The conference call should leave the New Orleans Pelicans impressed with Brandon Ingram’s commitment to the franchise. It could also leave you a little bewildered about your views on the new coronavirus.
Pelican forward Brandon Ingram expressed understandable skepticism that the NBA could successfully resume the season at a quarantine site in Orlando due to mounting cases in Florida. However, Ingram also admitted that it has not exactly read the memoranda that the NBA players union has sent it on the league’s health and safety protocols.
“I tell everyone I feel like I’m from Kinston,” Ingram said of his hometown in North Carolina. “I feel like I’m immune to a lot of these things. I am not really worried at all about this virus. “
It’s safe to assume that the Pelicans will fully inform Ingram about COVID-19 before the team leaves for Orlando on Wednesday. To be fair to Ingram, he said he has mostly stayed home and has kept his hands clean since the NBA halted operations on March 11. However, the franchise doesn’t have to worry about Ingram’s commitment to the franchise. Ingram could very well have been left out of the resumed season, aware that he will be a restricted free agent once the season ends. However, Ingram said it never had concerns about a possible injury that would derail its future earnings.
“I didn’t see it as if I had a choice to go or not. My teammates knew that I didn’t question it or anything. I just wanted to play basketball at the end of the day, ”said Ingram. “I will and I will let my colleagues know that I am 110% there. I have to be there. It was not a question.
Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans decided otherwise. He will also become a free agent this summer and felt it is best not to risk injury after having suffered two previous LCA injuries. The Wizards (24-40) are considered a long shot, however, to make the NBA playoffs. Pelicans (28-36) have a better chance. As Washington follows the Orlando Magic (30-35) for 5 1/2 games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, New Orleans has a chance to beat the Memphis Grizzlies (32-33), Portland Trail Blazers ( 29-37) and the Sacramento Kings (28-36) for the final seed of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Pelicans seem confident enough to give a push at the end of the season that Ingram admitted that he has “crossed everyone’s mind” that they could face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. While much of the Pelicans’ success will hinge on rookie Zion Wiliamson, it will also hinge on a handful of former Lakers players they acquired at last year’s Anthony Davis trade (Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart).
“We are very excited. We are building momentum to improve every day, ”said Ingram. “Of course we have not gotten where we want to go. It is very far. But I think we are taking steps and steps closer to where we want to go. ”
That has to do in part with Ingram. When the Pelicans acquired him last summer from the Lakers, he had missed 30 combined games in his third and final season, after team doctors discovered he had a blood clot known as deep vein thrombosis. Doctors told Ingram that it was not a life-threatening condition or that it ended his career. But with Ingram needing off-season surgery to remove a rib and strengthen his back muscles, the Pelicans refused to give him an extension.
Ingram ignored the uncertainty and made his first appearance in the NBA All-Star. With Ingram averaging 24.3 points per game with 46.6 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds per game, the Pelicans fully intend to give it up. Since Ingram will be a restricted free agent, the Pelicans can match any offer sheet they receive. Still, Ingram has had to contend with the loss of potential earnings as NBA revenue has plummeted during the pandemic, a variable that determines the salary cap each year.
“I know the lifestyle. I know that not everything is perfect. I always know there will be a bump in the road, ”Ingram said. “It is important for me to maintain a positive attitude and it is important to keep my head up and wait for the next in what I can be better. I think I had a good opportunity to go out and have another exit. I hope to win more basketball games and get closer to my teammates. That is the most important thing for me. I think if I care about those things, the rest will take care of itself. I hope it keeps me healthy. “
Ingram might lack confidence that the NBA could successfully resume the season, but he seemed confident that he could navigate the resumed season well.
Ingram said doctors informed her that she has nothing to worry about about her previous blood clots, since those problems arose more than a year ago. Since he has spent most of the quarantine with his family, Ingram said he will hope to spend more time alone on the quarantined campus in Orlando.
Since missing 30 games last season, Ingram said the absence made him “want to go back to playing basketball all the time.” He has hosted several charitable initiatives that included helping out a food campaign in New Orleans and giving shoes, backpacks, and water bottles to frontline workers in his hometown. So he seemed so interested in helping the NBA’s efforts to tackle racial inequality.
“The most important thing to me at this point in my career is where I can show the best of my talent and where people can see that I can do everything on the basketball court,” Ingram said. “Wherever I am in a good position and someone pushes me every day and I love the environment and the people around me. Boys who can win a couple of championships, whatever it is. The ultimate goal is to win. Where else can we do that, that’s where I want to be. “
Is New Orleans where Ingram wants to be long-term?
“That is definitely a question that will be answered after the season. But how do I feel now? I feel really good with this team, “said Ingram, who praised the team’s talent, chemistry, and work ethic.” I like where I am. But that’s a decision that will have many factors after the season. “
But there was a decision that Ingram did not find complicated: whether to sit down or play during the resumption of the NBA season. Amid all the questions Ingram might have about the NBA’s quarantine setup, he offered complete clarity about his desire to help the Pelicans maximize their chances with a playoff push.
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