Anthony Davis is a problem. He keeps opposing coaches up at night trying to devise some way of possibly stopping him, or at least mildly interrupting his dominance. He's not supposed to give his own coach fits, too, however. But that's exactly what he's going to do to poor Frank Vogel if he won't let go of this idea that he's not a center. 

On Sunday, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Vogel said he envisions "closing a lot of games" with Davis playing the five, which, again, would not even be a question if not for Davis' long insistence that he prefers to play power forward. In a regular world where coaches play their best players at the spots on the floor that is best for the team, saying Anthony Davis is going to play a lot of crunch-time minutes at center would sort of be like saying Peyton Manning is going to get a lot of of the two-minute-drill snaps at quarterback. 

The idea that Davis is best suited to play center is a pretty simple, if layered, one: First and foremost, assuming normal matchups against one-big lineups, Davis' ability to operate on the perimeter, both in pick-and-roll and as a shooter with 3-point range, pulls opposing centers away from the hoop to cover him. This opens up the paint for penetrators. It makes Davis devastating as a rim roller without another big man clogging up the lane. With shooters at the other four spots, it spaces the entire floor, which is the primary objective of just about any half-court offense these days. 

Our Sam Quinn did a great piece detailing how Davis at center opens up the LeBron-A.D. pick and roll, which Vogel went to in the second half of the Lakers' victory over Utah. It was predictably devastating. Again, this is all based on opening up the lane. When Davis is playing power forward with a second big man -- say, JaVale McGee -- alongside him at center McGee, because he can't shoot, is going to be in the lane mucking up driving and rolling areas. 

Get that second big man out of there and replace him with a shooter who can stretch a third defender out to the 3-point line, and LeBron has an open driving lane with a head of steam coming off a ball screen, and when the defense desperately tries to react to that, Davis is the best rolling big man in the league. They can both shoot. They are both largely impossible to slow down when going downhill. All they need is space, particularly interior space, and their collective skill and power will take care of the rest. The one and only thing that can take away that interior space is another big man on the floor. 

Which begs the question: Why wouldn't Davis WANT to play center if it makes things this much easier for him, and his team, offensively? The answer, in large part, is likely on the defensive end, where Davis doesn't want to have to guard opposing centers for large chunks of time. If another big man isn't out there with him, he has to bang around with the Nikola Jokics and Rudy Goberts and Joel Embiids of the world. Put a second big man alongside him, and he can guard smaller players and operate as a defensive roamer looking to block shots and gobble up rebounds against smaller counterparts. 

If it seems like the height of selfishness that a player would prioritize his preferred role over the one that helps the team the most, well, it would be challenging to argue otherwise. But Davis is serious about this. In Sam Quinn's aforementioned piece, he noted the Pelicans' signing of Omer Asik and DeMarcus Cousins largely for this reason. Davis has always wanted another big man next to him to take on the more taxing defensive responsibilities. 

This is in large part the reason for McGee's existence with the Lakers, who are having to walk a particularly fine line between doing what's best for the team and doing what Davis wants because in truth the big-picture answer to what's best for the team IS doing what Davis wants. Remember, he's a free agent this coming summer. If he doesn't like the way the Lakers are using him, he can walk. Playing Davis at power forward is a lot better than not having him to play at all. 

So that's why Vogel is saying he can envision "closing" a lot of games with Davis at center, because even Davis has to accept that in the most crucial stretches of games, for a team that intends to compete for a championship, you have to put your most dangerous lineup on the floor. But if Vogel falls into the trap of using this lineup more and more, until eventually Davis is playing the bulk of his minutes at center, the Lakers will be running the risk of upsetting the man who basically holds the future of their franchise in his hands. 

The Lakers gave up EVERYTHING to get Davis. All their young talent. Basically all their meaningful draft picks for the foreseeable future. In a recent piece for The Athletic, Sam Amick detailed how the Lakers are clearly in the pole position for re-signing Davis as long as -- in the words of "one person close to [Davis] -- they don't "f--- it up." 

So the question becomes: What, exactly, would 'f---ing it up' look like? Could playing Davis at center more than he prefers possibly be the start of a rift between coach and player, and ultimately player and team, that eventually leads to a breakup? That would seem extreme, and certainly premature at this point to even be discussing. But this is the reality of today's NBA. Teams are ALWAYS on the clock to make stars happy. They are constantly having to sell themselves as the best home for the best players, because any time they want, stars can force their way out. 

Remember, Davis already did that in New Orleans, and the fact that he's a free agent this summer would only make that process easier for him with the Lakers. Teams don't like it, but star players have all the power. Anthony Davis holds all the cards. Every move the Lakers make, whether it's playing Anthony Davis at center or playing the kind of music he likes in practice, has to be with that understanding.