Players on the New Orleans Pelicans had tension with Stan Van Gundy during his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans, sources tell Scott Kushner of the Times-Picayune.

Sam Amick of The Athletic previously reported a similar sentiment while on the radio in New Orleans.

“In New Orleans, the players are not vibing with the coach,” Amick said on KHTK radio. “There’s issues there.”

The Pelicans blew 14 double-digit leads and had one of the league's worst defenses. Van Gundy, however, deserves credit for turning Zion Williamson into their point guard.

The Pelicans hired Van Gundy on a four-year deal in October 2020.

Lonzo Ball is expected to have a competitive restricted free agency with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Chicago Bulls held serious trade talks at the deadline with the Pelicans for Ball.

“Ball in Chicago will be an interesting one to watch,” said Adrian Wojnarowski on the Woj & Lowe Podcast.

The New York Knicks are another team expected to have interest in Ball.

“I think Lonzo will get a pretty good number whether it’s Chicago or New York or some other places.”

The NBA fined David Griffin $50,000 for his "public criticism" over how Zion Williamson was officiated.

Williamson is out indefinitely due to a fractured finger.

"I'm really frustrated because this was avoidable. We told the NBA through every means available to us, through sending in film, through speaking to everybody in the officials department and everybody in basketball operations, that the way they were officiating Zion was going to get him injured.

"Quite frankly, he's injured now because of the open season there's been on Zion Williamson in the paint. He's been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis, to the point that other players have said to him, 'I'm going to keep doing this to you because they don't call it.' There's more violence encouraged in the paint against Zion Williamson than any player I've seen since Shaq. It was egregious and horrific then, and the same is true now," said Griffin on Friday.

David Griffin sharply criticized how Zion Williamson is officiated after announcing he is out indefinitely with a fractured finger.

"Zion is left-handed so it's a fairly significant situation for him," said Griffin.

"I'm really frustrated because this was avoidable. We told the NBA through every means available to us, through sending in film, through speaking to everybody in the officials department and everybody in basketball operations, that the way they were officiating Zion was going to get him injured.

"Quite frankly, he's injured now because of the open season there's been on Zion Williamson in the paint. He's been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis, to the point that other players have said to him, 'I'm going to keep doing this to you because they don't call it.' There's more violence encouraged in the paint against Zion Williamson than any player I've seen since Shaq. It was egregious and horrific then, and the same is true now."

Zion Williamson will be out indefinitely with a fractured left ring finger. 

Williamson was diagnosed with the injury via a CT scan.

Williamson is averaging 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 33.2 minutes per game as the New Orleans Pelicans tried to reach the play-in tournament. 

Naji Marshall has agreed to a new three-year, $5.3 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The deal will be fully guaranteed for the rest of this season and next season.

Marshall went undrafted in 2020 out of Xavier. 

In 26 games this season with the Pelicans, Marshall is averaging 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 19.8 minutes. 

Brandon Ingram has been diagnosed with a left low ankle sprain.

An MRI taken on Wednesday at Ochsner Health confirmed the diagnosis. The injury occurred during the second quarter of Tuesday night’s game vs. Golden State.

Ingram will miss Friday night’s game at Philadelphia and his status will be day-to-day moving forward.

The New Orleans Pelicans beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 140-136 in overtime, remaining three games back of the play-in tournament.

The Pelicans currently trail the Spurs and the Warriors.

"I think it gives us great momentum,. We got the win. In the locker room, that's all we care about. We got the win and it allows us to go back home with great momentum and hopefully we can carry it," said Zion Williamson after the game.

Williamson scored a game-high 37 points, with Lonzo Ball adding a career-high 33 points.

Ball and Williamson became the fifth pair of teammates to have at least 30 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in a game.

With eight games left in the season, Stan Van Gundy said that each game was the "biggest game of the year."

"That's how you have to approach it because we can't afford very many losses. Obviously we're fighting with Golden State, so everybody will focus on that. But you give away a game tonight, it just gets further and further out of reach."