The Zion Williamson Situation Just Got Worse
Ever since the New Orleans Pelicans got Zion Williamson #1 overall in the 2019 draft, they have been on the clock. With a generational talent comes the pressure to win and fast, especially when you play in one of the smallest markets in the NBA. Zion has unsurprisingly turned out to be great, but the Pelicans haven’t exactly returned the favor.
This offseason was incredibly important for New Orleans, but in my opinion, the Pelicans still didn’t do enough to be a playoff team. They’re above average at best and when people in Zion’s corner are reportedly unhappy in New Orleans? Just being good isn’t nearly enough to keep him around long-term.
Things already weren’t great, but now this new article from Christian Clark? An insider with the Pelicans detailed some not-so-nice things about Zion Williamson’s relationship with Executive VP of Basketball Operations, David Griffin. As of right now, the Pelicans look like they’re going to lose the most-hyped prospect since Lebron James.
(I was going to make a Gersson Rosas – Timberwolves article, but then, you know…..)
2021 Offseason
Before we get into the article, let’s talk about this past year’s offseason. I think it’s safe to say that this was the biggest offseason in franchise history. Zion Williamson, the #1 overall pick in 2019, unsurprisingly turned out to be good with a historic 2021 campaign that saw him score in the paint more than anybody since Shaq. Finding the franchise cornerstone is hard, but what’s even harder is building the right pieces around him.
Zion is a generational offensive talent but the help around him in 2021 wasn’t ideal. Stan Van Gundy seemed like the ideal coach for the young Pelicans, but he was a disaster. The spacing on offense was awful, the bench was thin, and the defense was amongst the worst in the league.
While I enjoyed watching Van Gundy putting Zion Williamson at point guard, I don’t blame New Orleans for firing him after just one season. Even with a new coach in Willie Green, this roster needed a lot of work to become a playoff-caliber team in a loaded Western Conference.
This offseason, the Pelicans desperately needed to hit home runs to try and please Zion. They needed depth, shooting, and defense. In other words, they needed an overhaul. But I personally don’t think they got that much better.
Their biggest free agent this offseason was Lonzo Ball. Ball had transformed into the ideal point guard next to Zion Williamson. This past season, he shot a career-best 38% from 3, dished out 6 assists per game, and was a solid defender. Lonzo should have been priority #1 for the Pelicans this offseason.
But even though Lonzo was the team’s 3rd best player and he was a restricted free agent, the Pelicans just let him go to Chicago for free. One minute into free agency (with no tampering involved) Lonzo was gone. I don’t know why they did this, but they’re going to see that this was a big mistake.
Ball’s replacement? Devonte’ Graham. Graham is a good shooter and decent playmaker, but his lack of size makes him a defensive liability. He also can’t score inside the arc because of that lack of size. Graham is a severe downgrade at point guard and the Pelicans are going to find that out the hard way. Too bad they also gave Graham a 4-year contract extension, doubling down on the mistake.
The rest of the offseason wasn’t bad or anything. Jonas Valanciunas is a big upgrade down low over Steven Adams. I liked what they did in the draft, adding two good, versatile wings in Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones. Re-signing Josh Hart to a team-friendly deal was solid. But this team still has its problems.
I think the defense still has a long way to go. Who will start for the Pelicans at shooting guard? How will Zion and Valanciunas coexsist? Is Willie Green a good coach? I just see too many variables with this team and I think that teams like Minnesota, Sacramento, and Memphis are all better than them.
The Pelicans missed the playoffs last year. They made a lot of moves and it would surprise me to see them in the play-in for 2022. It’s safe to say the most important offseason in franchise history was a failure, as New Orleans is just seemingly treading water.
The time with Zion is ticking and there is a great chance that he doesn’t stay with the team longer than his rookie contract and leaves for a bigger market. We might be coming to DEFCON 5 in New Orleans soon.
Link To Article: https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/article_b7cabbaa-1168-11ec-b544-b78190e33d1b.html
The Bombshell
This article has a lot to unpack, so buckle in everybody. Christian Clark did not hold back and I thank him for this. Get ready for some torture Pelicans fans. All 12 of you.
Zion’s Rookie Season Was A Mess
This article starts in the Bubble, where the Pelicans didn’t exactly shine. Zion Williamson didn’t play much due to some reason that the Pelicans didn’t disclose to the public (more on that later). They went in with playoff aspirations and fell flat on their face. To reinvigorate the troops and inspire change? David Griffin brought in copies of the “The Best Alchemist.” Yes, you read that right. Here’s the idea of the book;
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”
Some universe, I guess. The Pelicans went 2-6 in the Bubble and fired Alvin Gentry swiftly after. Zion Williamson hardly played, but hey, that big universe out there is helping us, right guys?
The Pelicans said that Zion left the bubble for a family medical issue. We of course believed that, because why wouldn’t we? But Zion actually had a hamstring injury, which is news to me. It’s not surprising that Zion was hurt because he was out of shape, but why try and hide it? Are you afraid of a media storm? I would have to get an explanation of why they hid this information.
But this incident continued the trend of the Pelicans being really careful with Zion.
I mean, I get why they’re doing it. The Pelicans weren’t supposed to get Zion in 2019, but he just fell into their laps. They got a franchise superstar for free and he is your saving grace. So keeping him safe is smart, but while doing this, Zion wasn’t exactly taking it in stride. He had initially gotten frustrated with New Orleans for making him jump through so many hoops when trying to come back from knee surgery.
The team initially said that Zion would be back in six to eight weeks, but it took Williamson more than 3 months to debut in the NBA. I’m guessing that Zion was rightfully mad at this because he wanted to play and help his team win. When he finally made his debut, he was put on “burst” limits, which he of course detested. The way Zion’s rookie season was handled caused significant tension between him and the team’s medical staff, the article states.
At the same time, Zion wasn’t on the best terms with David Griffin. This quote from the article doesn’t exactly make things sound good;
“Williamson’s relationship with Griffin had also begun to sour. Although they communicate infrequently now, Griffin tried hard in Williamson’s rookie year to forge a bond. One example: During the Pelicans’ bubble stay, Griffin asked to meet with Williamson and played the piano for him.”
I’m no expert in management-players relationships, but playing Mozart in the year 2020 really shouldn’t help things. Even if Zion listened to Mozart (he probably doesn’t), Griffin must suck at the piano because this solved nothing.
As this article points out, when the Pelicans hired Griffin back in 2019, he was supposed to bring sweeping change to a team in turmoil. AD was on his way out to Hollywood and Griffin did a great job getting a return package for him. The Pelicans seamlessly went from one generational star to another as they secured Zion Williamson in the 2019 NBA Draft.
But over the next 2.5 years, the Pelicans still aren’t a playoff team and it seems more likely than not that Zion is going to leave. So how exactly did we get here?
How Did The Pelicans Get Here?
Some staffers remain loyal to Griffin, but some feel like there is a discrepancy between what Griffin sold and what was delivered.
When Griffin was initially hired, like we already said, there was great optimism in the organization. Griffin helped Lebron James orchestrate the 2016 championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He knew how to win and the organization was behind him.
One of Griffin’s first moves was bringing in longtime NBA trainer Aaron Nelson to oversee the Pelicans’ medical staff. Nelson asked for numerous changes to the Pelicans’ practice facility, which were all approved, according to the team website. Maybe said changes led to Zion being unhappy? Just a thought?
Griffin did a presentation with team staffers in the team’s video room. One of the slides was titled “Cultural Shift.” It included 9 bullet points. The first one read, “Family.” The second one read, “Accountability.” The third: “Love.” It seemed like Griffin was trying to change things and then-coach Alvin Gentry backed him up;
“This is going be great,” Gentry told several people around him at the time. But within a few months, the feeling wasn’t mutual;
“Griffin began blaming Gentry for the Pelicans’ poor start. Once, on a road trip, Griffin was approached by someone he hadn’t spoken to in weeks. Unprompted, Griffin said: “I give Alvin all the answers to the test, and he still fails.” It’s unclear whether Gentry knew of this exchange.”
{She’s as Cold as Ice starts playing}
The article continues;
“Griffin sometimes contradicted his own sunny vision caused a segment of team employees to actively dislike him. When “The Last Dance” documentary aired in April 2020, some staffers began referring to Griffin as “Griff Krause” in a group text. It was a reference to Jerry Krause, the NBA executive who dismantled the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls after they’d won a third straight championship.”
I know that Jerry Krause is one of the best managers ever, but when you get compared to him, it’s certainly not meant to be a compliment. Clearly, Griffin fell down the hole of being a hard-ass in the pursuit of winning, not caring about building that “Family,” which was his #1 bullet point in trying to shift the culture. Is it possible to be more hypocritical?
The Griffin-Gentry relationship sounded crappy. I get that Griffin didn’t hire Gentry, so he wasn’t “his guy,” but he didn’t give him a chance. According to this article, “By the time bubble play began, it was an open secret that Griffin planned to ax Gentry.”
Alvin Gentry is a decent coach, but those 2020 Pelicans weren’t well put together. But Griffin didn’t seem to care about that in the slightest. Griffin reportedly wanted Tyronn Lue to coach the team. The two were of course together during their time in Cleveland, winning that championship in 2016.
Just two days after the Bubble, Gentry was fired. It was kind of surprising at the time, but now knowing what the Gentry-Griffin relationship was? It really shouldn’t have been that surprising. But Griffin couldn’t hire his friends Tyronn Lue to replace Gentry, because Lue was coaching the Clippers. So Griffin had to find a replacement for his replacement.
After about two months, they settled on Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy’s resume of great teams and defenses was impressive and he seemed like the right fit for a young, up-and-coming New Orleans team. But even at the time, some members of the organization raised concerns about the hiring due to Van Gundy’s tough love nature. Van Gundy was hired regardless.
The Pelicans didn’t get enough practice time with Van Gundy and they were awful in 2021. They couldn’t shoot, they couldn’t defend, and they were a mess all-around, missing the playoffs entirely after entering the year with high hopes. A game against the Knicks in April kind of sums up the whole season pretty well;
“The low point of the season came in April, when the Pelicans led the New York Knicks by three points with 7.8 seconds remaining. Van Gundy instructed his team to intentionally foul. Yet in a critical game, his players tuned him out in the huddle. Veteran guard Eric Bledsoe let Derrick Rose drive to the basket unencumbered, and Knicks forward Reggie Bullock tied the game with a 3. New York won in overtime. Afterward, Bledsoe admitted he “wasn’t paying attention.”
Not exactly the best thing in the world when you ignore instructions from your coach. It’s especially bad because this was late in a game and the instructions were smart.
I was surprised to read that Griffin didn’t immediately fire Van Gundy after the season ended as he did to Gentry. Even though Van Gundy wasn’t good and the Pelicans, who had higher expectations than they did the year prior, ended up with nearly the same record as the year before with Gentry. This kind of confirms to me that Alvin Gentry didn’t do anything wrong to fall out of favor with David Griffin. It was just that Griffin didn’t hire him, so they didn’t exactly have a great relationship.
But after talking with ownership, Griffin canned Van Gundy after just one season with the team. The Pelicans targetted Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Jacque Vaughn, trying to find a more players coach to lead their young core. They eventually got Suns assistant coach Willie Green. Green had worked with Steve Kerr and Monty Williams before, two of the better coaches in the NBA.
Most of all, unlike most, Green wanted to be in New Orleans, even with all of their instability. I do think Green is an upgrade over both Gentry and Van Gundy, but we’ll have to see how he handles such a poorly run franchise. If Green ends up being good, they may be able to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
David Griffin Broke Another Promise & Zion Isn’t Happy
You’ve probably all seen this, but I do think it’s funny. In May of 2021, Zion was going for the ball under the basket and ended up fracturing his left ring finger. There was no malintent, it was just one of those plays that happens when you play basketball.
Again, nothing bad about this play. It’s just one of those things that happens when you play basketball. David Griffin saw it another way.
“He’s injured now because of the open season there’s been on him in the paint,” Griffin said. “He has been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis.”
I just find it funny that the relationship between Griffin and Zion is awful and then he’s trying his best to defend him when there is nothing to defend. Nobody is in the wrong in that play, it just kind of happened.
Back in 2019, before Zion started his rookie season, Griffin said that the Pelicans wanted to keep Zion happy and enable him to have fun.
But Griffin and the Pelicans haven’t even done that either. In May of 2021, Williamson said he didn’t believe the Pelicans were coming close to becoming consistent winners. Even though he was breaking records and scoring more in the paint than anybody in the NBA since Shaq, he clearly wasn’t happy with the situation. When your generational superstar who doesn’t have a long-term contract is saying this, it shouldn’t bode well with anybody;
“Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is kind of insane, so I’m not going to sit here and say we’re close,” Williamson said. “The reality of it is, it was very disappointing not to be a part of the play-in tournament and stuff.”
Now, I’m no happiness-detector-person, but if I had to guess, I would have to say that Zion Williamson wasn’t happy then and likely still isn’t happy with the situation that he’s in. Just a guess.
What The (Censored) Is Next?
I honestly couldn’t tell you where the Pelicans are going next. Zion Williamson is incredible, but the Pelicans don’t seem to know what they’re doing. While David Griffin tries to find the right coach, the right roster, and heck, even talk with Zion as more of a friend, nothing has panned out in his 2.5 years with the team.
Zion has played with so many different teammates, new coaches, it’s just all unstable, which is the worst thing for a young player in the NBA, no matter how good they are. While David Griffin preaches building a culture, a family, he isn’t doing his end of the bargain and building a winning team.
One of Griffin’s favorite phrases is “speak it into existence.” So far, he hasn’t been able to verbally will the future he wants into reality. So much for the universe being on your side, David.
The Pelicans are one of the smallest markets in the NBA. If Zion isn’t on a winning team, there isn’t a reason for them to stay there any longer. Zion is eligible for an extension next summer, but if we’re being honest, I doubt he’s with the New Orleans Pelicans for much longer.
What Are Your Thoughts On The Zion Williamson Situation? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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Losing Lonzo was huge especially considering they didn’t find an equivalent replacement and possibly contracted Graham for too many years. I liked the Adams for Valanciunas swap. Saving that couple million in contract difference is big for a small market team. Zion is under contract for a few more years so his hands are pretty much tied unless he tries the Ben Simmons approach. New Orleans is still in the driver’s seat for now, but they will need to make Zion happy sooner or later.
Fair, but things haven’t exactly gone great so far. Obviously, things are subject to change, but it’s the Pelicans. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left.