“Nature of the Business”: Anthony Davis Blames NBA Schedule After Knicks Loss

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the New York Knicks 109-114 tonight. Off to a comparatively slow start as opposed to their prolific performances the last few days, the Purple and Gold were held back easily by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. But Anthony Davis was his splendid self tonight as well. Scoring a double-double with 32 points and 14 rebounds, AD moved up on the All-Time rebounding list.

But he wasn’t too happy with how the events turned out. Post-game saw him attesting the loss to “the nature of the business.” He might have very well been calling the league out on their hectic scheduling plans.

When teams have to be constantly on the road, moving from hotel to hotel, and playing back-to-back games, it’s obvious that the players will be fatigued, or as Davis puts it, “delusional”. It can happen to the best of them! LeBron James hit a triple-double (25-11-11), but anyone watching the game could see that it wasn’t the ‘Akron Hammer’ tonight.

“The Brow” on the other hand, passed two names very familiar to us for the 106th position in the All-Time list. Anthony Davis now has 7,178 rebounds, with Dominique Wilkins (7169) and Giannis Antetokonmpo (7165) behind him. Austin Reaves was also his usual self off the bench tonight, contributing 20 points, seven assists, and three rebounds.

Read More: Has Anthony Davis Finally Taken Over the Lakers? Astonishing Numbers Reveal “The Brow” Holds the Keys to Success

Unfortunately, they weren’t enough to hold off against the defensive-minded Knicks. But AD’s point about “mental challenge” is very real, especially in the NBA.

Just how real are the mental struggles of NBA players?

The first time that the league chose to address the mental health issues of its players would probably be during the pandemic. Quarantined, away from family and friends, and forced to play when the rest of the country and world were in mourning, affected players in ways more than the NBA could predict.

Explaining this, Michele Roberts, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), had said in 2021, “The normal pressures that every player has had to contend with have been increasing in proportions that frighten me, frankly.” There have been many who had to quit even before their NBA career took off.

The worst hit might have been Tyrell Terry, the Mavericks‘ 31st draft pick of 2020. Having just played 11 games with Dallas, Terry was waived, only to be signed by the Memphis Grizzlies. Unfortunately, after two games, he was once again waived. Considered a steal by many scouts, Tyrell announced his retirement on December 15, 2022.

Joining the NBA in 2010, Larry Sanders played for the Bucks and Cavaliers, before suddenly announcing his retirement after just five games in the 2016-17 season. Later it was revealed that his mental struggles needed to be addressed before anything else.

Then there is Andre Drummond, the Bulls’ backup center who posted a warm note notifying his fans about his decision to recenter himself. He also encouraged anyone who was facing mental battles to ask for help. The last one here is one all of us would be more familiar with – Ben Simmons. Missing the entirety of the 2021-22 season on account of a back injury, Simmons later admitted that his mental issues were a huge part of his struggles on-court as well.

Anyway, the NBA is fully aware of the mental demands the sport calls for. Hopefully, more and more players opening up about their problems will make way for a solution sooner rather than later.

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