The heralded draft pick for the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA in 2019 has played in less than half of the games the team has played, and so far this year the celebrated draft pick has played in only 10 games and only 4 before the home crowd in New Orleans. Zion Williamson has been a total bust for the Pelicans. It doesn’t matter if you have indescribable talent on the court if you are rarely on the court.
And after just returning from an injury, Zion is now out again with a Grade 2 right hip adductor strain, which is a strain of the inner thigh muscles. Zion will be re-evaluated again in 3 weeks.
When you have a marquee player like Zion Williamson, you build your team around that player, but when a team can’t rely on the key player being in the game then new schemes must be implemented.
The consistent absence of Zion on the court is not helping in attracting fans to the Smoothie King Center to watch the Pelicans. Crowds have been sparse. It’s no secret that Seattle and other cities are trying to get an NBA team and selling and moving the Pelicans would be one way for another city to get an NBA team.
The Pelicans fired Coach Willie Green earlier in this new season for a lack of production. Assistant Coach James Borrego was named the Pels interim coach, but I do not currently hear much serious talk about an aggressive search for a new coach. I believe this team is not playing as a cohesive unit and I don’t think they will until they have a new, permanent coach.
Pelicans’ owner Gayle Benson has unlimited funds to find and hire the best coach available. Maybe the aggressive campaign to hire a new coach is going on behind-the-scenes, but if there is an aggressive search underway it should be happening in full view of the media and the fans. Any lack of commitment to secure a great new head coach could easily be interpreted as apathy toward the team on the part of the owner and the management. The Pelicans have said they want a coach who can “shake up the organization and reset the culture.” That’s a great message, but is it only a message?
Ms. Benson can afford to hire the best coach available and that would send a message to the fans and potential fans that the Pelicans are committed to be in New Orleans. If fans perceive that the commitment to the Pelicans is weak - they will not invest their time and money in going to games.
Seattle is among the cities that are pursuing an NBA team and there is a legitimate question about whether the Pelicans could be a team that is moved to another city. After the Golden State Warriors played the Pelicans in the Smoothie King Center, Draymond Green commented about the small crowd attending and said the NBA might want to “take a look at the Pelicans.”
New Orleans may prove to be a strong NBA city, but the commitment of the New Orleans fan base will remain unknown until a new coach is named and until there is some kind of resolution with Zion Williamson.
It’s fair to wonder if Zion really wants to be here. There is a lot of chatter around the league about questionable injuries from players who just don’t want to play. They want to get paid, but they don’t want to play. Zion has been injured so much that it’s fair to question his resolve. Could he be saving himself for the time he goes to another team that has a better shot at making it to the playoffs? We don’t know. Sometimes I think Zion may be a slacker.
The sad truth about Zion is that his talent and ability are a phenomenon in the league. His size with his speed and agility make him a freak of nature, in a positive way. I wonder if his speed and agility make him prone to injuries because of his size?
Maybe it’s time for the Pelicans to shop Zion, who I think should yield a respectable return on investment. Between the never-ending injuries and no permanent coach, fans in New Orleans will not invest in going to games. Something has to change. Either the Pelicans make moves - or the Pelicans may move. And I hope that doesn’t happen.