WATCH: Zion Williamson Pre-Game Dunk Show, Appears Perfectly Healthy Before Sitting Out Game That Knocked Pelicans Out Of Playoffs
Zion Williamson sure looked like Zion Williamson before his New Orleans Pelicans lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a play-in game for the NBA Playoffs at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Wednesday night.
During pregame warm-ups, Williamson dunked about 10 times, including one or two his thunderous windmill efforts, and showed no signs of a strained hamstring suffered on Jan. 2 that has kept him out of every Pelicans' game since. Then he changed back into street clothes to watch his teammates lose, 123-118, to Oklahoma City and end the Pelicans' season under controversy.
Call it Zion-troversy.
"We were all surprised at that," Pelicans beat writer Oleh Kosel of thebirdwrites.com website told Charles Hanagriff on 104.5 FM Radio in Baton Rouge on Thursday. "He got up about eight to 10 dunks, even a windmill. And for somebody who's not playing and wants to 'feel like Zion' kind of looked like Zion out there to me, right? You have to wonder what is going on behind the scenes."
Yes, welcome to the Big Easy, where often nothing is as it appears or doesn't appear.
And call Williamson the Big Waist at the moment. The first pick of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke is not yet the Big Waste, but that appears to be on the menu, so to speak, unless something drastically changes with him.
A powerful yet fluid, 6-foot-6 forward, Zion on Wednesday looked at least six pounds over the 295 contract-clause limit that will go into effect soon, according to his new, five-year, $231 million contract he signed last July that is scheduled to start before next season. He is guaranteed $193 million of that deal, and will make more if the keeps his weight down.
He clearly looked like he could have scored at least six points against Oklahoma City Wednesday night, but he did not play. And the Pelicans lost, 123-118.
But he said this on Tuesday:
"If I feel like Zion, I'll be out there. I can pretty much do everything, but it's just a matter of the level that I was playing at before my hamstring. I'm just a competitor. I don't want to go out there and be in my own head and affect the team when I can just be on the sidelines supporting them more. Because I know myself. If I was to go out there, I would be in my head. I would be in my head a lot. I would hesitate on certain moves, and that could affect the game."
Meanwhile, teammate CJ McCollum showed what a real "competitor" does. He played despite shoulder and thumb injuries. He was not at his best and scored 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
The postseason is about playing whether you're at your best or not.
"We need our best players on the court," McCollum said after the close loss. "We need to be able to play extensive minutes together, especially in meaningful games and really showcase what we have to offer. For us to make a real playoff run, that's what it's going to take."
McCollum gets it. Williamson does not. And then he slams that into his teammates, his coaches, the Pelicans organization and the City of New Orleans by dunking before the game! I've heard of Load Management, which is a regular season NBA term. How about BS Management, Zion? This guy is a load of crap at the moment.
McCollum was asked about all the Zion Noise.
"I just do my job, brother. I just show up," he said. "I don't get caught up in that type of stuff that don't involve me. That's why I just stay in my lane, walk my dog."
And set one hell of an example that Williamson needs to gather. It took Moses Malone to get the message to a young and overweight, 6-6 Charles Barkley with the 76ers in the med-section of the 1980s. Williamson needs that if he is ever going to be anything close to Sir Charles.
Dan Dakich said it best on his Don't@Me show today.
"You're being paid millions of dollars to be a basketball player," he said. "You're being paid to be the face of a city, really, an organization, and one of the faces of a multi-billion dollar league. Your name is Zion Williamson, and you can't get your fat (expletive deleted) up and play basketball."
And now he is becoming the butt of jokes of a city and league. And so much is on his plate.
"He may be the most talented, engaging player in the NBA since Magic Johnson," Dakich said. "He's got the great smile. He's got the electric ability. He's got the likeability. But he's fat. And he can't stop being fat. This guy is just stealing money. He's got all the crap, but he doesn't have the game."
Pelicans Management Growing Weary of Zion-troversies
Perhaps, the Pelicans management is fed up, so to speak. Williamson pulled similar antics last year when he missed the whole season with a foot injury. New Orleans has strong management at last with executive vice president David Griffin and a good staff. Maybe, Griffin ordered Williamson not to play at his current weight because that adds to the risk of injury. And the Pelicans have too much invested in him to put him out there and risk more injuries when he is not somewhat svelte.
Extra weight leads to injuries, there is no question about it.
Perhaps Williamson thinks he can play at 300 or whatever. And maybe that's why he decided to show he can dunk while seemingly on the Dunkin' Donuts Diet.
The Pelicans and Zion badly need to get on the same page and quick. There is not going to be a trade anytime soon. Because at the moment, Williamson needs to realize he is damaged goods, and he just damaged himself more with the dunking display.
Zion Williamson Trade Talk
"Right now, he's proven to every single NBA team that he can't stay healthy," Kosel said. "And he can't be trusted. There are legitimate questions if you can even build around a player like that."
This is another example of how bad the NBA hurts itself by being allowed to draft players after only one year in college. Had Williamson had to play three seasons under coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, he would likely have been a more mature and healthier second-year NBA player this past season with the Pelicans instead of an immature mess entering his fifth year next season.
And he'd probably be in much better shape physically and mentally.