America is Turning into Zion Williamson

Do you remember the last time Zion played in an NBA game? I’m not going to tell you, because I don’t remember. And it's not worth looking up. I remember his FIRST NBA game. He was on a minutes restriction, but came in the 4th quarter and hit three 3's in a row. The Smoothie King center was going bananas. Everyone watching who was a Zion fan was going bananas. This was his coming out party.

Welcome to the 2020-2021 season. Welcome to a foot injury. A knee injury. Then a foot injury. Then a foot surgery. He'll be back in 6 weeks (in April of 2021). It's going to take a little longer than expected (in May). He had a setback (in October).

Before I go onto criticize Zion and how the Pelicans organization mistreated him, I want to make it clear I love(d) Zion. Seeing him in warmups in the Garden was unbelievable. Seeing him at Shooters (a Duke bar) was even better - I showed him a Facebook status of mine where I shouted him out. He smiled, dabbed me up, and I felt like a million bucks. He had an infectious personality. Such a winner.

But what happened? Why couldn't the organization figure it out? I don't have all the answers, but I'll tell you one thing. All they did was rest and protect and rest and protect and say it will get better soon. They found themselves in a never ending cycle of over resting and over protecting their star player that he never could find his way to the court. And then he got out of shape. And he probably isn't in the best mental state of mind, given how long he has been off the court. It was a recipe for disaster from the beginning, including the minutes restriction on opening night.

Zion probably feels on his own. A feeling, that I think, most of us, didn't want to have from the years...200 BC to 2019. Do we remember that? When grounding someone and staying home was a punishment that led to temper tantrums and drama? Or isolation cells in prison from the movies and probably real-life is not the place you want to be. Without seeing anyone. Talking to anyone. Going from place to place. It's not healthy - there's a reason why it's thought of as a punishment in a lot of settings.

Everything has been sensationalized over the past 36 months (including Zion's anticipated return to the court), that people are listening to the wrong things mentally. And forgetting certain simple dynamics. Like saying hello or happy new year to someone you don't know is a GOOD thing. Like grabbing lunch with co-workers to break up the day is a GOOD thing. We used to get sick (I used to get sick ALL the time), we used to joke about getting each other sick - "you got me sick", smile. "god damn it." half-smile.

And let me be clear again here on this issue - this sentiment wasn't here in January 2021 pre-vaccine and pre- alot of things we have learned. But in January of 2022, when boosting and pills and milder symptoms are sprouting from the ground, we need to have an adjustment. We need to realize that resting and protecting and resting and protecting isn't working. Pelicans - it's not working. You need to change course. America - that sentiment is not working. Discouraging social gatherings and discouraging return to office and discouraging eating inside in an all vaxxed setting....it's not working. It's definitely not helping.

I realize there is an asterisk for this being unprecedented. Zion is a 6'6 320 lb. absolutely amazing athlete (and person). He was unprecedented. The coach of the team when he learned their team had the number 1 pick in the draft almost came out of his shoes in joy. But they didn't know what to do. They didn't know how to handle it. And they have failed the Zion experiment.

Maybe, if you turn on a Pelicans game in the near future, you'll see Zion on the bench, or behind the bench, riding a bike. But is that what he is meant to do? Be off the court riding a bike? Is that what we're meant to do? Order in and stay in? Not go to the movies because we're scared of an injury? Not see co workers anymore? Not meet new people because who knows, they may have just been with someone else?

No, no, no. America is stuck on the bike behind the bench not on the court. We want to get on the court so bad (mentally), and this will get better, it has to right? The foot has to heal eventually right? What went wrong?

Unfortunately, the same issue has happened with Covid in America as with Zion and his injury - it's just gone on too long.

There's a dreamy conclusion to this and a more practical one. Both are below. You can decide how you want this passage to end.

Dreamy: And for us to come back, we need Zion to fly through the air again. And everyone to go nuts. And jump on each other. Because they should.

Practical: Try to remember the people, the places, the vacations, the crowds, the energy of people. Try as hard as you can. And remember you take risks every day. And just sometimes, you have to go play, or you may never will.