Zion Williamson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Oladipo, Hinton, Point Zion, Tucker

February 14th, 2021 at 4:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Even before his recent right foot injury, new Rockets shooting guard Victor Oladipo has been wrestling with his productivity this season, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

The sore right foot, meanwhile has hampered his mobility of late and may keep him unavailable during the Rockets’ upcoming road trip. At a high 31.8 usage rate, Oladipo is shooting just 38.6% from the floor and 29.9% from long range through his first 11 games in Houston.

“Victor’s gonna get there,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said, going on to highlight Oladipo’s contributions on the other side of the ball. “Hopefully, his injury isn’t too bad. He is a big part of what we do, and one of the of the reasons we’re top five defensively is because of Victor Oladipo.”

There’s more out of the Southwest:

Whilst on the NBAGL Orlando “bubble” campus, two-way Mavericks rookie shooting guard Nate Hinton has been recalled from the Long Island Nets and transferred to the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to a team tweet. Dallas’ own affiliate, the Texas Legends, isn’t active this season.
The Pelicans‘ offense has benefited from second-year forward Zion Williamson being utilized at the point, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Williamson has frequently been starting the team’s offensive actions during the last five games. “That’s how I grew up playing the game,” Williamson said. “When I’m bringing it up, I take a quick snapshot of the court. I know where all my teammates are and I know where all my teammates are going to be.”
Defensive-oriented 35-year-old Rockets iron man forward P.J. Tucker has yet to miss a game since joining Houston in 2017. writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. This season, Tucker and rookie forward Jae’Sean Tate are the only Rockets to have not missed any of Houston’s 26 games this season.

And-Ones: Team USA, Monroe, Jerebko, Cuban, Beal

January 23rd, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

USA Basketball has sent out approximately 60 invitations to players who have expressed interest in being part of the Olympic player pool, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Team USA could be without players advancing to the NBA Finals, based on the timing of July Olympics in Tokyo, Wojnarowski notes. Among the players invited are some of the league’s young stars, including Duncan Robinson, Zion Williamson, Trae Young and Ja Morant, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA big men Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko had their contracts terminated by BC Khimki Moscow, the team tweets. Monroe played in nine Euroleague games with averages of 10.3 PPG and 6 RPG. Jerebko was averaging 11.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG. The team cited “personal circumstances of (the) players” as the reason for the termination.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he is in talks with the NBA to organize some preseason games in Europe against Real Madrid or in Slovenia, according to Sportando. Cuban would like to give European fans a chance to watch Luka Doncic in action.
The Wizards have endured a number of postponement due to COVID-19 protocols and Bradley Beal wouldn’t mind if the league considered another bubble or regional sites as the season progresses, according to NBC Sports Washington’s Chase Hughes. Beal didn’t play in the summer restart in Orlando. “I probably wouldn’t be totally against it as long as we had the same success that we did the first go-around,” he said. “I wasn’t part of the bubble in the first go-around, so I don’t necessarily know how all that worked down there every day. But I know going through it every day here, it’s a lot. We test twice a day at least for the last week. That’s very overwhelming at times.”

Zion Clears COVID-19 Protocols, Can Play Friday

January 14th, 2021 at 5:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Second-year Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will be able to suit up tomorrow against the Lakers after having been placed into the league’s coronavirus protocols yesterday, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (via Twitter).

Williamson was held out of last night’s 111-106 loss to the Clippers as a precaution after returning an inconclusive coronavirus test result yesterday. A negative confirmatory test has cleared the 6’6″ 20-year-old for activity tomorrow night, Lopez adds in an additional tweet.

The Pelicans, coached by new addition Stan Van Gundy and boasting the impressive forward tandem of Williamson and All-Star wing Brandon Ingram, are currently the No. 13 seed in a hyper-competitive Western Conference atmosphere, with a 4-6 record. Across nine games this season, Williamson is averaging 21.9 PPG on 55.7% shooting from the field, 8.1 RPG and 1.3 APG.

Zion Williamson Out Due To Health And Safety Protocols

January 13th, 2021 at 5:42pm CST by Luke Adams

5:42pm: Williamson’s absence tonight is related to an inconclusive COVID-19 test and the timing of the results of a second test, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. The Pelicans don’t view it as anything significant, Lopez adds.

2:51pm: Star forward Zion Williamson will be unavailable for the Pelicans‘ game in Los Angeles against the Clippers on Wednesday night, the team announced today (via Twitter).

It’s a tough break for Williamson, who has averaged 26.3 PPG over his last three games, and for the Pelicans, who have slipped below .500 (4-5) after losing all three of those contests.

The NBA isn’t providing many specifics this season on why certain players are entering the health and safety protocols or how long they’ll be sidelined, so we’ll have to wait for more details to find out whether Williamson’s absence will be a brief one or if it will cover a week or more. He may have registered a positive or inconclusive COVID-19 test or have been exposed to someone who tested positive.

With Williamson out, backup frontcourt players such as Jaxson Hayes and Nicolo Melli are candidates to play some extra minutes on Wednesday night.

Pelicans Exercise 2021/22 Options On Zion, Hayes, Alexander-Walker

December 18th, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have picked up their 2021/22 team options on the rookie scale contracts of Zion Williamson, Jaxson Hayes, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a league source tells Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).

All three players already had their salaries guaranteed for the coming season. Having these options exercised ensures that their salaries for 2021/22 – the third year of their respective rookie contracts – will also be locked in.

Williamson’s option salary for ’21/22 will be approximately $10.7MM, while Hayes will earn about $5.3MM and Alexander-Walker will make $3.3MM. A year from now, the Pelicans will face decisions on all three players’ 2022/23 options.

Williamson – 2019’s No. 1 overall pick and, improbably, the longest-tenured Pelican – appeared in just 24 games as a rookie, playing limited minutes after coming off knee surgery. However, he still put up outstanding numbers, including 22.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 27.8 minutes per contest. He’s set to enter this season without minute restrictions.

Hayes and Alexander-Walker played modest roles as rookies and aren’t considered franchise cornerstones on the same level that Williamson is, but the Pelicans will be counting on both youngsters to take a step or two forward in 2020/21.

NBA GMs Vote Lakers As Offseason Winners, Title Favorites

December 18th, 2020 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s general managers liked the Lakers‘ offseason moves and are bullish on the team’s chances to repeat as champions in 2020/21, as John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes in his annual survey of the league’s GMs.

An impressive 81% of the responding general managers picked the Lakers to win the championship in 2021, which is the third-highest percentage any team has received since Schuhmann began conducting his annual GM survey 19 years ago. The Clippers ranked second at 11%, while the Nets and Heat received one vote apiece.

Meanwhile, the Lakers (37%) beat out the Suns (22%) and Thunder (15%) in the voting for best offseason roster moves. The Hawks, Bucks, and Sixers each received two votes, while the Trail Blazers got one too.

Here are a few more of the interesting responses from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

The Suns‘ acquisition of Chris Paul (44%) and the Bucks‘ trade for Jrue Holiday (33%) were voted the moves that will have the biggest impact this season. The Clippers‘ signing of Serge Ibaka (15%), the Pelicans‘ deal for Steven Adams (11%), and the Trail Blazers‘ trade for Robert Covington (11%) were the front-runners for the most underrated offseason player acquisition. Gordon Hayward‘s $120MM contract with the Hornets (54%) was voted the most surprising offseason move.
While NBA GMs view Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (39%) as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year over Warriors big man James Wiseman (29%), Wiseman received the most votes (36%) among this year’s rookies to be the best player in five years, followed by Ball (25%). Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, was voted the biggest steal in the 2020 draft (43%).
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were the top choices as the player GMs would want to start a franchise with today. They each received 43% of the vote, with Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James and Pelicans youngster Zion Williamson also picking up votes.
Speaking of Williamson, he helped the Pelicans receive the nod for the team with the most promising young core (41%). The Grizzlies (22%), Hawks (11%), Celtics (11%), and Nuggets (11%) also got multiple votes.

Health Updates: Zion, Ross, Claxton, Warriors

December 7th, 2020 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut last season was delayed by knee surgery and he dealt with minutes limitations upon returning, but the Pelicans forward said he has “no restrictions” for the 2020/21 season, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Williamson’s comments came shortly after new head coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters that the former No. 1 pick easily passed his conditioning test and had “no limitations” in practice.

“Me and Coach Van Gundy have talked and from what I know now, there are no restrictions,” Williamson said. “None.”

As a rookie, Williamson was often limited to four- or five-minute “bursts” and found himself being subbed out of games at key moments. He’s looking forward to playing for longer stretches and hopes to look more like his old self this season, as Lopez details.

“I want to show that I’m a basketball player. I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do on offense or defense no matter what it is to win. I’m just a competitor,” Williamson said. “When I’m healthy and competing, I’m just a different kind of player. I think that’s the player everyone fell in love with.”

Here are a few more health updates from around the NBA:

Having undergone an MRI, Magic swingman Terrence Ross has been diagnosed with a minor, non-displaced hairline fracture in his left big toe, the team announced today in a press release. Ross is continuing to participate in non-contact work during practices. According to the team, his return to full contact will depend on how his toe responds to treatment.
After the Nets announced over the weekend that Nicolas Claxton is dealing with right knee tendinopathy, head coach Steve Nash said today that he expects the second-year big man to be out for “weeks,” tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
The two Warriors players who tested positive for the coronavirus aren’t expected to be able to participate in group practices until next week at the earliest, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The identities of those two players are still unknown.

Pelicans Notes: Ball, Bledsoe, Adams, Holiday, Ingram, Williamson

November 30th, 2020 at 8:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans won’t be choosing between Lonzo Ball and recently-acquired Eric Bledsoe as their starting point guard, according to executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin. New Orleans’ top executive envisions that they’ll form the starting backcourt, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets. The Pelicans had a similar setup last season, when Ball and Jrue Holiday shared ballhandling duties. The Pelicans acquired Bledsoe from the Bucks and center Steven Adams from the Thunder, along with draft picks, in a four-team deal that sent Holiday to Milwaukee.

New head coach Stan Van Gundy said that Griffin has prioritized toughness and competitiveness at a very high level, and Bledsoe and Adams fit that mold, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Times Picayune tweets.

Griffin and Van Gundy dropped some interesting tidbits during their Monday press conference:

Griffin had pursued Adams for a very long time, according to Kushner (Twitter link). Griffin was impressed with Adams since meeting him prior to the 2013 draft. Adams, who was selected with the No. 12 pick that year, received a two-year, $35MM extension as part of the four-team deal.
The front office wanted to do right by Holiday by trading him to a title contender, Lopez notes (Twitter link). Griffin said Holiday’s career timeline to compete for a championship differed somewhat from the Pelicans’ timeline.
Brandon Ingram‘s five-year contract doesn’t include a player option, Lopez adds in another tweet, but there is a trade bonus. Ingram officially signed the $158.25MM contract on Monday.
Zion Williamson will not have any restrictions heading into training camp, according to Van Gundy. The coach anticipates the early days of camp will look different because they haven’t played as much pickup due to COVID-19 restrictions and a short offseason (Twitter link).
The team’s disappointing showing in the Orlando restart convinced Griffin the team needed more “elite competitors” and didn’t have “enough of a work ethic identity,” Kushner relays (Twitter link).

Pelicans Notes: Young Talent, Redick, SVG, Free Agents

October 29th, 2020 at 8:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In his first press conference with his new team on Tuesday, Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy had high praise for forward Zion Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 draft, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.

“He’s a multi-talented guy,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t look at him in any way as far as is he a four or a five. I’m not sure those labels matter when it comes to him.”

Van Gundy spoke highly of point guard Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, as well.

“So I think as good as Lonzo is now, and he’s very good, I think that we can expect a good arc of improvement for him over the next few years,” Van Gundy opined.

The Pelicans’ new head coach also stressed emphasizing defense improvement for the club.

There’s more out of the Big Easy:

Veteran Pelicans guard J.J. Redick, who had played under Van Gundy while with the Magic, recommended the hire to Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin. “I had mentioned to Griff back in August that I thought he’d be great for the job,” Redick said on his podcast The Old Man and the Three, as Andrew Lopez of ESPN relays (Twitter link).
With the hire of an experienced coach at the level of Van Gundy, the Pelicans are hopeful that their new head coach can optimize the potential of the team’s young talent, according to Scott Kushner of NOLA.com.
William Guillory of The Athletic assessed some ideal free agent candidates for the Pelicans in a new mailbag. With center Derrick Favors an unrestricted free agent this offseason, free agent veterans like Marc Gasol, Tristan Thompson, Meyers Leonard, and Aron Baynes could all be effective replacements should New Orleans opt to move on from Favors. Defensive-oriented Heat forward Jae Crowder is mentioned as another solid fit for the team to generally shore up its frontcourt depth.

And-Ones: Zion, Silver, Chalmers, Bona, Lawson

September 21st, 2020 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

A panel of 15 NBA evaluators, including four general managers, unanimously agreed that Mavericks star Luka Doncic is the player under 25 whom they would most want to build a franchise around, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Suns guard Devin Booker, and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant received the next-highest scores in the poll.

As Scotto notes, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Pelicans big man Zion Williamson, placed just seventh on the evaluators’ list, tied with Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Among the respondents who spoke to Scotto, the enthusiasm for Williamson’s obvious upside was dampened by long-term weight and injury concerns.

“He’s just a special player inside the arc who’s an elite finisher,” one executive said of the Pelicans’ rising star. “… He’s one of the best finishers behind Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and LeBron (James). He can hit the open man. He’s so physically dominant. His shooting shouldn’t be a problem, but we’ll see. I think he’s always going to be hurt, though.”

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to be at the league’s Walt Disney World campus this week, sources tell Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether Silver’s visit will be brief or if he plans to stick around through the NBA Finals.
Greek club Aris Thessaloniki has announced the signing of former NBA guard Mario Chalmers (hat tip to Sportando). A former two-time champion with Miami, Chalmers spent last season in Athens, but continues to hold out hope of making an NBA comeback.
Adem Bona, a 17-year-old Nigerian/Turkish big man, will spend the next two seasons stateside at Prolific Prep in California, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who refers to Bona as one of Europe’s “most promising” prospects (Twitter links). He’ll become draft-eligible in 2023, Givony adds.
Agent Chris Patrick and The Sports Law Group have ended their representation of former NBA guard Ty Lawson following his ban from the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Lawson last played in the NBA during the 2018 postseason with Washington.