What Now?

[As I See It]

Honestly, it's not time to worry about Zion, it's time to forget about him.

Management needs to build this team around the talents of BI and JV and if Zion ever re-appears into the picture - fine!! But this team has wasted three years waiting on, and building for, Zion Williamson. For all their efforts (both good and bad) this team has nothing to show for it. So let the Zion Soap Opera play itself out for good or bad, and proceed on the assumption that he is never going to directly contribute to any success this team might enjoy.

Far too much energy and ink has been wasted on a man who has squandered the extraordinary promise that he once showed. It's past time to wish him well...hope for he best...and move on. It took basically a career ending injury of Pete Maravich for the Jazz to ascend into the NBA Hierachy with the likes of Malone, Stockton, Dantley, Hornecek, and the rest.

So let's get to work and let sleeping giants lie until they choose to wake up...if ever.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Agree and disagree. He is going to sign the extension now, but already the team has already been informed that he is very likely to ask out early into that contract. So, you have to do whatever is necessary to build his value back high so that when you do move him, it is for a monster haul, not pennies on the dollar

[Silverfoxx]

Agree and disagree. He is going to sign the extension now, but already the team has already been informed that he is very likely to ask out early into that contract. So, you have to do whatever is necessary to build his value back high so that when you do move him, it is for a monster haul, not pennies on the dollar

If everything shakes right with Zion, what type of young asset or player you would like to build around? I'm hoping for a way to grab Scoot Henderson.

[MichaelMcNamara]

Dont know, dont care. Franchise will always be a joke, with just a season here and there of good play to suck fools back in to committing their time and passion to the stupidity that is Pelicans fandom. Just figured I'd let you guys know what all the insiders know but wont share with you for a year or so. Escape while you can....or waste more years paying attention to this joke of a franchise and then watch it leave.

[6warddude]

any fan without blinders on should know zion will ask out early..a few of us believe this......the problem is will the org move zion early or be dumb and hold on to him and give him leverage later on into that contract by be able to pick his teams that he would play for and have teams low balling us........i think we came out good in the AD deal but dont want that situation with zion....

[ragincaucasian]

LOL. We are starting Tomas Satoransky and Garrett FREAKING Temple. Zion is just the cherry on top of the cow patty sundae right now.

This team is a dumpster full of diapers set on fire with rocket fuel floating down the Mississippi River out into the Gulf.

via David Griffin and Zion Williamson

[HerbJonesFan]

Man, this thread is depressing. Lol

[13 - 3]

Zion's setback + #Pelicans awful record = lots of negative media about New Orleans

FICTION: Pelicans are moving or being sold

***AS LONG AS GAYLE BENSON IS ALIVE, PELICANS WILL BE IN NOLA!!!

FACT: Zion probably does want to move on from New Orleans and play somewhere else pic.twitter.com/WvwNQH3UAK

— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) December 12, 2021

[UNO Gracias]

What if I told you, this team is being shopped, and that prospective buyers are talking about moving the team?

[13 - 3]

What if I told you, this team is being shopped, and that prospective buyers are talking about moving the team?

Gayle is not making money if less than 6,000 are showing up to games. At some point Dennis inc. will tell her to pull the plug on this . She is losing money on this and if it is shared revenue other NBA owners are losing from us too. Adam Silver has the power to pull the plug on us too.

[Fedupfan]

The writing has been on the wall. They are a disaster from top to bottom. They can’t get free agents to come at all. It’s not the city, because New Orleans is one of the best cities in the country. LA cess pool….. Portland cess pool……. Philly cess pool…. DC Cess pool….. none of those places are ever talked about negatively like New Orleans. Fans here are amazing and if this trash as* team could just put together consecutive winning seasons, the fans would show up for the third one regardless of the record. All we want is some hope, but they have a guy that won’t even be honest with himself, much less the fans. It’s a disgrace and quite frankly, the city deserves better.

[Spec3333]

Gayle is not making money if less than 6,000 are showing up to games. At some point Dennis inc. will tell her to pull the plug on this . She is losing money on this and if it is shared revenue other NBA owners are losing from us too. Adam Silver has the power to pull the plug on us too.

I don't think you understand just how much Gayle Benson loves the Pelicans, or how much she loves the city of New Orleans. She will never sell her baby while she is alive, and she will make sure that the Pelicans stay in New Orleans after she passes (in the distant future). Mrs. Benson is not motivated by money AT ALL. She has stated on a number of occasions that she has all the money she will ever need right now. Go watch Lee Zurich's recent interviews with Mrs. Benson and Dennis Lauscha. Good luck prying this franchise out of New Orleans.

https://www.fox8live.com/2021/09/30/...s-new-orleans/

[Fedupfan]

I don't think you understand just how much Gayle Benson loves the Pelicans, or how much she loves the city of New Orleans. She will never sell her baby while she is alive, and she will make sure that the Pelicans stay in New Orleans after she passes (in the distant future). Mrs. Benson is not motivated by money AT ALL. She has stated on a number of occasions that she has all the money she will ever need right now. Go watch Lee Zurich's recent interviews with Mrs. Benson and Dennis Lauscha. Good luck prying this franchise out of New Orleans.

https://www.fox8live.com/2021/09/30/...s-new-orleans/

This is what happens when losing becomes the norm. The media loves to stir up this relocation pot.

[donato]

People need to relax. Zion will sign the contract meaning we have the asset for some time. He has no leverage to ask out unless he's actually playing, and playing well. In which case we will get a good haul for him.

If the team is moved, then so be it. I'll move my attention to something else. I'm not going to get upset over something I can't control, and neither should any of you. Just try to enjoy the moment (even though we stink haha).

[HerbJonesFan]

People need to relax. Zion will sign the contract meaning we have the asset for some time. He has no leverage to ask out unless he's actually playing, and playing well. In which case we will get a good haul for him.

If the team is moved, then so be it. I'll move my attention to something else. I'm not going to get upset over something I can't control, and neither should any of you. Just try to enjoy the moment (even though we stink haha).

So, don't enjoy the present because it stinks. And don't worry about the future because it will likely stink. Got it!

[PELICANSFAN]

What if I told you, this team is being shopped, and that prospective buyers are talking about moving the team?

I would say you are getting bad info. Gayle has publicly said how the team will be handled now and in the future.

[donato]

So, don't enjoy the present because it stinks. And don't worry about the future because it will likely stink. Got it!

Not remotely what I said, but you interpret it how you want to.

[HerbJonesFan]

I would say you are getting bad info. Gayle has publicly said how the team will be handled now and in the future.

I love how you guys take what has been said in public as truth. How did that work out with Grigfin and Zion sayin he would be back game 1?

[13 - 3]

Sure Gayle loves it here. Never would sell. The NBA can remove her to get a better product somewhere else or with a another owner

George Shinn

That former owner of Clippers

[new city champ]

Shinn had money problems that were forcing him to sell. The league actually went out of its way to find a local owner and keep the team in New Orleans.

There is zero precedent for "removing" an owner unless they have done something extreme and harmful to the league and its image. Hardly think Gayle is a candidate for that kind of scandal.

My understanding is that most of the chatter you hear is being generated on the buy-side, by agents and bankers for rich guys who want to get into the NBA ownership club and see New Orleans' current problems with Zion as a chance to short-sell the franchise and try to drive a sale and relocation.

You echo and amplify their whisper campaign, you're helping them out.

[Eman5805]

Sure Gayle loves it here. Never would sell. The NBA can remove her to get a better product somewhere else or with a another owner

George Shinn

That former owner of Clippers

Sounds like garbage. There?s a host of other things going on in both those issues. Probably something we can sue over if it?s just them taking our ********ing team away because somehow it?s more marketable away from us. But Minnesota and Oklahoma keeps their teams indefinitely?

[PELICANSFAN]

Sure Gayle loves it here. Never would sell. The NBA can remove her to get a better product somewhere else or with a another owner

George Shinn

That former owner of Clippers

The NBA cannot simply remove an owner without cause. Next.

[b_l_p]

So, don't enjoy the present because it stinks. And don't worry about the future because it will likely stink. Got it!

This is pretty much where I'm at

[Eman5805]

So, don't enjoy the present because it stinks. And don't worry about the future because it will likely stink. Got it!

Yeah. Nuts to that sort of thinking.

I’ll believe and look forwards to things because none of you can stop me. Never and always are very long times. Lots of time to be different. To change.

[new city champ]

Actually, knowing Zion won't be back anytime soon has helped me enjoy the season more. I'm interested in player development, in pushing the team forward without Zion. I always appreciated how Monty Williams refused to put all the responsibility for the club winning on Anthony Davis, said it was unfair to him. Totally agreed then and think the same thing about Zion now. It's not up to him alone to make us a good team. That's a cop out.

And that, basically, is the problem with the "super star" model. Ever since Jordan, the league has been consumed with making super stars the be all and end all of the NBA. There is a huge chunk of fans who root for the player now rather than the team. I still root for the team. I root for Zion because he plays in New Orleans, not the other way around. My sense is that a lot of grumblers and doom sayers around here and elsewhere don't really root for the team. They're just passing through. Real fans support the team for years--decades sometimes--before it wins. I know I did with the Saints, and I can well remember when the Dome was half-full and all the lookie loo smart guys were saying how it was inevitable the Saints would leave. Times change and so do teams.