Draymond Green called out Stephen A. Smith and other NBA commentators on his podcast for trying to ‘gaslight’ fans on what actually happened in the game. Green earned two technical fouls and an ejection during the Warriors’ Friday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, upon reviewing the calls made during the NBA Cup game, the NBA announced that the Warriors star’s foul against Zach Edey was being upgraded to a flagrant 1.
Advertisement
Green responded by claiming that the upgrade was prompted by the reaction of the fans, which was, in turn, manufactured by the ‘gaslighting’ done in different NBA shows like ESPN’s First Take.
The four-time NBA champion fell to the floor while driving to the rim during the third quarter. When Edey recovered the ball, Green tangled his left arm with the rookie center’s right leg, causing him to fall to the ground. The 34-year-old’s tendency to put other players at risk was flagged by Stephen A. Smith after the Grizzlies game.
“Well, I’m satisfied with the upgrade to a flagrant 1. But I think it’s important to recognize that you have a lot of people in the league who believe that Draymond should be suspended,” the ESPN analyst reported on ‘First Take’.
Green made his frustration clear after Stephen A. reported this story. “That [the report that a lot of people in the league want Green suspended] ain’t right,” the Warriors star said. “Because if many people around the league think Draymond should be suspended, guess what? Draymond gon be suspended.”
Green even accused the veteran analyst of simply using his name to boost his network’s ratings as he saw no other reason for Smith to call out his play against Edey. “Hey man, ratings low. Sub in Draymond’s sh*t,” the four-time All-Star quipped.
He believes that, given his perception around the league, the officials would have penalized him during the game if his play merited it. “This is Draymond Green we’re talking about, man…If it was flagrant 1, it’s getting called flagrant 2 right there.”
Dray wants more conscientious reporting from veterans like Smith, whose words actually hold the power to sway public opinion and get #23 suspended. However, Stephen A. wasn’t the only one that Green called out after the game against Memphis.
Head coach Taylor Jenkins earned Draymond’s ire
Green referred to the 40-year-old as “Janky Taylor Jenkins” on his podcast. He took issue with how the coach addressed Draymond’s tangle with Edey during the post-game press conference.
Jenkins blamed the play for costing the Grizzlies a potential fast-break opportunity. “I don’t understand how that wasn’t reviewed. Very disappointing,” the head coach commented after his team lost to the Warriors. That too crossed the line for Draymond.
Calling him a “softie”, Green responded, “Bro, this is game 11. You’re running to the media crying about a foul.” The 6’6 forward explained how Edey, being a center, has to get acclimatized to the physicality in the league.
“You don’t run to the media talking about a foul. You a big man. He’s supposed to protect Ja Morant. You setting him up to where Ja Morant gonna be protecting him,” Dray stated during his podcast.
View this post on Instagram
Despite trying to play off his criticism as an opportunity for Edey’s growth, it seems abundantly clear that Draymond Green is afraid of the court of public opinion. After 13 games, he is tied for the most technical fouls this season (4) with Jayson Tatum and Dillon Brooks. Notably, Draymond has played the fewest minutes among the three.
