The New Orleans Pelicans Can’t Make the Same Mistakes as Cleveland

How New Orleans Can Avoid a Repeat

Recently MSN Sports suggested that Zion Williamson start demanding the New Orleans Pelicans surround him with talent, essentially recommending they follow Cleveland’s disastrous plan:

We won’t spend time ripping into this article as the good people of Twitter have already ratio’ed it into oblivion.

This is the exact opposite of what the New Orleans Pelicans should do, but luckily David Griffin knows it.

He saw what happened with LeBron in Cleveland before taking the job and knows not to make the same mistakes with Zion.

Firstly, I should say that Zion is not LeBron. Yes, they were both hyped, and yes, they both had great rookie campaigns, but LeBron never seemed to like the pressure of playing for his hometown fans when he was young.

He and his team had tremendous pressure because LeBron was from there and people in Cleveland have no confidence in their city. They knew LeBron would eventually leave for a place with a functioning sun.

Zion Williamson is not cut from the same cloth. He seems to really enjoy New Orleans, which happens to be one of the best cities in the United States, tailor-made for a humble kid from the South like Zion.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t leave.

The New Orleans Pelicans need to keep doing what they’ve already done, which is to surround Zion with a core that is roughly the same age.

Not only are they more likely to get along as humans, but they can grow and develop chemistry.

New Orleans cannot fall into the trap of constantly trying to bring in some over-the-hill free agent like Shaq or Jamison.

They need to pick and choose carefully guys who complement not just Zion, but everyone else.

They should look for savvy trades that will add ascending young guys to their coffers so that they are not constantly passing on young talent in the draft in favor of older veterans.

Every team needs a few veteran leaders and the New Orleans Pelicans have great example of one in J.J. Redick.

They also have enough draft picks to make a big trade, but they should look for guys who are in or entering their peak, not well past it.

Keep Zion surrounded with guys his age so they can grow and bond together and he will want to stay. Make him carry an old team like LeBron constantly had to and we’ll have to watch him take his talents to one of the coasts.

It’s simple for the New Orleans Pelicans really:  Just don’t be Cleveland.

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