Hornets rookie Anthony Davis displaying maturity as he leaves teen-age years behind

[FlyGirl]

Brooklyn, N.Y. – On this day this week-long, three-game road trip began for the New Orleans Hornets, the young man on whose shoulders the rebuilding of the franchise will rest emerged from his teen-age years onto the threshold of adulthood.

Rookie power forward Anthony Davis celebrated his 20th birthday on Monday, then continued his week-long celebration here Tuesday night with a third consecutive double-double performance, albeit in defeat, against the Brooklyn Nets.

And the way in which Davis comported himself after the 108-98 loss in Barclays Center said as much about his emotional maturity as his continued physical growth into the kind of player who one day might dominate the NBA's front-court landscape.

The Nets had their way on the offensive glass Tuesday night, pulling down 19 offensive rebounds.

And Davis, never one to shy away from accepting responsibility for what takes place on the floor, was fully accepting the blame for most of Brooklyn's 20 second-chance points.

http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ss...ie_ant_43.html

[Kibner]

[longshot homer thought]
I wonder if he will ever develop the footwork and offensive skills to become the next Hakeem.
[/longshot homer thought]

He seems to have the frame for it.

[Pelicans78]

I'm hoping he patterns his offensive game like Duncan's.

[Pantazis76]

His always trying new stuff! he looked like a point guard yesterday with these sexy floaters.
He did try to do a fade away dirk/kobe style jumpshot that missed yesterday although it did look pretty sweet and fluent.

[MeSoHornets504]

His always trying new stuff! he looked like a point guard yesterday with these sexy floaters.
He did try to do a fade away dirk/kobe style jumpshot that missed yesterday although it did look pretty sweet and fluent.

He releases his fadeaway too early, I think. He also sells it a little too much, by extending his arms out before making the turn, at least on the play you're referring to. Whoever was covering him read it perfectly and was right there to co test it. He will figure that out though.

[Imnos 2]

These guys are getting better. You can tell. Yeah they may be losing, but they are losing close games. I like it. Great future ahead of us!

[smcgull]

[longshot homer thought]
I wonder if he will ever develop the footwork and offensive skills to become the next Hakeem.
[/longshot homer thought]

He seems to have the frame for it.

I always said, that I wish he or any PF or C on the team, could get the moves like Hakeem.

[Kibner]

I always said, that I wish he or any PF or C on the team, could get the moves like Hakeem.

He is one of the few that looks like he has the body build and coordination to do it. I doubt it happens, though.

[MMEmbreno]

I can remember him saying from
A video interview, since his growth spurt he has always wanted to model his game like Durant's. I don't really see this except for the pull up jumpers and hard drives to the basket. AD can end up being a player that nobody has or will ever see

[THRILLHOUSE]

Not worth it's own thread, but he's still getting screwed out of 2 points in the Brooklyn game. Figured it would get fixed since how many times the ball goes in the basket is a pretty easy one to figure out, but no dice.

[FlyGirl]

New Orleans’ Anthony Davis has been efficient without the hype

At the time he was selected first overall last June, Anthony Davis appeared destined to be enveloped with overwhelming hype or immense pressure in his rookie season with the New Orleans Hornets. But for a league in which fans are always quick to latch onto something new and exciting or dismiss anything that doesn’t yield immediate results, Davis has encountered neither.

Perhaps because he plays in small-market New Orleans or possibly because Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard has been the front-runner for rookie of the year since his season debut, Davis has been able to put up some respectable numbers and learn through his mistakes without having to deal with the same scrutiny as others who entered the league with his decorated resume.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” Davis said. “I just go out there and play ball. I just try to have fun and help my team win.”

Davis dominated college basketball in his lone season at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to a national championship and sweeping every major player of the year award. He then won an Olympic gold medal in London, getting some early lessons in how to approach the game from the NBA’s elite. Despite a steady stream of accomplishments and accolades, the 6-foot-10 Davis never allowed them to cloud his focus or desire to keep working.

“I don’t believe any of that,” Davis said. “The more arrogant you are, the faster everything will be taken away from you. I just try to stay humble, and I came from a household where my family made sure I stayed humble and live by them principles.”

Early season injuries – Davis had a concussion and a stress reaction in his left ankle – and the Hornets’ slow start in his absence removed much of the buzz surrounding him, but even a recent left shoulder injury hasn’t diminished how well he has played. Davis hasn’t been the second coming of Tim Duncan, as some predicted when he arrived, but he continues to improve, using his athleticism, quickness and intelligence to compensate for lack of bulk.

And, based on his current level of production, Davis, who turned 20 last week, could finish with the seventh-best player efficiency rating of any player to enter the league at age 19 or 20. Shaquille O’Neal has the best mark for that age group at 22.9 and Davis is none too shabby at 21.1.

Davis is part of 2012 class that wasn’t expected to produce many superstars but has been highly productive at the top. With Davis, Lillard, Washington’s Bradley Beal and Cleveland’s Dion Waiters, it is the fourth draft class in the past 10 years in which at least four of the top six players are averaging at least 10 points per game. The other instances occurred in 2008 (with Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love), 2004 (with Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon and Josh Childress) and 2003 (with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...hout-the-hype/