Tag: Draymond Green

Draymond Green reveals one player he would ‘love’ to play with

The Golden State Warriors veteran would ‘love’ to play on the same team as LeBron James.

Draymond Green has shared a locker room with some of the greatest players of his generation. The Golden State Warriors veteran has also faced off against some legendary talents. However, it would appear there is one player the veteran forward wishes he had been teammates with during his career.

When speaking on a recent episode of Shaquille O’Neal’s “The Big Podcast,” Green admitted he would love to share the court with LeBron James as a teammate. He noted he would like to study LeBron’s approach to the game and his day-to-day routine.

“I would love to play with Bron,” Green said. “Not necessarily I want to be on this NBA team, but I would have loved the opportunity to play together because I want to see how his mind works on a day-to-day basis in the basketball setting. I would have loved the opportunity to just see on a day-to-day basis how his mind works like, when something is going on where there’s adjustment that need to be made, how you process that, what’s your process like, the things you go through, how you land here or land there.”

Green’s friendship with LeBron is well-documented. He also clarified his comments didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to team up with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Rather, he would like to experience being a teammate with him.

Both stars are likely to remain in their current situations and could end up retiring with their respective teams. So, unless Green is called into the Team USA Olympic roster at the last minute, we will unlikely see them together on the same roster.

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Draymond Green is wrong: The Knicks are hardly a fluke after a magical season

You’re wrong, Dray. The future is bright in New York.

Let me start off with the disclaimer: I am a lifelong, diehard, bleed-orange-and-blue New York Knicks fan.

So, sure, I’m biased. No doubt about it.

But I like to think I know hoops. And what I know is this: Draymond Green’s take that the Knicks are the new 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks or 2018-19 Portland Trail Blazers is pretty wrong.

The Knicks lost to a feisty, young, deep Indiana Pacers team not because the team was flawed, but because the injury bug bit hard. OG Anunoby got hurt. Jalen Brunson wasn’t 100 percent. Josh Hart got hurt in Game 6. Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson both had season-ending injuries. We can’t forget about Julius Randle’s devastating season-ender, either.

And this rugged, tough team — the one that reminded us all of the mid-1990s squad that went to the NBA Finals — somehow went seven games with the Pacers despite basically playing a seven-man rotation.

Besides healing up, there’s a lot to love about the offseason (with the caveat that there are many ways to screw this up). The Knicks have a plethora of first-rounders to offer in a trade. Should they choose to go over the tax apron to re-sign Anunoby (they should) and breakout stud Isaiah Hartenstein (they should, although some team might throw more than the Knicks can offer at him), the franchise presumably can.

Should they go after a disgruntled star this offseason should one be available? I say no. The dream for so many of us is to bring in another Villanova star in Mikal Bridges, a perfect fit on a team in need of some more scoring and defense from the wing even if Anunoby stays.

Yes, I’m aware this could all go badly if the front office takes a wrong turn. The thing Green is right about is the Hawks and Blazers never figured it out after their respective runs. But maybe the Knicks have learned from those teams that sometimes the best moves are made by painting in the corners, not blowing up the core.

 

That’s why, when I was walking in my Manhattan neighborhood on Sunday after the Game 7 loss, I saw fans in Knicks jerseys everywhere with their heads held high. Maybe they were imaging a world in which injury luck went the other way, or like me, they were calculating what’s next in the offseason.

Because the future is extremely bright. Finally.

Draymond Green blasts Timberwolves following Game 5 loss vs. Nuggets

Draymond Green didn’t hold back after the Timberwolves dropped Game 5 to the Nuggets.

After winning the opening two games on the road against the defending champions, the Minnesota Timberwolves have dropped three straight games to the Denver Nuggets, including Game 5 in rough fashion on Tuesday night.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic dominated, scoring 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field to go along with 13 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block in 41 minutes. He did this while matching up with newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Following the Timberwolves’ loss to fall behind in the second-round series, 3-2, to the Nuggets, Draymond Green was critical of the Timberwolves in an appearance on NBA on TNT. Green didn’t hold back when talking about Gobert and the Timberwolves, calling the series over.

Listen here, I got two things of why this series ain’t coming back to Minnesota. No. 1, the big Frenchman is sitting on that podium speaking his native language, ‘we, we, we need to do this.’ You, you, you need to get a stop. It ain’t we. Karl-Anthony Towns is actually doing a pretty good job when he’s on Joker. It’s you my man that’s getting cooked. No we. Yes, you do need help from the other guys, but on some of those they can’t help you. You just got to get a stop. So, that’s No. 1.

No. 2, when you’re in these playoff series — for me — I’m always looking for the smallest ounce of weakness that I could find. And, the way Karl-Anthony Towns walked off that floor with the limp after he played the rest of the game completely fine. He played the rest of that game totally fine. Then he could barely walk leaving the court. They don’t believe anymore. And when you lose belief, these are the defending champs they’re playing against. When you lose the belief, it’s over. and they don’t believe they can win anymore. Which means this series is over.

Via @NBAonTNT on X:

Despite Green calling the series over, the Timberwolves will have chance to extend the series in Game 6 with elimination on the line on Thursday at home in Minnesota.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X! 

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Warriors cited as Kevin Durant’s ‘only hope’ for another championship

Mark Willard believes the Golden State Warriors are Kevin Durant’s only hope of winning another championship.

Kevin Durant could be on the move this summer.

The Phoenix Suns have no cap space, limited tradeable assets and no available draft picks. According to Mark Willard, who was speaking on the latest episode of “Willard & Dibs,” Durant’s best hope of winning another championship is by rejoining the Golden State Warriors.

Durant won two championships during his time in the Bay Area. Since leaving the Warriors, his career has taken him to the Brooklyn Nets and Suns, but neither team has given him the opportunity to continue building his championship resume.

“You have almost no time left. With the young talent in the NBA, everyone will doubt adding KD will be enough anyway,” Willard said. “I can look at (the Warriors and KD) and do the Princess Leia. You’re each other’s only hope.”

Durant, 35, played in 75 games for the Suns this season. He averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field and 41.3% from 3-point range. The Warriors would undoubtedly need to give up some of their younger talent and some draft picks to bring the superstar back to the Bay Area.

Nevertheless, Durant would be the type of addition that ensures Golden State was back in contention next season. He is still one of the best players in the NBA. Whether both sides would be willing to make a reunion happen is still open for debate.

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Draymond Green backs Dallas Mavericks to win a championship

Draymond Green believes the Dallas Mavericks could win the 2024 NBA championship.

Draymond Green believes the Dallas Mavericks could win the 2024 NBA championship.

The Golden State Warriors forward has been a consistent presence across the media since the Sacramento Kings eliminated his team from the play-in tournament. His opinions have consistently generated interest online. 

During a recent appearance on TNT’s coverage of the Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder, Green was asked to share his prediction for who could be crowned champions at the end of the season. He pointed to the presence of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as a reason Dallas’ can’t be overlooked.

“I think Dallas,” Green said. “Dallas, to me, is the team that looks the most ready to go. They’ve got Luka and Kyrie. When Luka can’t get it going, Kyrie seems to always get it going. They know what it takes to win. Especially Kyrie winning a championship. And they’ve got all the pieces to do it.”

The Western Conference is incredibly deep this season. Dallas is tied 2-2 with the Thunder. There’s no guarantee it will advance beyond the conference semifinal. With the Denver Nuggets also still in playoff contention, coming out of the West will be difficult for any team.

Nevertheless, Green is a four-time champion. He understands the game at an elite level. If he believes in the Mavericks’ ability, it’s likely because he sees something within the team that resonates with him. Still, the new NBA is a grind. There’s parity across the top end of the board. That’s what made these playoffs so much fun.

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Warriors could make Jonathan Kuminga untouchable this summer

The Golden State Warriors could make Jonathan Kuminga an untouchable asset in potential trade discussions this season.

The Golden State Warriors are expected to have a busy summer. Joe Lacob has stated the franchise wishes to avoid the luxury tax. They have decisions to make regarding Klay Thompson and Chris Paul. The roster needs some tweaking if it’s going to contend for a championship next season.

When speaking on a recent episode of the “Willard & Dibs Show,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne noted how the Warriors would be unlikely to include Jonathan Kuminga in any potential trade negotiations. The explosive forward is coming off the best season of his young career and projects to be a future All-Star.

“They have a pretty good set of assets,” Shelburne said. “There’s some other good young players on the team outside a Kuminga. They have draft picks, they have Wiggins, they have Gary Payton II. Thay have a lot of a lot of options there. They have a lot of optionality and decent contracts. And then there’s also the blue chip, which is Chris Paul. That contract is very interesting for a lot of teams for a lot of reasons. Now the Warriors could certainly just keep him and take the savings themselves. But that’s a great trade asset for a lot of teams.”

Kuminga played in 74 regular season games for Steve Kerr’s team. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists, shooting 52.9% from the field and 32.1% from 3-point range. His explosiveness also gave the roster a legitimate rim threat, which added a new dimension to the rotation.

Golden State has been straddling two timelines in recent years. Now, as the veteran core of Steph Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green enter the final stages of their career, young talents such as Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski will get an opportunity to step up. However, if trade opportunities present themselves, Mike Dunleavy Jr., will likely explore all the options at his disposal.

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Draymond Green is backing the Timberwolves to beat the Nuggets

The Golden State Warriors veteran is backing the Minnesota Timberwolves to make the Western Conference Finals.

The Golden State Warriors are watching the 2024 NBA playoffs from home. The Sacramento Kings eliminated them from the play-in tournament.

With no games on his schedule, Draymond Green has been very active on his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, sharing his thoughts on each of the major playoff series.

In his latest episode, Green shared his thoughts on the current series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets. He revealed his belief that Minnesota will defeat the reigning NBA champions in the second round to book their spot in the Western Conference finals.

Green’s comments came as the Timberwolves took a 2-0 lead against Nikola Jokic’s team. Minnesota has impressed in its first two games against Denver and appears to have the Nuggets’ number. It will be interesting to see whether Green’s prediction comes true.

You can watch the full episode of Green’s latest podcast by clicking on the embed link above.

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Draymond Green calls out Rudy Gobert for missing playoff game

Draymond Green shared his thoughts on Rudy Gobert’s absence from the Minnesota Timberwolves playoff rotation.

There’s no love lost between Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert.

The Golden State Warriors veteran received a five-game suspension earlier this season after putting the defensive powerhouse in a chokehold. Green has now stoked the flames once again, this time by questioning Gobert’s commitment to his team’s push for the NBA championship.

Gobert missed Game 2 of the Minnesota Timberwolves second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets so he could be present for his child’s birth. However, Green believes Gobert’s absence could have hindered Minnesota’s playoff series had they lost the opening game against the reigning champions. His comments came on the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show” podcast.

“I was a little skeptical (of the Timberwolves) starting the game off because Rudy was going to miss the game,” Green said. “I just felt like — I’m a father of four, I love my kids and I love my wife, but she’s going to have to hold off for me just a few more hours for a playoff game. Me, personally. But No. 1, congratulations to him. Anytime we bring new life into this world, it’s a special thing. And that’s something like I said, as a father of four, that I don’t take for granted at all. But I also try to not take this game for granted.”

Gobert is expected to return to Minnesota’s rotation ahead of their third game against Denver on Friday (May 10). Green’s comments were clearly focused on the basketball side of things. There have been instances of players missing the births of their children to be present for postseason games, such as Gordon Hayward with the Boston Celtics in 2020. 

Still, some things are bigger than basketball. Green undoubtedly understands that. Warriors fans will be hoping those comments don’t spill over into something bigger once the new season is underway later this year.

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LeBron James details Draymond Green’s importance to Warriors

LeBron James explained why Draymond Green is such a vital part of the Golden State Warriors roster construction.

Draymond Green has helped lead the Golden State Warriors to four championships. He is considered a generational defensive talent who is arguably the best defender of his era. However, due to Green’s style of play, his impact is often overlooked by NBA fans who don’t tune into every Warriors game. What Green provides isn’t always reflected in the box score.

During a recent episode of LeBron James and JJ Redick’s “Mind The Game” podcast, LeBron detailed the value Green provides to his team. He also noted how his presence helps open the floor for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

Draymond Green’s biggest asset, offensively for Golden State is his ability to get Steph open, Klay open and then play in the pocket,” LeBron said. “Where his asset is four-on-three and now his IQ kicks in. That’s the threat.”

Green is one of the most cerebral players in the NBA. His ability to read his opponents’ movements and make decisions at speed is what makes him such a vital part of the Warriors offensive and defensive rotation.

Green signed a four-year $100 million contract extension last summer. He has three years remaining on that deal and undoubtedly hopes to help Golden State contend for more championships in the coming years.

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Draymond Green shares thoughts on Patrick Beverley’s antics

Draymond Green shared his thoughts on Patrick Beverley’s altercation with an Indiana Pacers fan.

Draymond Green shared his thoughts on Patrick Beverley’s altercation with Indiana Pacers fans. Beverley threw a ball into the stands as the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs. The Golden State Warriors veteran noted how Beverley is building a pattern after playoff losses, noting how he pushed Chris Paul in the back one years.

During a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” the veteran forward shared his thoughts on Beverley’s actions and whether he will face punishment from the league. Green noted how clashing with opposing teams’ fans in the way Beverley did is “forbidden” for NBA players.

“Pat Bev threw a ball at a fan last night,” Green said. “Pat keeps having these instances after they lose in these playoff games. That one might be crazier than the CP push. Because it opens up an entirely different can of words. Adam’s going to have a problem with this one. It’s probably as close as you can get to going into the stands.”

Green has dealt with his fair share of issues this season. He served two suspensions and was ejected on three occasions. As such, he will understand the protocols the league will likely go through as it decides how to punish Beverley.

Since the Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs, Green has increased the frequency of his podcasts, sharing his thoughts and analysis of the playoff games happening around the NBA.

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