When the All-Star Three-Point Contest was over, a reporter asked CJ McCollum about his new teammate Zion Williams.
This is a routine question, after all, there was news before that Zion was going to undergo surgery again and CJ was his new teammate, so it was normal to ask by the way.
Unexpectedly, the reporter asked this question and directly dug out the big melon.
CJ replied, "I haven't had a direct conversation with him, I've talked to some of the people around him and look forward to being able to sit down with him sooner or later, I know as much as you guys now, but I'll go find out." ”
It's been 11 days since CJ was traded to the Pelicans, to All-Star Weekend, and CJ has played five games for the Pelicans. This time is enough for the team to play a series of home games, even if the nominal boss of the team can not be on the scene due to injury, it is reasonable to make a phone call, after all, people are still old seniors.
But Zion's side, stunned that nothing has been done, sounds very outrageous.
So JJ Redick, who has played for the Pelicans, stood up for his old club, and according to him, Zion did not see the sense of ownership of the team: "As an athlete, when you participate in a team sport, you have the responsibility to devote yourself to it. You have to be fully committed to your body, to your work, to your teammates. It's your responsibility, but we don't see that in Zion. ”
For this matter, Redick can be described as full of firepower: "This is a bit incredible for me. As a teammate, you should follow general etiquette, I am not the best player in any team I am on, but if there is a possibility of a buyout, the possibility of a trade, I will always contact my teammates. It just shows that you're not invested in this team, in this collective, in this city at all. ”
"I know he (Zion) got injured and left the team, but you guys just traded for one of the best 50 scorers in the league, someone who will partner with you. You reach out and say hello is the least. This is a pattern of behavior we see in Zion. I'm his teammate and I can describe him as an independent teammate, that's the most accurate description. ”
Zion and Redick had been teammates for a season and a half, with Zion being selected by the Pelicans with the first pick in 2019, while Redick played for the Pelicans in the 2019-21 season. Redick said this, basically indicating that the two did not have any private friendship, so they would frequently talk harshly.
Of course, Redick said this eighty percent for the effect of the show, after all, the words are not amazing, A-Smith's set is now everyone is playing with fire.
But Redick's words are somewhat sprayed, after all, when the epidemic first occurred, the 19-year-old Zion also paid for himself and took the initiative to bear a month's salary of the home staff. If you directly say that he has no sense of ownership, it is only to say that doing good deeds is too easy to be forgotten.
When the incident fermented, Zion quickly contacted CJ, who also said that the two had made contact and communicated, but the negative public opinion was irreparable.
In fact, the focus of this matter is not on the relationship between Zion and CJ, nor on the topic of whether Zion has upbringing, but from the side, it proves that the connection between Zion and the team is not close.
This season is the third year of Zion's rookie contract, and because of his debut, he signed a four-year, $44.3 million contract. And at the end of the season, Zion qualified for a five-year, $181 million early contract extension.
If the Pelicans don't renew their contracts early with Zion, Zion will become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2023, when Zion will have the option of signing a one-year qualification offer contract with the Pelicans worth $17.6 million, followed by becoming a full free agent in the summer of 2024.
Today, there is little news about whether Zion has renewed his contract early. Whether Zion leaves the team or stays on the team is currently peripheral news, such as Matt Barnes's reasoning that Zion will not necessarily stay in the Pelicans on the grounds that "small cities can't keep superstars".
However, it should be noted that these are personal speculations with opinions, and neither the team nor the team has any real hammer news.
In contrast, NBA reporter Brian Windhorst described it more accurately, saying on the show: "Zion and the team are very distant, both practically and symbolically, Zion left the team in early January to deal with his own injuries, he has been away from the team for a long time." ”
"The Pelicans used to regularly announce Zion' situation, but they don't do it now and the team hasn't announced anything official about him for weeks. The Zion camp has tight controls on his injury information, and the current information is fragmented and there is a lot of speculation. ”
So, what can be inferred at the moment is that what is lacking in communication between Zion and the Pelicans team is that the team does not know how Zion thinks, and Zion does not care what the team thinks. So there was a situation where Zion did not contact the new signings for 11 days.
Even more inflammatory than not calling, when the Pelicans emailed season ticket holders this week to sell their season tickets for next season, they didn't even mention Zion's name.
The email read: "Led by coach Willie Green and players Ingram, Valanciunas and CJ, the Pelicans are creating something special..."
So, the email was so special that Windhorst had to explain: "I don't think this was deliberate, they really don't know how to explain Zion." ”
The relationship between Zion and the Pelicans is moving in an eerie direction.
Of course, for Zion, these gossip is not important, after all, whether it is the media or celebrities, there are too many face-punching scenes.
Zion still has to face injuries. It's his third season, but he's played just 85 games and missed 119. And he will continue to be absent in the future.
Not long ago, pelicans reporters said that Zion should have resumed training in December last year, but his right foot was in pain again and he had to go to New York for injection treatment. Today, Zion's right foot may need to undergo surgery again, but no specific regimen has been determined.
Windhorst brought news from the coaching staff, "The Coaching Staff and players of the New Orleans Pelicans realized a few weeks ago that for the foreseeable future, don't expect Zion to return. When the Pelicans traded for CJ McCollum before the deadline, they knew there was a good chance Zion wouldn't play and might even be reimbursed for the season. ”
From a torn meniscus in his right knee, to a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone, to now another surgery, Zion's body seems to be getting more and more brittle, but the weight is getting bigger and bigger, and the rate of expansion is visible to the naked eye.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green said of Zion's injury: "It's part of the process, when you're dealing with an injury, it's a little bit harder and there's a chance you're going to feel some pain that he's dealing with right now. ”
Speaking about Zion's current state of mind, he said: "He's depressed, it's something he's been suffering from and he needs to work on getting out of the way. He understands the rationale, but you have to keep overcoming these obstacles. ”
Such a piece of soup applies to almost anyone, but the team seems to have been avoiding Zion's weight problem, which is the crux of the matter.
It can be said that in Zion's healthy state, he is indeed imaginative. In his 85 games, he averaged 25.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and his efficiency in the box was also at an all-time high.
But when he falls, it all just goes to a different form: if he hadn't been hurt, wouldn't he be now...
And his pitifully low attendance reminds many people of Auden's story.
Embiid was also plagued by a major injury at the beginning of the season, so much so that Philadelphia added various injury regulations to his contract, and the final contract was written to 35 pages, but Embiid finally cashed in on his talent.
Fultz, who also came out of Philadelphia, suffered from Epstein-barred disease and suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the knee, and now whether he can gain a foothold in the league is a question.
The cruelty of the NBA is that young players are always hitting waves higher than waves, and when you just play two or three years later, you find that there are more young, talented, and physically fit players behind you to catch up, and if you can't stand on your feet, you will only be slapped on the shore by the tide of the times.
Morant, who originally entered the league with him, has now begun to have MVP calls, and Zion is still debating whether it can cash in on the future, and the NBA's differences are all determined by strength.
It's just that whether Zion will become a marker of the times, or become a sigh of the times like Auden, is no longer something he can control.
Past reading: The Nets lineup is all human
Share, watch and like, at least Bo Wang must have one