In New Orleans, the Pelicans are hoping their new big three with Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram is enough to take them to new heights in the West.
But before they do anything of importance in the NBA next season, Zion and B.I. are going to have to pick up the phone.
On Twitter Saturday, the Pelicans encouraged the pair of youngsters to pick up CJ’s FaceTime calls, and it caught a lot of attention from fans.
Hey @Zionwilliamson and @B_Ingram13…. @CJMcCollum said to answer the phone 😂 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Z6K0W6ga1B
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) August 6, 2022
As one Twitter user pointed out in the comments, nobody should suspect that something serious is going on here. CJ and the Pels would not have brought so much attention to it if it was an actual problem.
Still, Pelicans fans have a right to be worried. In the aftermath of McCollum’s trade last season, he made a pretty revealing statement about his welcome to the franchise and who was not so quick to contact him.
“I haven’t had conversations with him directly,” McCollum said. “I’ve spoken with some people close to him and look forward to sitting down with him sooner than later. I know about as much as you do right now, but I’m gonna get to the bottom of it.”
The story was pretty big at the time and generated a lot of intense reactions from fans, players, and experts — including JJ Redick, who blasted Williamson on ESPN.
“There’s a general decorum of behavior that you need to apply as a teammate,” said Redick. “Like, this just shows a complete lack of investment in your team, in the organization, in the city. I get that he’s hurt and away from the team, but you just traded for one of the 50 best players in the league, a guy that’s supposed to be paired with you. Reach out and say hello.”
Needless to say, McCollum’s transition to New Orleans wasn’t the smoothest, and Zion’s future with the franchise remains shrouded in doubt.
But there is a sense that something special is happening to the team. If the “big three” can stay healthy and figure out how to play together, it could launch NOLA into uncharted territory next season.
