (Tuesday), Orlando (Thursday), and Chicago (Saturday).
There is disagreement within the Mavericks organization about whether Davis should return, Stein has reported. The Mavericks are tied with the suddenly surging Phoenix Suns for the No. 10 seed and final play-in spot in the West. The question the Mavericks should be asking: “Is the risk of another injury Davis worth the reward of maybe making the No. 10 seed, then having to win two play-in games on the road to make the playoffs, where No. 1 seed Oklahoma City will be waiting? Many people would look at that scenario and suggest Dallas is better off focusing on improving this year’s draft position and bringing everyone back healthy next season.
Davis, however, wants to return, and all the noise about how Dallas blew the Doncic trade likely plays into that. (To be fair, those complaints were less about Davis and more about trading a fan favorite about to enter his prime for a player six years older, and for not a large enough return. The anger wasn’t aimed at Davis but at management.) It appears Davis will get his way this week, but whether that is enough to get Dallas into the postseason remains to be seen.
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