Anthony Davis set to Mavericks -debut and understands Ire of fans who lost Luka Dončić

• Get NBA League Pass today
• 2024-25 Trade Tracker: Each official deal

Dallas (AP) – Anthony Davis expects to debut in Dallas Mavericks in their first home game since the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to knowing that he should be on the floor of the opening tip against Houston Rockets Saturday (3 ET, NBA League Pass), Davis has no idea what to expect.

Anger among fans in Dallas had not relieved much in the six days after the blockbuster, who also sent Max Christie and a 2029 first round of elections to Mavs, while Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris went to LA.

Most of the IRE has been directed against Dalla’s General Manager Nico Harrison, who sent a 25-year-old superstar into his primary only eight months after Mavs reached the NBA final for the first time since winning the franchise’s only championship in 2011.

“I get who Luka was to this franchise, to this city,” Davis said Friday at his initial news conference. “I will never tone it down. Just how I know what I meant for the city la. So I’m not surprised by the fans’ reaction and the city’s reaction. It’s my job to come in and play basketball and do what to do, and give the fans hope and assurance of why Nico brought me hit.

“I don’t know how (Saturday’s) will be as far as the reaction,” Davis said. “I can’t control it. Obviously, it was a tough transition. It was a shock to everyone. My job is to come in and win basketball games. “

Fans of Mavericks protested outside the club’s arena the day after the trade, and similar demonstrations could be waiting for the team’s return from a five-game road trip.

All Davis can do is the playoff bubble in 2020.

“I just wanted to tell them you have a guy who has to be on the floor every night,” Davis said when asked what he would say to one of the angry fans. “A guy who has to compete every night and bring that championship experience to the organization, try to help bring this team to some championships.”

Davis shared the stage with Christie and Caleb Martin, who joined Mavericks in a trade with Philadelphia. Christie played the last two games on the trip and scored 15 points each time. The timing of Martin’s Dallas debut is uncertain due to a hip injury.

“I’m big on perspective,” said Christie, a 21-year-old in his third season as another round that came from a one-and-made college career in Michigan State. “Being able to be part of a trade in this size is certainly kind of flattering to me.”

Harrison’s bold features move the star pairing from Kyrie Irving and Doncic, perhaps NBA’s best Point Guard, to the frontcourt-backcourt combo of Irving and Davis.

Irving said in the first game he played after trade that he was still taking care of the loss of his “Hermano“But prepares to move on. After an aborted half-season together in 2022-23, Irving and Doncic found the groove that led the Western conference title before a five-game loss to Boston last season.

Now Irving is turning a new tandem in the hope that the learning curve is not so steep as the formula does not involve two ball -dominant guards.

31-year-old Davis is also eager to spend most of his time at Power Forward, as Mavs has a better staff in the center than Lakers with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. Lively, Lively could be out until late in the regular season that recovered from a stress fracture in his ankle.

“I just think that having a guard like Kai who is capable of scoring, which is capable of passing, attack downhill, he can do it all. No mistakes in his game, ”Davis said. “I don’t think he has played with a guy like me who can play in my pocket, can roll to the edge, be a lob threat and pick and pop, can handle (the ball) when he can get a screen for me. It’s another dynamic that I bring to him and he brings me. “

It also brings another dynamic to Maverick’s home, at least for now.