Ricky Davis just pulled back the curtain on his Cleveland Cavaliers exit. The former Cavs swingman revealed the real reason he got shipped to Boston 23 games into LeBron James’ rookie season.
Davis claims the front office structured his departure to clear the lane for The King. The politics had nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with developing the chosen one.
Ricky Davis Explains Why Bringing in LeBron James Meant He Had to Go
Davis opened up about the 2003 trade on the “Out the Mud” podcast recently, explaining how he initially welcomed LeBron’s arrival as backup for his offensive load.
“I’m out here scoring and doing all this by myself. Come and help me get these punches. You know what I’m saying?” Davis said about his initial reaction to drafting LeBron.
Davis was ready to run alongside the 18-year-old phenom. With an average of 20.6 points the previous season, while the Cavs tanked to land the top pick, he was the only one who could support the team from the offensive side alongside Bron.
But the partnership never materialized the way Davis envisioned because the team wanted to put every single effort into LeBron only, which he compared with politics. “I was ready for it. But it didn’t pan out politics-wise,” he explained.
Davis revealed his scorer’s mentality clashed with Cleveland’s development plan. He didn’t need offensive sets called for him to get buckets.
“I don’t need no plays. I figure they game out,” Davis stated. “You gotta run me no plays. I figured that out my third, fourth year. If you’re over there waiting on the coach to call your play, something’s wrong.”
“Soon as you passin’ that ball, I’m live. That was my mentality,” Davis said, describing his approach on the court.
The issue wasn’t basketball fit, according to Davis. Cleveland worried his scoring dominance would stunt LeBron’s offensive growth. “They thinking this ain’t gonna work,” Davis explained about the front office’s concerns. “How are we gonna get LeBron to score points now? Cuz when they pass it, he passed it right back.”
Davis remembered their brief partnership of how rookie LeBron operated early in his first season. The phenom was dishing dimes and scoring occasionally while Davis stayed on fire. However, the Cavs brass made their decision quickly. Davis had to go so LeBron could develop into a primary scorer.
“So they figured out, we got to kind of get Rick out, cuz if Rick keeps going, I don’t know the pace of how we gon’ develop young fella, how he gonna be the best player in the world?” Davis said.
The Cavaliers shipped Davis to Boston on December 15, 2003. He played just 22 games alongside LeBron before the unusual split, which still remains a fascinating what-if scenario.
The 46-year-old clearly believes he and Bron could have made the Cavs a more dominant franchise, but the front office made their choice loud and never looked back.
His trade will serve as a harsh reminder of how organizations often prioritize short-term success over long-term development. Davis got caught in the crossfire of building LeBron into a legend.
