New Orleans Pelicans

Zion Williamson made it clear how much he loves New Orleans in a conversation with Pelicans play-by-play announcer Joel Meyers and color analyst Antonio Daniels on Friday:

"Anybody that knows me...they know that I love New Orleans"@PelicansNBA star Zion Williamson shares a personal story with @JoelMeyersNBA and @adaniels33 on how he blocks out distractions...and shares why he loves playing for the Pelicans#WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/aflsd06tke

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 1, 2021

"New Orleans—I love it here," Williamson said in part. 

"Anybody that knows me, they know that I love New Orleans. This is the city for me. I'm a low-key dude, I don't do too much, and the city just fits me."

It's been a tumultuous start to Williamson's Pelicans career, although that's no fault of his own.

He's entering his third NBA season and has already had three head coaches in Alvin Gentry, Stan Van Gundy and Willie Green.

Williamson has been exceptional, averaging 25.7 points on 60.4 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds per game. But the rest of the team has largely struggled, going 30-42 in 2019-20 and 31-41 last year.

That's all in conjunction with the fact that Shams Charania, Will Guillory and Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported on June 17 that some of Williamson's family members want him to leave New Orleans for another team.

The report read in part:

For months, sources from all NBA corners have pointed to the Pelicans as a heap of dysfunction. There was a growing unease between Van Gundy and his players, and Van Gundy and the New Orleans front office, which came to a head Wednesday with the veteran coach and organization agreeing to part ways with three years left on his contract.

Most of the attention, however, from numerous sources across the league, has centered on Williamson's family members' thinly veiled unhappiness with the Pelicans, and whether those feelings seeped into the player's own views.

Williamson is under team control through at least the 2022-23 season, when the Pelicans hold a team option. He's set for restricted free agency in 2023.

We'll find out down the road whether Williamson becomes a Pelican long-term or looks to leave town a la Anthony Davis' departure for the Los Angeles Lakers, but for now, New Orleans is looking to improve under Green as the team braces for its regular-season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 20.

Gayle Benson, who owns the NFL's New Orleans Saints and NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, announced Wednesday the franchises will be sold following her death with the proceeds being donated to charities around the city.

Benson, 74, told Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune that executives are working to ensure the winning bidder will keep both teams in New Orleans. Her husband, Tom, died in 2018.

"When Tom bought this team, he didn't have a lot of money," she said. "Everything that he had, had to be given to keep the team. He worked really hard to get the Pelicans here. He sacrificed a lot. I want to make sure that we keep the teams here. I want them to stay in New Orleans forever."

Benson has no heirs, so the succession plan calls for team executives to handle the sale. Saints President Dennis Lauscha will serve as executor of her estate and handle the process.

"The league is fine with it," Lauscha told Duncan. "Every year the NFL requires that teams submit what their succession plans are going to be, and we've been filing ours since the league mandated it a handful of years ago."

At issue is the Saints' current lease with New Orleans to use the Caesars Superdome, which runs through 2025. The expiration of a lease is the most common time for rumors of small-market teams moving to a larger market to emerge. The Buffalo Bills, whose lease expires in 2023, have been linked to Austin, Texas, while trying to finalize plans with state and local officials in New York for a new stadium.

Benson said she's doing everything in her power to ensure that doesn't become an issue for the Saints.

"That's going to be one of our stipulations when we sell the team—that it stays here," she told Duncan. "Dennis won't sell it to another person that wants to take it away."

Lauscha added: "We're a small market, but we don't feel like we take a back seat to anybody. We expect to be No. 1 in everything that we do."

The Pelicans' lease to use the Smoothie King Center runs through 2024, and John Hollinger of The Athletic reported in June his sources "consistently mention New Orleans as the most likely team to seek relocation in the coming decade."

"Our intent absolutely is to structure the deals in a way so that both teams can be here for a very long time," Lauscha said. "We want to make sure if a new owner is coming into this market, not only do they see that this market is viable, but they also can see that financially it makes sense."

The Saints president added he "regularly receives calls from interested suitors" for both franchises should they become available.

Benson, a New Orleans native, became the principal owner of the teams after the death of her husband, who had reached a settlement agreement in 2017 with his daughter from a prior marriage and her children to settle a lawsuit related to ownership stakes.

The New Orleans Pelicans are among the NBA teams with the most to prove in the 2021-22 season.

The Pels disappointed after being a preseason darling, finishing as the No. 11 seed in the West and not even making it to the play-in tournament. With pressure mounting in the locker room and front office, Pelicans players looked to create a sense of confidence Monday at media day. 

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David Griffin on Zion's Injury, Building a Winner

David Griffin on Zion's injury update#Pelicans pic.twitter.com/5WjdV0VpVe

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 27, 2021

The biggest news coming out of David Griffin's presser was Zion Williamson's previously unknown foot injury. Williamson fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot but is expected to be available for the start of the regular season.

"He was working out on his own on the court, and frankly was doing an unbelievable job, it's crazy sometimes what happens when you look your best," Griffin told reporters. "But he was doing that prior to summer league and suffered the injury on the court while playing."

Williamson and his family met with team staff Sunday to go over his expected recovery period. There have been reports that Williamson "detested" the Pelicans' handling of his return from a knee injury during his rookie season, so it was clear Griffin wanted the collaborative nature of this effort to be public.

As Griffin faces mounting pressure to create a winner around Williamson, he maintained his overarching goal is to build a team with sustainable success.

"We're trying to build a team that understands how to win in a sustainable way. That understands key moments in games and recognizes those moments and seizes them. This team was really young when we put it together—it continues to be fairly young—but I think we've got young veterans now. We're learning how to win," Griffin said.

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Zion Williamson on Rumors of His Unhappiness

Zion gives @FletcherWDSU the "question of the day" award:

Asked about his relationship with the city and team pic.twitter.com/yocx1lgDby

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 27, 2021

As for Williamson himself, he spent a lot of time dispelling rumors, including one very important one: No, Griffin did not play piano for him in the NBA bubble.

"Guys, I'm not letting a grown man come to my hotel room and play a piano for me," Williamson said, laughing.

Williamson's future with the Pelicans has been the source of speculation throughout the offseason, and the third-year forward did his best to squash any thought of him leaving New Orleans.

"I love it here. I love the city of New Orleans. I don't want to be anywhere else...It's all love with me and Griff. It ain't much to dive into. It's just love between us. We're both competitors, we both want to win. Do we disagree on some things? Yeah, who agrees on everything?"

That sound you heard was a collective sigh of relief emanating from the city of New Orleans.

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Brandon Ingram on Becoming a Leader, Getting Better in Offseason

BI on the upcoming season and stepping into a leadership role#Pelicans pic.twitter.com/SgwkwhrZpf

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 27, 2021

Coming off what some would consider a disappointing 2020-21 season, Brandon Ingram appears to be motivated to bounce back. Both Griffin and coach Willie Green complimented Ingram for going out of his way this offseason to take on a bigger leadership role with the franchise.

"I don't think it's nothin' extra I did. It's just me wanting to be around my teammates, me just trying to get the best out of this thing. We want to win, ultimately, and to win we have to know each other on the offensive and defensive end and be ready for whatever comes," Ingram said.

Ingram added that he went to work getting stronger and working on his defensive game, saying he wants to "have a better presence" on that end of the floor.

"I'm hoping that trickles down to everyone on the team, just having that as our identity this year. We know we can score the basketball. I think it's gonna be important for us to dial in on the defensive end and grow as men," Ingram said.

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Willie Green on Embracing New Orleans

"Our city, this city, and our fans, are hungry for it too,"

Willie Green on coming to New Orleans#Pelicans pic.twitter.com/ZndtgfXRII

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 27, 2021

Green, in his first NBA head coaching job, is Griffin's second hire in as many offseasons and knows the pressure is mounting. The former NBA guard says he sees some of the same hunger he saw as an assistant in Phoenix.

"We got a lot of hungry young guys who are ready to take the next step. When I got to Phoenix, that's what I saw immediately and that's what I see here in New Orleans. Along with that, our city, this city, and our fans, are hungry for it too," Green said.

Green added that he sees an opportunity for the Pelicans to bring the city together in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which created massive damage throughout Louisiana earlier this year. 

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson had surgery to repair a fractured foot in the offseason, general manager David Griffin told reporters Monday.

The forward is expected to be ready to play at the start of the regular season. The Pelicans open the year Oct. 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 21-year-old appeared in 61 games last season after missing a large chunk of his rookie season following surgery for a torn meniscus. He ended the year on the sideline, however, after fracturing his left ring finger. Griffin chalked the injury up to wear and tear.

"I believe he probably suffered the injury over a period of time," Griffin told reporters in May. "It's a striking injury. It's a blunt-force injury. He was being beaten on the hand over and over and over again. For me to tell you one time, I don't think I can do that. I don't think he knows one time."

The 6'7", 284-pound Williamson has played 85 games through two NBA seasons and is now recovering from another issue heading into his third year.

The All-Star has still lived up to expectations on the court, averaging 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 2020-21.

New Orleans will need Williamson healthy as it looks to return to the playoffs after three straight losing seasons.

New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin reportedly alienated members of the organization to the point that they began calling him "Griff Krause" in a group text.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com reported some team employees have grown to "actively dislike" Griffin. As staffers watched The Last Dance last year, they began using the derisive nickname as a reference to former Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, who is regularly blamed for the breakup of the 1990s dynasty.

Griffin is heading into his third season running the Pelicans and is firmly on the hot seat. The team has made little progress in building a playoff contender around 2019 No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson over the last two years, and the burgeoning young star has grown disenchanted with the franchise, per Clark.

Williamson and Griffin rarely talk despite Griffin putting in significant effort during Williamson's rookie season.

Well-regarded before his hiring after a successful stint in Cleveland, Griffin has made a series of questionable moves since taking over the Pelicans. He spent much of the offseason undoing his past mistakes, trading back from No. 10 to No. 17 in the draft and sending a 2022 first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a trade designed to jettison Steven Adams' contract.

The Pelicans also made the curious decision not to re-sign Lonzo Ball and instead sent him to the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade. They then replaced Ball by sending out another first-round pick in a sign-and-trade for Devonte' Graham.

The New Orleans Pelicans did their best to hold back Zion Williamson during his rookie season, and the forward was not a fan of his treatment.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com provided a breakdown of Williamson and the team's differences during 2019-20:

Throughout his rookie season, Williamson had grown increasingly frustrated with the Pelicans for the number of hoops they required him to jump through to return from the knee injury he suffered in the preseason. The team initially provided a return-to-play timetable of six to eight weeks, but it took more than three months for Williamson to get back on the floor. When he was finally given the thumbs up to play, he was placed on "burst" limits, which he detested. The way Williamson's return was handled caused significant tension between him and the team's medical staff, sources said.

Williamson only played 24 games as a rookie, averaging 27.8 minutes per game. He averaged just 20.7 minutes in five appearances during the NBA restart in the Florida bubble as the Pelicans fell out of playoff contention. 

It has helped create a "sour" relationship with Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin, per Clark.

It made sense for the Pelicans to remain cautious with Williamson. The 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick was one of the most hyped prospects in a decade, and the team wanted to avoid any potential long-term damage.

The problem is it has created a divide between the player and the organization, which is significant with the 21-year-old eligible for an extension next offseason.

Though no NBA player has ever turned down a max extension on a rookie contract, the rift could be enough to persuade Williamson to look for options elsewhere.

Despite being limited at times, the Duke product has thrived, earning an All-Star selection in his second season. He finished 2020-21 with averages of 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, hitting 61.1 percent of his shots from the field.

His 7.1 offensive win shares ranked third in the NBA behind only Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard, per Basketball Reference.

The Pelicans will hope to mend fences with the talented big man before he chooses to leave. 

New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes appeared to shove a police officer into a wall prior to being tased and arrested in July. 

Body camera footage from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by TMZ Sports appears to show Hayes push one of the officers into an exterior wall of the house that belongs to Hayes' girlfriend.

TMZ noted officers were blocking Hayes' path into the home after cops were called to the scene by a woman who said she "received 'disturbing' texts from her cousin who said Hayes was 'getting loud and violent.'"

The video also shows multiple officers restraining Hayes on the ground before using a Taser on him at least once. While being restrained Hayes said, "I can't breathe."

Per the Associated Press, Hayes was arrested on July 28 "after a struggle with officers who responded to a report of a domestic dispute and used a Taser before handcuffing him."

Hayes was booked into jail on suspicion of resisting arrest, but he was later released on bond. A woman decided against cooperating with the LAPD investigation into the 911 call about a domestic dispute. 

LAPD chief Michael Moore announced on Aug. 4 the start of an internal investigation into the officers' possible use of excessive force in Hayes' arrest. 

TMZ obtained a letter from the Los Angeles Police Protective League to NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson, in which the union called for Hayes to be suspended for "causing injury" to one of the officers, obstructing the domestic abuse investigation and going into an "obscenity-laced tirade."

The NBA has yet to make any announcement about potential disciplinary action involving Hayes.

The 21-year-old Hayes is entering his third season with the Pelicans. He has appeared in 124 games combined over the past two seasons. 

The New Orleans Pelicans are looking to turn things around after falling short of expectations last season.

There should have been enough talent in the team to compete in the Western Conference with emerging stars in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram leading a rotation mixed with veteran and young talent like Eric Bledsoe, Steve Adams, Lonzo Ball and others.

Things did not go according to plan, though, resulting in a 31-41 record that was far from playoff contention.

Stan Van Gundy was replaced after just one year as head coach, and the team is left to start from scratch trying to get back into the playoffs.

New head coach Willie Green still has a lot to work with heading into 2021-22, but the on-court play must be much better as the squad tries to navigate the upcoming schedule.

       

2021-22 Pelicans Schedule Details

Season Opener: Oct. 20 vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Championship Odds: +10000 (FanDuel)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

       

Top Matchups

Los Angeles Lakers (First game: Feb. 27)

We're now two years removed from the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers, but it's likely still fresh on the mind of many Pelicans fans. The Lakers have a championship and New Orleans has two losing seasons since then. 

The Pelicans lost Lonzo Ball this offseason, but former Lakers Ingram and Josh Hart remain to try to get revenge on the team that traded them away.

Beyond the personal feuds, this matchup could be important for New Orleans as a measuring stick against one of the top teams in the NBA. 

The Lakers have nearly completely rebuilt their roster this offseason, adding Russell Westbrook alongside Davis and LeBron James to potentially make them even stronger going into 2021-22. A win here could prove the Pelicans are a new team and ready to contend after a few disappointing years.

Additionally, a showdown between LeBron and Zion will always be a crowd-pleaser. 

     

Memphis Grizzlies (First game: Nov. 13)

After Ja Morant won the Rookie of the Year award in 2019-20, Williamson easily surpassed the Memphis Grizzlies point guard last season from an individual perspective. 

Zion finished last season with averages of 27.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, hitting 61.1 percent of shots from the field. The 21-year-old has proved to be a force in the paint, and he is still just scratching the surface of his potential.

Morant had another solid season while averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 assists per game, but it was a minimal jump from his first year in the league.

It's been a different story when measuring team success, though, with the Grizzlies coming off a trip to the playoffs last year. They will likely remain a top competitor for a postseason spot in 2021-22, making every game against them an important one in the standings.

Center Jonas Valanciunas can help change the tide after a trade from Memphis to New Orleans this offseason. It remains to be seen if this is enough to jump the Southwest Division foe in the standings.

       

Season Forecast

The tools are there for the Pelicans to have a successful season.

Williamson and Ingram could be an elite tandem, while Valanciunas gives the team another reliable scorer in the post after averaging a career-high 17.1 points per game last season. Devonte' Graham could also add some much-needed outside shooting to create even more balance offensively.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kira Lewis and Jaxson Hayes will all look to take another step next season with more playing time, each capable of becoming difference-makers for the Pelicans.

It still won't matter if the defensive effort doesn't improve.

New Orleans finished 23rd in the NBA in defensive efficiency while allowing the second-most made threes in the league. This must be fixed in order for the team to do any damage in the Western Conference.

Perhaps a new voice in the locker room will help as Green comes over from the Phoenix Suns. It could be enough for the Pelicans to post a winning record and at least get into the playoff conversation.

Record Prediction: 44-38

     

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The New Orleans Pelicans are on the verge of keeping Josh Hart beyond just the 2021-22 season.

The 26-year-old was a restricted free agent after New Orleans extended him the qualifying offer that Spotrac noted was worth $5.2 million for the upcoming campaign. The team offered more than that, though, and the two sides are nearing an agreement on a three-year, $38 million contract, agents Aaron Mintz, Steven Heumann and Dave Spahn told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Deal is expected to be finalized soon, per agents.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 16, 2021

To this point of his career, the Villanova product has not quite lived up to expectations as a 2017 first-round pick. The 6'5" wing played his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while failing to make the playoffs.

The Lakers included Hart in a trade package for Anthony Davis and proceeded to win the championship during the 2019-20 season while the guard played for the Pelicans.

The Maryland native averaged a career-best 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during his first season with New Orleans and appeared to turn the corner as a primary contributor. He put up similar numbers in 2020-21 at 9.2 points and 8.0 boards while playing a career-high 28.7 minutes per night.

His emergence as a rebounding force off the bench made him all the more valuable, and the Pelicans clearly believe he can be an important part of their team in 2021-22 and beyond.

While Hart can make strides as a three-point shooter (34.8 percent in his career), he is a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions and is still young. 

The next step is making the playoffs for the first time in his career.

If he continues contributing in multiple ways and takes another step as an outside shooter, Hart can help the 2021-22 Pelicans make the postseason as a secondary playmaker around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Jonathan Kuminga continued his streak of impressive performances in the NBA Summer League with a team-high 17 points, but it wasn't enough as the Golden State Warriors fell 80-79 in overtime to the New Orleans Pelicans. 

In the final seconds, New Orleans' go-ahead points were initially granted by way of a Kuminga goaltend. But the officials reviewed the play and overturned the goaltend, instead ruling that Kuminga blocked Naji Marshall's shot. 

Wild finish as Trey Murphy III is credited with the game winner after this call - We'll Take It! 😁 pic.twitter.com/MA7mI2kDWY

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 16, 2021

However, Trey Murphy III was credited with the go-ahead basket because he was in the upward motion of his putback attempt when the officials blew the whistle for goaltending. Golden State did have an opportunity to win after that, but Kyle Guy's three-point attempt didn't hit anything as time expired. 

The Warriors rookie scored the go-ahead basket on a fast-break layup with 6.6 seconds remaining in regulation after forcing Marshall to attempt an off-balance three-pointer. 

JONATHAN KUMINGA FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/oSBT8RVuCo

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 16, 2021

New Orleans was able to force overtime thanks to Marshall's tip-in putback with 1.7 left to play. 

This was Kuminga's second consecutive relatively efficient scoring performance. He finished 5-of-12 from the field against the Pelicans after shooting 6-of-14 in Friday's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Jonathan Kuminga has NO MERCY for the rim 💥 pic.twitter.com/whQIVcB1f9

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 16, 2021

Kuminga also got involved in other ways aside from scoring. The 18-year-old had eight rebounds and four assists, though he also committed four turnovers and seven fouls in 27 minutes. 

As impressive as Kuminga was, Murphy was the best player on the court for either team. In addition to being credited with the game-winning basket, the Virginia alum led all players with 22 points and shot 4-of-7 from three-point range. 

Justinian Jessup had 16 points and was plus-15 overall. No other player for either team was better than plus-nine. JaQuori McLaughlin led the Warriors with eight assists. He also scored 13 points, but it came on an inefficient 4-of-13 shooting from the field.    

The win moved the Pelicans to 4-0 in summer-league play. The Warriors dropped to 2-2.