No player has as much riding on this season's All-NBA selections as Anthony Davis.
The New Orleans Pelicans power forward is in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, and the end-of-season distinction represents his last opportunity to trigger the "Derrick Rose Rule" - a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that kicks in if a player accomplishes one of the following while on his rookie deal:
- Wins MVP
- Voted an All-Star starter twice
- Voted to any of the three All-NBA teams twice
Davis has only been named an All-Star starter once, and with Steph Curry's second consecutive MVP award all but wrapped up with a bow, Davis needs a second All-NBA nod (he was named to the first team last year) to earn the bonus.
Under the "Rose Rule," a player coming off a rookie deal becomes eligible to make up to 30 percent of the league's salary cap (instead of 25 percent) on his next contract, which in Davis' case - given current cap projections - means a bump of approximately $24 million, for a grand total of $145 million over five years.
Davis, despite the huge financial stakes, is trying not to think too much about it.
"It's a contract. It's a contract. Twenty-four million dollars ... they give out that for (full) contracts," Davis - whose rookie deal will indeed pay him a shade under $24 million - told ESPN's Justin Verrier. "Can't control it. You just got to control what you can control, and that's what's on the floor.
"One hundred twenty-five million is still a lot of money ... a lot of damn money. But there's nothing you can do about it. Just go out there and play and see how it pans out."
On an individual level, Davis has again experienced remarkable success this season. The only factor that can conceivably lock him out of the All-NBA teams is the fact that his team hasn't followed suit. Thanks to a combination of injuries and a lack of defensive cohesion, the Pelicans are just 25-42 a year after making a surprise run to the postseason.
Davis doesn't know whether that will prevent him getting voted on. All he knows is that if he is, he'll be duly grateful.
"I gotta do whatever I can to help the team win, and hopefully that can contribute to whoever votes, or however they decide it, to vote in my favor," he said.
"But if they don't, there's nothing I can do about it. If they do, then ... I'll definitely send everybody thank-you notes."
