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 With New Orleans 1-1/2 games back of the eighth and final playoff
spot in the Western Conference, Davis understands that his health
trumps playing in the annual exhibition.
"My shoulder wasn't ready two games ago, not sure if it's going to
be ready by Sunday's All-Star Game," the 6-foot-10 forward told
Reuters on Thursday. "I don't want to risk it, especially with my
team having a great chance of getting to the playoffs."
Davis, promoting American Express PIVOT (www.AMEXAllStar.com), which
offers fans a unique look at players' signature moves, will be
replaced on the All-Star roster by Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki but
will cheer the team on at Madison Square Garden.
Davis has made great strides since joining New Orleans as the top
pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.
The vaunted defensive skills he brought from the University of
Kentucky were on immediate display as a rookie, but "The Brow," as
he is known because of his unibrow, has blossomed into an offensive
force.
After averaging 13.5 points his rookie campaign, Davis improved by
seven points a game last season and currently carries a 24.5 average
to go with 10.3 rebounds and a league-leading 2.7 blocks per game.
"I didn't want to be a one-sided player. I kind of took that
personal, took that to heart," Davis said. "I tried to expand my
game, going to the block, learning post moves, executing post moves
in the game, shooting the jump shot."
Davis is being hailed as the NBA's next great superstar, though the
soft-spoken big man stresses he is still developing.
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"This is only my third year. I just keep working, keep playing hard,
keep grinding and the sky is the limit for me," he said.
"A lot of people have me in the top five, top three, but for me it's
all about learning. I don't feel like I'm right there right now
because I have a lot to learn."
Davis hopes to hasten his learning curve this season.
"I haven't made the playoffs yet, haven't even been close until this
year," he said. "This is where we can make our push and get better
and experience a lot of things this season."
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
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