Wildcats coach defends Kings star: ‘He’s winning’

Perth Wildcats coach John Rillie has come to the defence of Kendric Davis, arguing the Sydney Kings guard is winning the battle against his critics.

Davis has copped plenty of heat since Sunday’s Championship Series rematch at Afterpay Arena, where he and Adelaide’s Bryce Cotton, the League’s two biggest stars, had to be separated during a fiery clash in the final minute.

Hours later, Davis took to X to brand Cotton the “king of throwing rocks and hiding his hand”.

When SEN WA host Scott Cummings took aim at Davis on Tuesday, Rillie was quick to leap to his defence.

“I’d say he’s winning the battle, because you blokes are talking about him all the time,” Rillie said.

“I think the theatre of the Bryce/Kendric thing is really good.

“I do appreciate Kendric being vocal and staying true to himself and all of that, because it does bring eyeballs and it brings a different dynamic to it.”

The Davis/Cotton rivalry has been a much talked about storyline across the past two seasons in particular, with the pair going one-two in back-to-back MVPs, and fighting out an epic battle in last year’s Championship Series.

“As Goorj [Brian Goorjian] was saying, it’s not all user-friendly all of the time and it’s competitive men with the competitive juices flowing, so sometimes things happen and it’s a fine line, but I like where it’s heading,” Rillie said.

Rillie’s comments echo those of Goorjian, who said after Sunday’s loss that “our sport needs it”, while two-time MVP Chris Anstey said this week the rivalry is “the real deal”.

Not everyone is convinced, though. 1990 NBL MVP Derek Rucker warned Davis’ flare-ups could become a problem for Sydney if results don’t follow.

Adelaide coach Trevor Gleeson was also unimpressed, taking aim at Davis post-game.

“You don’t want to see that. If it’s in the play of the game, okay, [but] it’s off the ball,” Gleeson said.

“You can call it whatever you want to call it, but there’s no reason for that.”

The Kings face New Zealand at the AIS Arena in Canberra on Wednesday, while Adelaide travels to Tasmania on Friday, with both games live on ESPN from 7.30pm AEDT.

Davis and Cotton meet again on Sunday, December 13 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.