With an increasing number of NBA stars starting their own podcasts and inviting former players, coaches, and celebrities to share anecdotes, one story is bound to get a player in trouble. Draymond Green found himself in that exact situation but decided to nip the situation in the bud before it escalated.
On his podcast, Draymond Green Show, his co-host and former Clippers star Baron Davis essentially blamed retired head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. for costing retired forward Blake Griffin his rookie year with a bizarre decision. He said,
“We (the Clippers) were playing a preseason game. Bro, I’m laying on the floor watching the game. Blake sitting in the chair, [the opponents] come back in the fourth quarter. Mike Dunleavy go, ‘Ay, let’s go.’ We like, ‘Huh?’ He like, ‘Man, let’s go. We gotta get this win.’ I’m like, ‘What win? It’s the preseason.’ He put us back in the game. I’m like, ‘Coach, I don’t think this is a good idea.’ Blake Griffin hurts his knee.”
Davis accusing Dunleavy Sr. of costing Griffin an entire season by chasing an inconsequential win left Green astonished. He shared the clip on his Instagram stories with a hilarious message for the retired head coach’s son and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., which read,
“Mike, don’t trade me. It’s [Baron Davis] talking about your pops, not me.”
Bruh Dray lmao pic.twitter.com/4pw0u26ueo
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) November 29, 2024
Obviously, Dunleavy Jr. won’t trade Green for an anecdote on a podcast that he didn’t even share. However, his father’s ill-advised decision did cost Griffin a year of his career.
Dunleavy’s dubious decision to play Griffin
In the Clippers’ final preseason game against the Pelicans, LA led after every quarter, but New Orleans had kept the game close. In the fourth, head coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy Sr. subbed in Blake Griffin, the first overall pick in the 2009 draft, to help secure the win. However, it’d prove to be a disastrous decision, as the forward injured his left kneecap after an awkward landing following a vicious dunk.
Griffin was expected to miss only six weeks, but his injury did not heal as quickly as the medical staff had hoped. After two months of rehab, the team felt the rookie’s injury wouldn’t heal on its own. He went under the knife in January, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
When he did return to action in 2010, he showcased why he was the top pick in the draft. The forward played all 82 games and averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Griffin earned an All-Star nod, finished 10th in the MVP race, and was named the Rookie of the Year.
Dunleavy Sr. never got the opportunity to coach the player he picked first overall in the draft in the regular season. He stepped down from his position as the Clippers’ head coach in February 2010. A month later, the franchise relieved him of his duties as the general manager.
Griffin embarked on a 14-year NBA career but was marred with injuries, especially to his left knee. The domino effect of that decision to play him in the fourth quarter of that inconsequential preseason game was detrimental to the careers of the forward as well as Dunleavy.
