Tag: Willie Green

Zion Williamson will be around Pelicans starting tomorrow

Andrew Lopez: Willie Green said Zion Williamson will not be on the bench tonight but will be around the team starting tomorrow. Source: Twitter @_Andrew_Lopez What’s the buzz on Twitter? Andrew Lopez @ _Andrew_Lopez Willie Green said Zion Williamson …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Andrew Lopez @_Andrew_Lopez
Willie Green said Zion Williamson will not be on the bench tonight but will be around the team starting tomorrow. – 6:28 PM
Scott Kushner @ScottDKushner
HELLO!
It’s @polkandkush Day!
– ZION is back in town
– The Pelicans go up and down
– Saints literally have no QB
– LaToya named national infrastructure leader…
– Ruston education leader caught in the lewdness
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pol… – 9:51 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
New @FrontOfficeShow is up! @Trevor_Lane and I talk Draymond coming back soon, Zion’s extension options, and then we went deep on all the picks owned and owed in the 1st round of the 2022 NBA Draft. We broke down the protections & projections for all 30!
youtu.be/5rXcDFo3MLA – 4:11 PM
Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 What CJ McCollum adds to the offense
🏀 How CJ unlocks Brandon Ingram
🏀 Chemistry with Zion will be just fine
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzBFEv
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBES9YyFq pic.twitter.com/j9i4sRd2MU – 3:30 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 What CJ McCollum adds to the offense
🏀 How CJ unlocks Brandon Ingram
🏀 Chemistry with Zion will be just fine
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzTh35
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBESaga40 pic.twitter.com/pYnIcdme5s – 12:59 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 What CJ McCollum adds to the offense
🏀 How CJ unlocks Brandon Ingram
🏀 Chemistry with Zion will be just fine
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzBFEv
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBES9YyFq pic.twitter.com/4s48kEDgdt – 11:30 AM

Jake Madison @NOLAJake
Locked On Pelicans is live!
🏀 What CJ McCollum adds to the offense
🏀 How CJ unlocks Brandon Ingram
🏀 Chemistry with Zion will be just fine
🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzTh35
Watch on YouTube!
📺 https://t.co/4DBESaga40 pic.twitter.com/e5TemG6nwS – 10:38 AM

Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Don’t forget about Zion.
“If we call Morant’s age-22 season “impressive,” what word do we use to describe the fact that at 20, Williamson averaged 27 points per game and started in the NBA All-Star Game?
How quickly we seem to forget.”
✍️ @GMcGregor21
sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/ja… – 10:21 AM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Wondering how things might go down with Zion Williamson’s extension talks this summer? Me too!
For @spotrac I wrote about how everything is on the table for Zion and NO. And I mean everything. This is a situation unlike any we’ve seen before. Read more:
spotrac.com/research/nba/t… – 9:09 AM
Jake Madison @NOLAJake
How CJ McCollum unlocks Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans offense | Chemistry with Zion will be fine
https://t.co/kY2BKR9K1x pic.twitter.com/X86tGkSmbh – 12:44 AM

Kerry Eggers @kerryeggers
I’ll miss Zion Williamson. It’s been so much fun seeing him around town.
#RipCity – 9:16 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
New @FrontOfficeShow is up! @Trevor_Lane and I talked about Jarrett Allen being out, Lakers drama, Zion back to New Orleans for rehab, some transactions and more. Watch, like and subscribe below! 20K on the way!
youtu.be/MRYderk8GcA – 6:31 PM
Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Zion Williamson returns to New Orleans, will reportedly rejoin Pelicans next week
sportando.basketball/en/zion-willia… – 1:31 PM
Chris Vernon @ChrisVernonShow
Seriously hope Zion actually does come back because Pels/ Lakers look to be on play-in collision course. Loser leaves town match. Imagine that. – 10:20 PM

More on this storyline

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has returned to the city after spending nearly two months in Portland rehabbing his injured foot away from the team, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Williamson, who fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the summer, is set to rejoin the team next week. Sources told ESPN that Williamson will not travel with the team initially, and with the Pelicans set for a quick two-game road trip to Denver and Memphis, Williamson will be back around the team when it returns to New Orleans. -via ESPN / March 7, 2022
While he remains out indefinitely, he is now set to take the next step in his rehab process around the team, sources said. Williamson has not progressed to the point where he can even play one-on-0 yet but will work toward that under the supervision of the Pelicans’ strength and training staff. -via ESPN / March 7, 2022

Pelicans coach Willie Green reminisces on time with Sixers, Elton Brand

New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green recalls his time playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and his time with Elton Brand.

Before he became coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, Willie Green carved out a solid career in the NBA. Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 41st pick in the 2003 NBA draft, Green played 12 years in the league, seven of them with the Sixers.

Green averaged 9.4 points and 1.9 rebounds while starting 211 games for the Sixers during his career and he also started 12 of the 17 playoff games he played in for Philadelphia. He is a guy who did the defensive dirty work while also giving the team some solid guard play.

He was then sent to the then-New Orleans Hornets and as he made his return to Philadelphia on Tuesday with the Pelicans as a coach, Green had nothing but good things to say about the city and the organization.

“Even before I walked in, the moment the plane lands in Philadelphia, there’s a connection,” said Green. “This city, this organization, is a part of what raised me in the NBA and I’m grateful to have started my career here. Then walking through these doors just brings back so many memories and great times with my teammates, the staff here, and the fans.”

Green also played with current Sixers general manager Elton Brand in the 2008-09 season. That was Brand’s first season in Philadelphia and while his playing career with the Sixers wasn’t anything hugely special, but he was able to still make an impact on his teammates.

“Elton was great,” Green explained. “He took a lot of us young guys under his wing, kinda showed us the ropes, watched film with us, and he was everything you wanted in a star, a leader, and a role model at that time here in Philly.”

Other than his connection with Brand, there is also a connection with Sixers coach Doc Rivers for Green. He played for Rivers for two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers and he had a big influence on Green getting into coaching.

“Doc has been great,” he stated. “I played for him with the Clippers, from that time on, he always predicted that I would have an opportunity to coach in this league and we stay on text messages, he’s been influential in my development as a coach, and we’ll go out and compete and after, we’ll continue to talk about basketball like we normally do.”

New Orleans got off to a tough start in the 2021-22 season as they started 2-14. Rivers was then texting Green to give him encouragement and the Pelicans began picking it up as they are now 18-29 on the season following a loss to the Sixers on Tuesday.

“Yeah, he has,’ Green said of Rivers communicating with him. “Especially early in the season when it was tough for our team. We didn’t have a great start and Doc was one of the coaches that I leaned on and we would text each other back and forth.”

Despite Green now being with the Pelicans, his contributions for the Sixers and his connections will always be there for him.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Willie Green, Pelicans give their respect to Sixers star Joel Embiid

Willie Green and the New Orleans Pelicans give their respect to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid.

These days, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid is earning the respect of everybody around the league as he has been putting on big performance after big performance in order to lift his team to victories.

He did so again on Tuesday when he had 42 points and 14 rebounds as he lifted Philadelphia to a 117-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The big fella shot 12-for-24 from the floor and he knocked down 18 of his 20 free throws as the Pelicans had no answer for him.

Before the game, Pelicans coach Willie Green tried to come up with a game plan on how to stop Embiid.

“Don’t let him touch the ball,” Green laughed. “No, he’s been on a tear lately. He’s an MVP candidate the way he’s been playing this season, he’s healthy, he’s in shape, he’s carrying the team, he’s a load. We gotta send multiple guys at him, like most teams have tried to do, but he’s seen it all.”

Green had his shorthanded team playing hard as they were missing four of their five starters as well as the continued absence of Zion Williamson. They were able to even take a double-digit lead in the first half thanks to the play of Willy Hernangomez who had 29 points of his own having to defend Embiid.

“As a player, you always try to challenge yourself because you wanna play the best players every night,” said Hernangomez. “Today (Tuesday), same as yesterday, I was watching all of the feed of Embiid. I would always like to play against him. He’s one of the best centers in the league, if not the best. I was taught to be aggressive, make him work on the defensive side, and then try to attack him as well, you know he’s gotta guard me as well.”

Hernangomez tried to tire Embiid out, but he ended up exhausting himself trying to defend the big fella while also providing some needed offense for New Orleans.

“I tried to do my best, honestly,” he added. “I’m exhausted and he still got 40, but he’s a one-of-a-kind player. It’s always a pleasure to play against him. I learn in many ways and he gave me confidence as well. If I say, ‘I can do that against Embiid why not against the next body?’ So, I’m just ready for the next game.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Willie Green preaches the importance of ‘connecting with players’

For Willie Green, coaching goes far beyond just the X’s and O’s.

After a long search and many interviews, the New Orleans Pelicans officially introduced new head coach Willie Green on Tuesday morning.

“We’re going to coach with love and accountability. You’re going to see a team that goes out and represents this city,” Green said. “We talked about being joyous…we want to have a good time doing it.”

Love. That was a main subject of today’s press conference.

Green made it clear that ‘connecting with players’ and showing that you care about one another will be the foundation of this organization.

“When I think about coaching…the best coaches are not the X’s and O’s. People can do that. The best coaches are the ones that you know care about you,” Green said. “And connecting with players is no different than just connecting with people. You quickly realize you have a lot more in common than you don’t.”

Pelicans officially announce Willie Green as head coach

The 12-year NBA veteran officially named the eighth head coach in Pelicans history.

The New Orleans Pelicans officially have their new leader.

Today, the New Orleans Pelicans announced Willie Green as the eighth head coach in franchise history.

“After an extensive and collaborative search, Willie stood out among an impressive group of candidates as the best person to lead our team moving forward,” Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson said.

Green, fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals with the Suns, has spent the last two seasons as an assistant on Monty Williams’ staff in Phoenix.

“We are very happy to welcome Willie as our new head coach and we look forward to working with him to guide our team on the court as we work towards bringing a championship to New Orleans.”