Zion Williamson still has until May 29 to Withdraw

[The_Original_Baller]

I’ll bet anything if the Knicks won the draft no way would Zion be saying “anything can happen” with regards to who will be the #1 pick.

[The4thHorseman]

He could pull a Kobe and demand to play for one certain team or threaten to play overseas if it doesn't happen.

[LKN]

There was definitely a media bias last night for Zion to go to the Knicks but let’s be honest, Zion doesn’t want to go to New Orleans. New Orleans isn’t a great city. During the post draft interview Zion said he never been to New Orleans, and tried to push the view that “anything could happen, anyone might get drafted #1” when all night long before he was grinning and smiling when Rachel was saying he was the #1 pick, clearly after he saw it was New Orleans his tune changed. You can’t deny his body language and his resistance on accepting his #1 pick status is because he doesn’t want to go there.

Does that mean he prefers memphis? Because on the miniscule chance NO takes Morant with #1... that's where he would be.

There's a 99.9999% chance he goes #1 and there's a 100% chance he goes in the top 2

[mtron929]

I don't get it. When I was in my early 20's, most of my friends wanted to live in big cities (e.g. LA, SF, NY) after graduation. And if not within the US, a lot of people wanted to go to places like London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and enjoy the youth. No one talked about wanting to go to smaller less famous cities, and we talked about how we would go there only if we got paid more for the same job. This was a very common conversation we had and no one was critical.

Zion doesn't want to go to New Orleans. He prefers NY. That would make him similar to 80+% of the people in the US who are in his age. Let's not crucify him because he is disappointed. Of course, he is disappointed. I would be as well.

[Smirk]

This is getting interesting.
Let's see if He will cause some waves impose his will.

The fact that 93 people voted for him to withdraw should tell you kind of what you need to know about opinions on here.

[KingDavid]

He could go overseas for a year.... That'd be crazy.

[AFM]

Can always pull a Steve Francis and I'm not even kidding

[Jon1798]

There was definitely a media bias last night for Zion to go to the Knicks but let’s be honest, Zion doesn’t want to go to New Orleans. New Orleans isn’t a great city. During the post draft interview Zion said he never been to New Orleans, and tried to push the view that “anything could happen, anyone might get drafted #1” when all night long before he was grinning and smiling when Rachel was saying he was the #1 pick, clearly after he saw it was New Orleans his tune changed. You can’t deny his body language and his resistance on accepting his #1 pick status is because he doesn’t want to go there.

“Let’s be honest....NO isn’t a great city”

You lost me

[-G-]

This is ridiculous, come on now.

It is. If Rich Paul represented Zion and he didn't want to go to New Orleans, he would threaten to withdraw if the Pelicans didn't trade the #1 pick by May 29th. I think Griff calls that bluff, though.

I couldn't even call it leverage because the Pelicans would lose nothing even if he withdraws. The Pelicans still have the No.1 pick in this year draft. There is no point for the Pelicans to trade down.

This is a never-gonna-happen hypothetical, but they could trade the #1 pick to NYK for the #3 (RJ) + 1st rounders forever + more probably . Otherwise, if Zion withdrew, they'd just take Morant.

[skones]

Denver has always been competent. Milwaukee was always stuck in purgatory picking in the back half of the lottery besides “lucking into Jabari. Toronto is in a different country but they’ve been able to sustain competence for a over decade despite no top picks. GS has already turned that corner in the mid-2000 they were on the cusp.

Like dude, do you lack reading comprehension? I’m giving you a clear synopsis on their teams history & your arguing with me because of......?

LOL. All of this stuff is RIGHT in front of your face, easily verifiable, and you're just flat out ignoring it and accusing me of "reading comprehension?"

Denver averaged 25 wins a season for 8 years prior to acquiring Carmelo Anthony. Your perception of "competent" given their recent success, Exhibit A.

Milwaukee stuck in purgatory, much like New Orleans, now they're not. Exhibit B.

Toronto hasn't "sustained competence for over a decade." They've been a good solid team for 6 years. Prior to that for 7? Average wins per season 34. I suppose they should have been completely written off because they didn't get the job done with Bosh in town. Exhibit C.

Golden State was not "on the cusp" or "turning a corner in the mid 2000s. 94-12, The Warriors had ONE playoff appearance and that was the "We Believe" 42 win team. Average wins over that timespan? 29. Exhibit D.

New Orleans average wins since drafting Davis. 35.8, but they're incapable of a having a stroke of luck (ie. drafting Zion) and turning it around. k.

Denial of any of these examples because of recency bias is absolutely hilarious. You're not worth discussing with further.

[LKN]

This is getting interesting.
Let's see if He will cause some waves impose his will.

The fact that 93 people voted for him to withdraw should tell you kind of what you need to know about opinions on here.

[Smirk]

Zion doesn't want to go to New Orleans.

and you know this how?

A 10 seconds of broadcast?

Jeez you people are exhausting.

[ATRAIN53]

He could go overseas for a year.... That'd be crazy.

He'd pick this option before going back to NCAA

I thought once you hired an agent you could not?

So if this means he hasn't hired an agent yet?
That would make sense because if he did have one - how could the guy advise him to be on this draft telecast without telling him - you know Zion you COULD get drafted by a team you're not expecting and they will interview you afterwards. If that happens, do this - do this and whatever you do - DON'T do this.....like dis the city who is in line to pay you 50+million dollars.

He could make more $$$ than he would in the NBA in EURO League I would think?
Some team would pay him more than the NBA rookie scale for the year of attention. That's a no brainer.

It's hard to imagine he would pick playing for a Team in Turkey like Fenerbahce over New Orleans.
I've been to New Orleans, it can't be worse than some unknown parts of Turkey.
Risk blowing out a knee there and zillions of $$$ just because you don't like gumbo?

His former asst Coach Scheyer did play in TelAviv, he could be advising

I think the best part is how jealous he looked of Barrett who IS gong to NYC now
all year all the attention focused on Zion and Barret was probably jealous of the kids oppertunities in a big city.
RJ now like 'lemme know when you visit Manhattan, you can come see my killer pad and the fine NYC women.....'

[BIG SCIENCE]

What if he withdraws and NO wins lottery again next year? Can't he do a Steve Francis and force a trade?

[BoBBo!]

Personally, I love the city of New Orleans, I like their addition of Griffin to the front office and I like their collection of talent with Holiday, Randle & AD (or the chips they get back for him). It's not a wasteland IMO.

However, wouldn't it be better for him to pull a Steve Francis and threaten to not report to New Orleans if they draft him as opposed to withdraw? The optics won't be good for him (although he can throw his agent in front of the media bus to help shield his reputation) but it's better than returning to Duke and running the risk of injury or losing his aura. Is there anything really restricting this from happening?

[NBAFan93]

If I’m him, I 100% will explore this option.

The Pelicans are almost guaranteed to ruin the first 5-7 years of his career. Sure he’ll have a guaranteed 2 year contract in the NBA if he were to get injured, but at some point you have to look at what’s happened right before eyes & be smart. Return to college next year to “grow” & sit out a ton of games if you have to.

He controls his destiny right now.

This concept is easy to understand, hard to comprehend for most people.

Not sure why everyone is up in arms, he has every right to control his life, he owes the Pelicans nothing.

He owes nobody nothing, not Silver, not the NBA owners or even the city of New Orleans. The draft is an old concept that needs to be restructured. Here you have a kid that can make money wherever he goes, Zion has a tremendous following online from around the world he can be a global superstar even if doesn't set one foot in the NBA. Will get exercise his free will to control his in destiny and would the NBA black ball him if he does.

Some of these petulant and entitled posts in this thread are ridiculous.

So the guy entered a draft filled w/ 14 teams that missed the playoffs where there was over an 80% chance he’d end up on a team that is a non-desirable location - and he’s going to throw a hissy fit cause a 1 out of 5 odds thing didn’t happen? Was he literally expecting the league to rig the lottery for him to go to the Knicks? Cause the way some of these posts are so outraged about what happened it sounds like everyone did.

And LOL about him using his brand to work out in a gym instead of playing so he can force himself to a desirable team - which with the way the big markets have been playing in recent years I’m not even sure where that would be. We don’t even know with certainty he’s going to be as good in the NBA as his hype, so good luck to him w/ all the sitting out. And the “following” will dry up real quick if he disappoints when he gets to the league - especially after a stunt like some of describing. Talk about putting pressure on oneself.

[Sprewell4Three]

This concept is easy to understand, hard to comprehend for most people.

Not sure why everyone is up in arms, he has every right to control his life, he owes the Pelicans nothing.

He owes nobody nothing, not Silver, not the NBA owners or even the city of New Orleans. The draft is an old concept that needs to be restructured. Here you have a kid that can make money wherever he goes, Zion has a tremendous following online from around the world he can be a global superstar even if doesn't set one foot in the NBA. Will get exercise his free will to control his in destiny and would the NBA black ball him if he does.

Some of these petulant and entitled posts in this thread are ridiculous.

So the guy entered a draft filled w/ 14 teams that missed the playoffs where there was over an 80% chance he’d end up on a team that is a non-desirable location - and he’s going to throw a hissy fit cause a 1 out of 5 odds thing didn’t happen? Was he literally expecting the league to rig the lottery for him to go to the Knicks? Cause the way some of these posts are so outraged about what happened it sounds like everyone did.

And LOL about him using his brand to work out in a gym instead of playing so he can force himself to a desirable team - which with the way the big markets have been playing in recent years I’m not even sure where that would be. We don’t even know with certainty he’s going to be as good in the NBA as his hype, so good luck to him w/ all the sitting out. And the “following” will dry up real quick if he disappoints when he gets to the league - especially after a stunt like some of describing. Talk about putting pressure on oneself.

How do you know he threw a hissy fit? Or you just created this scenario out of thin air?

[NBAFan93]

He owes nobody nothing, not Silver, not the NBA owners or even the city of New Orleans. The draft is an old concept that needs to be restructured. Here you have a kid that can make money wherever he goes, Zion has a tremendous following online from around the world he can be a global superstar even if doesn't set one foot in the NBA. Will get exercise his free will to control his in destiny and would the NBA black ball him if he does.

Some of these petulant and entitled posts in this thread are ridiculous.

So the guy entered a draft filled w/ 14 teams that missed the playoffs where there was over an 80% chance he’d end up on a team that is a non-desirable location - and he’s going to throw a hissy fit cause a 1 out of 5 odds thing didn’t happen? Was he literally expecting the league to rig the lottery for him to go to the Knicks? Cause the way some of these posts are so outraged about what happened it sounds like everyone did.

And LOL about him using his brand to work out in a gym instead of playing so he can force himself to a desirable team - which with the way the big markets have been playing in recent years I’m not even sure where that would be. We don’t even know with certainty he’s going to be as good in the NBA as his hype, so good luck to him w/ all the sitting out. And the “following” will dry up real quick if he disappoints when he gets to the league - especially after a stunt like some of describing. Talk about putting pressure on oneself.

How do you know he threw a hissy fit? Or you just created this scenario out of thin air?

Threatening to withdrawal or not report cause drafted by a team he doesn’t like is a “hissy fit”. That’s what some of these posters on here are saying he should do.

And honestly it was probably more like a 5% chance of a desirable team cause most of the desirable locations probably would have just traded him for AD anyways.

If he really wanted to control his destiny he shouldn’t have went in the draft to begin with.

[Sprewell4Three]

Some of these petulant and entitled posts in this thread are ridiculous.

So the guy entered a draft filled w/ 14 teams that missed the playoffs where there was over an 80% chance he’d end up on a team that is a non-desirable location - and he’s going to throw a hissy fit cause a 1 out of 5 odds thing didn’t happen? Was he literally expecting the league to rig the lottery for him to go to the Knicks? Cause the way some of these posts are so outraged about what happened it sounds like everyone did.

And LOL about him using his brand to work out in a gym instead of playing so he can force himself to a desirable team - which with the way the big markets have been playing in recent years I’m not even sure where that would be. We don’t even know with certainty he’s going to be as good in the NBA as his hype, so good luck to him w/ all the sitting out. And the “following” will dry up real quick if he disappoints when he gets to the league - especially after a stunt like some of describing. Talk about putting pressure on oneself.

How do you know he threw a hissy fit? Or you just created this scenario out of thin air?

Threatening to withdrawal or not report cause drafted by a team he doesn’t like is a “hissy fit”. That’s what some of these posters on here are saying he should do.

And honestly it was probably more like a 5% chance of a desirable team cause most of the desirable locations probably would have just traded him for AD anyways.

If he really wanted to control his destiny he shouldn’t have went in the draft to begin with.

Thats their opinion, you made it seem like Zion did do that.

[Antinomy]

Denver has always been competent. Milwaukee was always stuck in purgatory picking in the back half of the lottery besides “lucking into Jabari. Toronto is in a different country but they’ve been able to sustain competence for a over decade despite no top picks. GS has already turned that corner in the mid-2000 they were on the cusp.

Like dude, do you lack reading comprehension? I’m giving you a clear synopsis on their teams history & your arguing with me because of......?

LOL. All of this stuff is RIGHT in front of your face, easily verifiable, and you're just flat out ignoring it and accusing me of "reading comprehension?"

Denver averaged 25 wins a season for 8 years prior to acquiring Carmelo Anthony. Your perception of "competent" given their recent success, Exhibit A.

Milwaukee stuck in purgatory, much like New Orleans, now they're not. Exhibit B.

Toronto hasn't "sustained competence for over a decade." They've been a good solid team for 6 years. Prior to that for 7? Average wins per season 34. I suppose they should have been completely written off because they didn't get the job done with Bosh in town. Exhibit C.

Golden State was not "on the cusp" or "turning a corner in the mid 2000s. 94-12, The Warriors had ONE playoff appearance and that was the "We Believe" 42 win team. Average wins over that timespan? 29. Exhibit D.

New Orleans average wins since drafting Davis. 35.8, but they're incapable of a having a stroke of luck (ie. drafting Zion) and turning it around. k.

Denial of any of these examples because of recency bias is absolutely hilarious. You're not worth discussing with further.

I’m not bothering with you anymore. Your own post proves exactly what I’m saying about them. 35.8 wins per year is abysmal with an ATG on your roster. Not having a single 50 win season with AD on your roster is abysmal. Only having one 50 win season between CO3 & AD is abysmal.

Toronto managed to keep their head above water for years & had to appeal to international players because nobody would sign there.

Denver had prior success in their franchises history & once they got a “star” like Carmelo they’ve sustained their relevance for over 15 years even after they traded him. That is a clear sign of competency.

Warriors under Don Nelson were always a gimmicky team that played super small ball & outscore people. Once they nabbed a player like Curry, they haven’t looked back.

Milwaukee was in purgatory because they were never bad enough to pick high in the lottery & never good enough to win anything. As SOON as Giannis took off they became contenders. NOLA has had THAT kind of guy multiple times.

New Orleans HAD Chris Paul. Were still terrible. Had one 50 win year then fell off. Drafted AD & still hasn’t won 50 games. And now they’re coming full circle AGAIN for another ATG talent.

All of those other franchises were terrible or floating around til they got that ONE guy & now they’re sustaining success. New Orleans is on their THIRD guy & things still aren’t looking up. Some franchises haven’t even had their FIRST guy. That’s what I’m complaining about.

Why is that so difficult for you to comprehend?