22nd January - New Orleans Pelicans VS San Antonio Spurs - 17-27

[Pelicanidae]

Clue Daniel Harris that this idea that local market size means anything is antiquated. It's all about fanbase.

Zion has over 4 million followers on his ig alone. That probably near the size of the entire L.A. Times readership.

But...that is lovely lol. Zion also surpassed AD in points for an NBA debut. And I bet AD played damn near 40 minutes in his.

AD played 29 minutes and had 21 points on 6/12 shooting.
Zion played 18 minutes and had 22 on 8/11.

Both guys had 7 rebounds.

Zion had 3 assists, AD had 0. AD had a steal and a block, Zion had neither.

Both guys lost to the San Antonio Spurs by exactly 4 points.

[Pelicanidae]

lol everybody trying to turn us against each other ������**♂️ it’s not gon happen on my end �� super proud of my boy & he deserves everything dats coming his way ���� @Zionwilliamson https://t.co/vQswxezKgu

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) January 23, 2020

Gotta say, big fan of how supportive Ja has been of Zion publicly.

[13 - 3]

��Impressive numbers for #Zion's debut on ESPN (Fast Nationals from Nielsen):

��2,357,000 viewers. Peaked w/2,777,000.

⬆️Viewership up 88% vs last year's comparable game.

��1.6 US rating, matching ESPN's highest-rated NBA game this season (Non-XMas). Up 100% year over year. pic.twitter.com/9ZSbz6zGQv

— Ben Cafardo (@Ben_ESPN) January 23, 2020

[Freyfamilyreuni]

Yeah, it's annoying.

Like two weeks ago, Gentry said he wont start, and there'll be a minutes restriction.

Then we heard that he'll start, but there'll still be a restriction.

Then we got starting, no restriction.

And apparently in game, we have starting but hard restriction.

This is just silly and it makes Gentry look terrible in-game. You're absolutely right, needs to be a better communication.

My gut feeling is that Gentry wanted to bring Zion in off the bench so as not to disrupt the chemistry that the starting unit had. My guess is he got overruled. I understand why the powers that be wanted Zion in the starting lineup, but I do wonder if it would have been a smoother transition, chemistry wise, to have brought Zion in for instant offense off the bench.

[P_B_&_G]

My gut feeling is that Gentry wanted to bring Zion in off the bench so as not to disrupt the chemistry that the starting unit had. My guess is he got overruled. I understand why the powers that be wanted Zion in the starting lineup, but I do wonder if it would have been a smoother transition, chemistry wise, to have brought Zion in for instant offense off the bench.

At this point you have to wonder if it would be better to bring him in to end the quarters instead of start them. Bring him in with 5 minutes to go in each quarter and get the hell out of his way.

[luckyman]

I'm a little disappointed in the crowd. BI trying to knock down some free throws, then the crowd starts chanting we want Zion.

Need to be better than that. Especially when that man been available and ballin all year.

[P_B_&_G]

I'm a little disappointed in the crowd. BI trying to knock down some free throws, then the crowd starts chanting we want Zion.

Need to be better than that. Especially when that man been available and ballin all year.

I thought that sucked as well. Shut the hell up and let the man knock down his free-throws. I kept waiting for one of our guys to wave them down like Drew does in the dome when the crowd is too loud after a big play.

[Eman5805]

I'm a little disappointed in the crowd. BI trying to knock down some free throws, then the crowd starts chanting we want Zion.

Need to be better than that. Especially when that man been available and ballin all year.

Ingram being at the line was incidental, I felt. Had absolutely nothing to do with why the crowd was chanting.

[luckyman]

Ingram being at the line was incidental, I felt. Had absolutely nothing to do with why the crowd was chanting.

I didnt say that was the reason why. But they could all damn well see Ingram was at the line.

Had I been at the game I definitely would have told my section to knock it off.

[13 - 3]

Now we are whining about Zion chants. This did not affect Ingram at all.

Read!

https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/br...n-anything-yet

[boot318]

Crowd was hyped to see their #1 pick playing and dominating! Of course they were going to be chanting "We want Zion".... even if elephants were mating half court! Ingram plays slightly above average = we win this game (one or two missed FTs didn't lose it).

[luckyman]

Now we are whining about Zion chants. This did not affect Ingram at all.

Read!

https://www.nba.com/pelicans/news/br...n-anything-yet

I really dont care what you want to call it. It was extremely tone deaf and not a good look.

You cant be so stupid to start chanting that while your own player (and a different one you are chanting for) is trying to concentrate on the line. On national television no less.

[AUSSIE_PELICAN]

I really dont care what you want to call it. It was extremely tone deaf and not a good look.

You cant be so stupid to start chanting that while your own player (and a different one you are chanting for) is trying to concentrate on the line. On national television no less.

Agreed.

[13 - 3]

I really dont care what you want to call it. It was extremely tone deaf and not a good look.

You cant be so stupid to start chanting that while your own player (and a different one you are chanting for) is trying to concentrate on the line. On national television no less.

Unless you are chanting M-V-P. Deal with the chants. Kobe never had an issue with it at Staples.

[Ivan Balakhonov]

I'm a little disappointed in the crowd. BI trying to knock down some free throws, then the crowd starts chanting we want Zion.

Need to be better than that. Especially when that man been available and ballin all year.

I was more disappointed with the fact that after Zion's substitution in the 4th some fans began to leave the arena. It was not like some obvious stampede, but on TV screen I couldn't help but notice empty seats appearing.

[PELICANSFAN]

I didnt say that was the reason why. But they could all damn well see Ingram was at the line.

Had I been at the game I definitely would have told my section to knock it off.

It always seems those not at the game are the ones who complain about the crowds. I was there and did not like it, but it is not like one or two people in a section can shot down the majority of 18000 fans. Face it, given the weekday game against a not-flashy opponent, why do you think many of the fans were there?

[Pelicanidae]

Just looked up some other famous first games from historical names, just for a bit of trivia.

Zion Williamson: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. 8/11 shooting (72.7%). 18 minutes.
Lebron James: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists. 12/20 shooting (60%). 43 minutes.
M. Jordan: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists. 5/16 shooting (31.3%). 40 minutes.
Kobe Bryant: 1 rebound. 0/1 shooting (0.00%). 6 minutes.
Shaq O'Neal: 12 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists. 4/8 shooting (50%). 32 minutes.
Larry Bird: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists. 6/12 shooting (50%). 28 minutes.
Magic Johnson: 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists. 10/21 shooting (47.6%). 41 minutes.
Kareem A-J: 29 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists. 12/27 shooting (44.4%). 48 minutes.*
Tim Duncan: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists. 6/9 shooting (66.7%) 36 minutes.
The Admiral: 23 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist. 6/11 shooting (54.5%). 34 minutes.**
Kevin Garnett: 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist. 4/4 shooting (100%). 16 minutes.
Dirk Nowitzki: 2 points, 4 assists. 0/5 shooting (0.00%). 16 minutes.
Karl Malone: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists. 4/11 shooting (36.4%). 24 minutes.

*Yes, Kareem apparently played every single minute of his debut It was not an overtime game.
** Robinson was 5 years older than Zion currently is when he debuted; 24, compared to 19.

Zion's debut stacks up really nicely among these guys. I think the closest statline is Magic's, but Zion was far more efficient and Magic played 23 minutes more than Zion did.

And then a few other modern players (that is, guys who debuted in the last decade):

KAT: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist. 6/10 shooting (60%). 32 minutes.
AD: 22 points, 7 rebounds. 6/12 shooting (50%). 29 minutes.
Blake: 20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists. 8/14 shooting (57.1%). 39 minutes.
Luka: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists. 5/16 shooting (31.3%). 32 minutes.
RJ Barrett: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists. 9/13 shooting (69.2%). 37 minutes.
Morant: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. 6/12 shooting (50%). 25 minutes.

Zion stacks up well against the more modern guys too. He played fewer minutes than all of them, and yet outscored 4 of the 6, met or exceeded the rebounds of 3, and racked up more assists than 3 of them, all while being the most efficient of the lot.

Good to know how his debut stacks up against other historical ones, even if ultimately it's meaningless.

[luckyman]

It always seems those not at the game are the ones who complain about the crowds. I was there and did not like it, but it is not like one or two people in a section can shot down the majority of 18000 fans. Face it, given the weekday game against a not-flashy opponent, why do you think many of the fans were there?

Doesn't matter if I personally wasn't there..at all. Doesn't matter why the majority of the fans were there. What does matter is this fan base has to grow up fast. Are they Zion fans or Pelicans fans?

What happened at that time was lame as hell. No excuses.

[13 - 3]

Doesn't matter if I personally wasn't there..at all. Doesn't matter why the majority of the fans were there. What does matter is this fan base has to grow up fast. Are they Zion fans or Pelicans fans?

What happened at that time was lame as hell. No excuses.

You are in the minority. The majority paid money to see Zion. Look at the Pelicans marketing campaign and Ingram is not the first player you see.

[PolishFan]

I'm a little disappointed in the crowd. BI trying to knock down some free throws, then the crowd starts chanting we want Zion.

Need to be better than that. Especially when that man been available and ballin all year.

I agree with you 100%

[13 - 3]

Some of you sound like ninnes. Would you rather no crowds at all like we had during the Davis years? Again fans chanted MVP to Kobe at the line at Staples back in the day. No problems. Did you here Ingram complain? No.

Please stop acting like sissies about it. People were excited.

[luckyman]

Some of you sound like ninnes. Would you rather no crowds at all like we had during the Davis years? Again fans chanted MVP to Kobe at the line at Staples back in the day. No problems. Did you here Ingram complain? No.

Please stop acting like sissies about it. People were excited.

My last time addressing this, but that's an awful comparison.

A more apt comparison is if Kobe is at the line and the crowd starts with We Want Shaq.

Kobe demands a trade the next day.

Go watch Gentry's post practice interview from yesterday. You can actually hear Lonzo mocking BI about it in the background. The players may make light of it, but it was just extremely bush league by the fans to do that.

I'll be a sissy all damn day I'd I gotta tell the truth. Don't care. I'm done.

[DarkHornet]

Some of you sound like ninnes. Would you rather no crowds at all like we had during the Davis years? Again fans chanted MVP to Kobe at the line at Staples back in the day. No problems. Did you here Ingram complain? No.

Please stop acting like sissies about it. People were excited.

It was disrespectful. Not only because it was while he was trying to "concentrate". It was also a slap in the face to the guy who has been our MVP this year. Last game, he got greeted with "M-V-P" chants. Now he goes to the line to try to keep us in the game, and he's greeted with "We want Zion!" Are you kidding me?

[13 - 3]

It was disrespectful. Not only because it was while he was trying to "concentrate". It was also a slap in the face to the guy who has been our MVP this year. Last game, he got greeted with "M-V-P" chants. Now he goes to the line to try to keep us in the game, and he's greeted with "We want Zion!" Are you kidding me?

Who Cares! Again Pelicans marketing campaign did not have Ingram #1. The majority paid money to see Zion. Look at the Pelicans marketing campaign and Ingram is not the first player you see.

Y’all making up unnecessary drama.

[13 - 3]

Just wait till Sunday when you got the Boston bandwagoners in the blender.