Anthony Davis has had quite a few injury issues over the years. Last season, he was struggling to stay healthy and as a result, the Lakers had a ton of problems when it came to winning games. This led to some very hefty criticism of the Lakers superstar, with Charles Barkley giving him the nickname "Street Clothes."
Barkley has been known to offend NBA stars in the past, and he is always pushing the line. With that being said, it doesn't look like Davis is too worried about what Barkley has to say. While speaking to the LA Times ahead of the regular season, Davis made it clear that he is tuning people out and keeping his eye on the prize.
“I don’t care what he says,” Davis said. “People say stuff for ratings. Like, they got to push their show, push their blog, push their podcast, whatever it is. So, people got to say something to bring in viewers. It is what it is. I go out there and play basketball and let them do their job. My job is to hoop. Their job is to talk about me. [...] I only got one goal and that is to play in all 82 games. I want to be available as much as possible for my teammates and my coaches and give ourselves a chance to win every night.”
This has the potential to be a huge season for AD and the Lakers. It isn't going to be easy, but if he can remain healthy, there is no reason why the purple and gold can't at least make it to the playoffs.
[Via]