Stan Van Gundy slams Knicks over Zion Williamson trade rumors

Stan Van Gundy, the last person to actually coach Zion Williamson in a NBA game, believes the discussion about the superstar’s relocation to New York is not only premature, it’s indicative of false hopes created by the Knicks and the organization’s …

Stan Van Gundy, the last person to actually coach Zion Williamson in a NBA game, believes the discussion about the superstar’s relocation to New York is not only premature, it’s indicative of false hopes created by the Knicks and the organization’s continued “arrogance.” “It’s possible,” he said of Williamson going to the Knicks. “But listen. The Knicks have this thing and it’s amazing. No matter how many times people have proven they don’t want to play for the Knicks, the Knicks have this idea that everybody in the league wants to play for New York,” Van Gundy told ‘The Dan Le Batard Show.’ “Now when is the last time it actually happened that somebody actually came and tried to get their way to New York? Like, never in the last 20 years? But still the Knicks and the Knicks fans think everybody is trying to get to the Knicks. I’m not saying (Zion) won’t end up there — there’s all kinds of ways people can end up somewhere — but this idea that everybody wants to be a New York Knick. I mean if that were the case then they wouldn’t be as bad as they’ve been for the last 20 years.”

Source: Stefan Bondy @ New York Daily News

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Matt Babcock @MattBabcock11
There’s a lot of talent here at the Gary Rhoades Classic in Denver. Donda Academy is up next, and I’ll be focusing on top players Zion Cruz, JJ Taylor, Robert Dillingham, Brandon White, and Jahki Howard. pic.twitter.com/TU4WTDR9i48:40 PM

Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
ICYMI: Lowe Post podcast: @Andrew Lopez on what’s happening with Zion/future of Pels, then @ Jon Krawczynski on the strange and fun and pretty good Wolves:
Apple: apple.co/3hguKe4
Spotify: spoti.fi/3HhnHN45:38 PM
Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Stan Van Gundy slams Knicks’ ‘arrogance’ as Zion rumors swirl nydailynews.com/sports/basketb…2:43 PM
Chad Ford @chadfordinsider
NBA Top 25 Under 25 rank
🏀Luka or Tatum?
🏀Ja or Trae?
🏀Mobley, Scottie or Cade?
🏀LaMelo or AntMan?
🏀What’s up with Zion?
📖 Read: nbabigboard.com/p/2022-top-25-…
🎧Listen to @Barlowe500 and I debate the list on the Big Board Pod: nbabigboard.com/p/-podcast-deb…2:00 PM
Yaron Weitzman @YaronWeitzman
This week’s Starting Five, for @FOX Sports News / @FOXSports, on post-All-Star storylines:
🏀 Beasts in the East
🏀 Draymond’s Status
🏀 MVP Race
🏀 What’s Going on With Zion?
🏀 Return of Passive Aggressive LeBron
youtu.be/u-fSv3HxSWY10:29 AM
Oleh Kosel @OlehKosel
“I think you guys are making it a distraction.”
CJ McCollum may have a point. After pondering long and hard about the events that unfolded this week, Zion Williamson deserves to be cut some slack. Or maybe a lot. https://t.co/zKlCDEPmcG pic.twitter.com/plwbaQ95FJ7:04 AM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Of f*cking course the Zion float is stuck in front of @MasonGinsberg and me – 7:44 PM
Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA
Lowe Post podcast: @Andrew Lopez on what the heck is going on with Zion/future of the Pels, then @ Jon Krawczynski on the weirdo Wolves tweaking their defense, making a playoff push, and re-engaging the fan base:
Apple: apple.co/3hguKe4
Spotify: spoti.fi/3HhnHN45:48 PM
CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Pelicans’ CJ McCollum defends Zion Williamson: ‘Leave the young fella alone’
cbssports.com/nba/news/pelic…5:39 PM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Disconnect between Zion Williamson, Pelicans reportedly due to lack of trust with David Griffin nba.nbcsports.com/2022/02/24/dis…5:00 PM
Christian Clark @cclark_13
CJ McCollum and Zion have spoken. When the Pelicans’ young star is ready, McCollum said the team will welcome him back “with open arms.”
“He’s a guy who can move mountains,” McCollum said. nola.com/sports/pelican…4:45 PM
Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 Unanswered questions with Zion
🏀 Why the freaking Knicks?
🏀 Is anyone free of blame?
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzTh35
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBESaga40 pic.twitter.com/MRlA4r2zt43:30 PM

Oleh Kosel @OlehKosel
CJ McCollum on Zion Williamson: “Leave the young fella alone, man. He’s trying to rehab in peace, right, and get himself ready to get back. We spoke and I’ll speak to him next week to catch up with him. He’s a very talented player and he’s going through a lot.” 1/2 – 3:07 PM
Will Guillory @WillGuillory
Zion Williamson’s latest post to his IG stories pic.twitter.com/LWMAQvk08z1:19 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 Unanswered questions with Zion
🏀 Why the freaking Knicks?
🏀 Is anyone free of blame?
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzBFEv
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBES9YyFq pic.twitter.com/H4iew0HzC412:59 PM

Chad Ford @chadfordinsider
Teams w/ most players in our Top 25 under 25
Cavs: Mobley, Garland, Allen
Hawks: Trae, Collins, Okongwu
Grizzlies: Ja, Jackson
Thunder: Shai, Giddey
Hornets: Ball, Bridges
Pelicans: Zion, Ingram
Players 11-25: https://t.co/ZeBFSwOX6d
Players 1-10: https://t.co/M10lynKiYU pic.twitter.com/QabmL0Jcsk12:41 PM

Matt Babcock @MattBabcock11
I’m looking forward to attending the Gary Rhoades Classic tomorrow at Aurora Central HS in Colorado, where I’ll see some of the country’s top young talent, including Adem Bona, M.J. Rice, Zion Cruz, J.J. Taylor, and Robert Dillingham, among others. pic.twitter.com/OyoFV8SmfX12:06 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 Unanswered questions with Zion
🏀 Why the freaking Knicks?
🏀 Is anyone free of blame?
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzBFEv
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBES9YyFq pic.twitter.com/fi8iqRfIm011:30 AM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 Unanswered questions with Zion
🏀 Why the freaking Knicks?
🏀 Is anyone free of blame?
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzTh35
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBESaga40 pic.twitter.com/l3gAQLaRnn9:47 AM

Christian Clark @cclark_13
New: How do you explain the disconnect between Zion and the Pelicans?
A lack of trust.
Specifically, a lack of trust between Zion and his camp, and David Griffin. nola.com/sports/pelican…8:54 AM
Ric Bucher @RicBucher
Zion is Latest Proof that Being a No. 1 Pick Requires More Than Talent shows.acast.com/bucher-and-fri… via @acast4:33 AM
Dave Mason @DeuceMason
Felt GREAT to be back after a week.
Talked Kings final 22 games, LeBron in LA and what’s going on with Zion?
P.S. My Razor Ramon intro was elite
🔊: https://t.co/gUFGeNL0u3
📺: https://t.co/NcIfj4mi1B pic.twitter.com/rKr0PQ0MiE12:11 AM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
592 players have appeared in a regular season NBA game this season, an all-time record.
Here are the players on opening day rosters who have appeared in 0 games this season, a list that includes 5 former All-Stars (Wall, Kawhi Leonard, Oladipo, Zion Williamson, Simmons). pic.twitter.com/etM7aZFY1p8:30 PM

Jason Walker @JasonWalkerNBA
Folks saying Zion is a bust. I must be looking at the wrong Zion then 🤣🤣🤣
basketball-reference.com/players/w/will…8:16 PM
Jake Madison @NOLAJake
I lied in today’s podcast. I said we wouldn’t talk about Zion tomorrow but we’re gonna talk more about Zion – 7:43 PM
Justin Verrier @JustinVerrier
New Group Chat w/ @Rob Mahoney and special guest
@ChrisRyan77: Does LeBron want out? Does Zion want out? Is Kyrie back in? Plus the most intriguing second-half storylines.
open.spotify.com/episode/2y9q02…4:53 PM
Jason Walker @JasonWalkerNBA
Atlanta Hawks fans: “I’m just going to take as many Zion Williamsons as I can grab…” pic.twitter.com/kc8S4tG4Wb3:14 PM

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Goran Dragic said he picked the #Nets from among a group of six contenders to play with the new Big 3 and for his mentor Steve Nash. Adds KD, Ben Simmons and others texted him in the recruitment process. Sounds different than Zion in NOLA. #nba2:54 PM
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
NEW @TheCrossover Pod w/@Howard Beck: Digging into LBJ’s comments about Cleveland, what’s gone right in Boston, JJ Redick sounds off on Zion and why locker room access is important to media—and you. Links: https://t.co/s1qU1R6PmL pic.twitter.com/uORgxtx9FX2:26 PM

Dwight Jaynes @dwightjaynes
OK, thanks for the Zion DMs. I am sworn to secrecy but know he’s safely hidden away in the area. Whew. Mystery solved. – 1:21 PM
Chris Kirschner @ChrisKirschner
Zion Williamson’s actions suggest he doesn’t want to be in NOLA.
If the Pelicans do explore trades, the Hawks absolutely should be aggressive in pairing him with Trae Young.
That and more in part 1 of the Hawks mailbag. Subscribe for $1/month ⬇️
theathletic.com/3145079/2022/0…12:30 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Jeff Van Gundy tells @Frank Isola & @Brian Scalabrine what advice he would give Zion Williamson right now.
#WBD pic.twitter.com/xFxO3kCwYj12:30 PM

Michael Scotto @MikeAScotto
A look at the futures of LeBron James and Zion Williamson, NBA free agency, why Goran Dragic signed with the Nets, a Joe Harris injury update, and more with @Yossi Gozlan on the @Jorge Sierra podcast. hoopshype.com/lists/nba-rumo…10:31 AM
Tom Ziller @teamziller
Zion isn’t doing his job as the cornerstone superstar of an NBA franchise. But the people who run that franchise aren’t doing their jobs either. Lots of failure to go around. 🔓 ziller.substack.com/p/the-mutual-f…9:18 AM

More on this storyline

Van Gundy, who was fired by the Pelicans in June, is skeptical. Williamson, who hasn’t played all season following foot surgery, is eligible for an extension in the summer. As Van Gundy noted, no player has turned down a max extension coming off his rookie deal. “Yes, the league has changed. Yes, if a player like Zion decides he wants to force his way out and go to New York — assuming New York has anything that New Orleans would want — then he may go there. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Van Gundy said. “He’s up for an extension this summer. Even though he will have only played 85 games in three years, we’ve seen it with Joel Embiid and other people. No one yet has passed on signing the extension. No one yet. It’s too lucrative. So he’s first got to sign. And then it normally takes a year or two before people are forcing themselves somewhere else. So I think we’re a little bit premature on all of this. And I don’t know what the Knicks would have that New Orleans would jump at right now. I just don’t. Who would they want? Evan Fournier?” -via New York Daily News / February 26, 2022
However, another former member of the Pelicans came out with his own explanation of the Zion situation. Stan Van Gundy, who was the team’s coach last year, shared his insight on Zion Williamson’s situation in The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz podcast. ‘Zion at times can certainly be detached. When he’s playing I didn’t think he was detached at all last year. But when he’s not playing – off-season, breaks, injured, whatever – I think he just wants to be by himself. I think he doesn’t like not playing, he wants to be by himself and get ready, that’s a big part of it. And at that point all he wants to do is get back and play to re-attach.’ -via Clutch Points / February 25, 2022
Andrew Lopez: CJ McCollum on Zion: “Leave the young fella alone. He’s trying to rehab in peace, trying to get himself ready to come back. We spoke and I’ll spoke to him later this week or next week.” Added: “He’ll be healthy eventually and when he is we’ll welcome him with open arms.” -via Twitter @_Andrew_Lopez / February 24, 2022