FIRST TAKE | Pelicans are truly a contender for NBA Finals if Zion Williamson is healthy – Stephen A

FIRST TAKE | Pelicans are truly a contender for NBA Finals if Zion Williamson is healthy – Stephen A

It’s actually going to be more of a medium take if I’m going to be honest with you last night the Pelicans took down the Bucks behind a 28o performance from Zion Williamson Zion has been on his game jayw well how far can he take his team in the playoffs I think Zion

Could take him to the Western Conference Finals I often give him he is like Mike Tyson fighting in the foam Booth that’s the way he carves up your body perk and you think about the way herb Jones plays think about the way Trey M Trey Trey

Murphy III uh when it comes back like this team to me has the makings of a team that could get there granted the road is difficult man but the one thing I see from him perk is after all the stuff that’s happened this year about the inaugural in season tournament about

All the jokes about his weight whenever you talk to anybody in that organization he’s doing what he has to do it feels like he’s falling back in love with the game from a work perspective and to me that’s scary hour Zion that’s a team that can go

Far yeah really far and I got them actually as my sleepers to come out of the West I believe with looking at the western conference outside of the Denver Nuggets the clip has been inconsistent I mean the Phoenix Suns are inconsistent the Pelicans have all the pieces and

We’re talking about Point Zion right now because he has done a great job of not only making love to the paint but actually making others around him better and then on top of that I’m watching this game last night and you know the thing the the the thing that happened

That like you know hit a light switch for me he took a charge late in the game against Giannis And the emotions that he showed the passion that he showed I was like you know what he’s in a great place right now mentally because we all know

And you know this Jay as a former Hooper when your mind is in the right place you’re going to perform at an elite level and right now it look like Zion has career Ed and made sure that everything or all the issues that were affecting him off the court are not are

Not is are not doing that anymore and he’s corrected that so I’m looking at this Pelican team and the way Zion has been playing medium Zion he’s not big but he’s not skinny yet medium Zion and the way he’s been dominating they definitely could go to the NBA finals

Yeah he me by the way you know we often talk about this and I know people at home may see this as trivial but especially for Zion like how many years have we seen this dude look miserable on the bench being being hurt dealing with the media dealing with the weight issues

He said last night he said we’re having fun yeah we’re playing for something that’s a different energy that a young team like that needs cuz they’re actually playing for one another to be the Draymond Green drama he spoke yesterday on his podcast for the first

Time since he got thrown out of the game the other night four minutes in after arguing with the official I want you to hear both what Draymond Green said and then later what his coach Steve Kerr said about it on the radio I said what I said I deserve to

Get kicked out at that point but yeah it just can’t happen and you know like we need to win games so like I said not going to overreact like oh man like stuff is Never As Good As It Seems it’s never as bad as it seems like I know

Where I am I understand what what I what I’m doing moving forward and in my position just make sure that that’s the exception and not the rule it was really unforgivable you know and I think Steph may have even been a little upset with himself for not

Pulling Draymond out of there but I think mostly it was just come on man you know we got we need this Raymond knows I mean he’s he’s a grown man he’s got to handle his own business any mention of Steph being culpable is just ridiculous the way Steph has carried our franchise

Presented our franchise uh for 15 years it’s absolutely ridiculous so in case you’re wondering where that conversation came from Jay you were right in the middle of it yesterday on first take the idea that perhaps the way Draymond continues to behave is a reflection on the leadership

Of the coach and of the Superstar yeah I I think people I was getting texts from people’s opinions who I value who were talking about Steph’s leadership now look I don’t think that’s in Steph’s personality nor do I think that will ever affect his legacy overall I I

That’s what other people who were texting me were saying not what I believed but what I do question is the the the front office’s ability to actually stand up to Draymond Green like Draymond Green is an alpha so my question now for this team who else is

An alpha that can combat another Alpha because when you’re in the locker room when you hear a guy publicly say yeah I know what it is you’re like why do I listen to that anymore what does that mean you’re apologizing what does that even mean to me greeny I can sit that

You’ve done this so many times before Where Do We Go From Here I think everybody inside that locker room is looking for the front office to lead this team on what’s next so is this a leadership issue Bart Scott I wanted you in here because again you were the fiery

Player who sometimes is right on the edge during your career yes once famously threw a penalty flag into the stands um so so so is is it reasonable for people to be questioning the leadership of those around Draymond I mean absolutely I mean you got to figure

Out who can hold him accountable because clearly the message isn’t getting through and right now you talk about production breeds tolerance well the productivity of the team and the team success isn’t there so now when you have this you have to focus on the culture and what’s happening here I don’t know

If it Zig odala the guy who can put him to the side but you know people who are responsible for holding people accountable needs to have somebody to hold them accountable as well clearly he hasn’t learned his lesson because he he’s smarter than this we know that Draymond is very articulate intelligent

Person he he doesn’t understand that’s not his line when you when you if you’re supposed to be a guy who’s trying to fix you know the issues and and in the narrative that that’s about you and you got suspended over the year you can’t have those comments and really you know

You see at the end Steph Curry kicking his seat down that’s the frustration because once again he has to be Superman when he’s supposed to have his buddy hold him accountable when he does things like that he he hangs his teammates out Steph Curry you know uh specifically and

You see Steph Curry like man I can’t I can’t man and then you want to come back and do this coming back no we ain’t cool if I was step I walk right by man I know I ain’t got time for this man I get it

And I understand all this Seth I want to come to you on this because you’re a coach and and part of being a coach is dealing with the individual personalities you’re not coaching a team you’re teaching you’re coaching a collection of individual people and I disagree with the notion that Draymond

Green is Draymond Green is not capable it is obvious he’s not doing this on purpose he’s not stopping and making a calculated decision well the consequences haven’t been ific enough to your point he’s an incredibly intelligent person he doesn’t not comprehend what’s going on here he doesn’t have the ability in certain

Moments to control his impulses and every now and again it turns into the kind of thing that we saw the other night or far worse which we have seen in the past so my question to you Seth is if you have an individual who you know

Is just at times going to not be able to control their own impulse I don’t blame that on the coach I don’t blame that on the organization I don’t blame it on Steph Curry and at some point you make up your mind well it no longer is worth

Whatever the downside of it brings us but they haven’t come to that conclusion yet and candidly I understand it they need him right now you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves and obviously look the guy was suspended in a championship series the guy was suspended 16 games to say

Well you know I know I got to deal with it at the end of the season they got to cut fate it’s plain and simple like you cannot continue to move on the way you’re moving on you the messaging from the organization eventually has to be you know the culture the identity what

We’ve built is bigger than Draymond Green he’s not better than his problems now it’s not like he could absolutely take over I love Draymond Green I love his competitiveness I love his toughness I love his versatility I love that he competes each and every play but he’s a

Distraction now he’s a sideshow now he’s taking away from the good of the group and you know what when the guy takes away from the good of the group The only person that can help and straighten out gaymond Draymond Green is Draymond Green the organization is culpable because basically they foree e fore

Am on be what I think spee spee you spee

FIRST TAKE | Pelicans are truly a contender for NBA Finals if Zion Williamson is healthy – Stephen A