Anthony Davis Happy That Omer Asik Just Wants to Rebound and Defend

New Orleans Pelicans big man Omer Asik evidently doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers in The Big Easy.

During the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, Asik apparently informed All-Star teammate Anthony Davis and head coach Monty Williams of his simple desire to fight for rebounds and play defense.

AD couldn’t have been happier with the news.

Per the Pelicans’ official website:

“I learned how to deal with elite players,” Williams said. “I’ve got this reputation now – I’ve heard it all summer – of how tough I am on guys. The one thing I learned from [Mike Krzyzewski], [Jerry Colangelo] and Coach Boeheim, they didn’t push it down my throat, but they got it across to me to trust my guys more. And I think that’s the thing I thought I did a little bit last year, letting Tyreke (Evans) play more and (play) his game, but that was the thing that I pulled away from this situation. The whole experience was giving guys a little more freedom to play their game, not try to hamstring guys. I thought I did it a little bit, but I think it’s something I’m still working on. I think I can be a lot better at that now.”

 

“It was a fun experience,” Davis said. “We had a great time in Spain. We went there to accomplish one goal, and that’s to win a gold medal. That’s what we did. I had a fun time. Now it’s time to get back to work and try to do the same thing here.”