Draymond Green has been quite active lately. His interview with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson for ‘All The Smoke’ stole most of the headlines last week, at least those not related to Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance.
Green addressed a lot of situations during his interview, such as the infamous fight with Kevin Durant, how he changed with his teammates after becoming an NBA Champion, and even his rivalry with Charles Barkley.
However, his most controversial comments were regarding his team and how they changed the game is played. Green tried to establish a narrative of him being one of the most influential players ever and recently went as far as to claim they’re the best team in NBA history.
Moreover, he even stated that they could’ve beat Phil Jackson’s Lakers and ‘destroy’ Shaquille O’Neal on the pick-and-roll, following Shaq’s comments claiming that Jordan’s Bulls wouldn’t stand a chance with his team as nobody could stop him in the paint:
“We’re the greatest team ever. Me and curry would’ve f****n’ destroyed Shaq in a pick-and-roll,” Green claimed, as quoted by Bleacher Report.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1255148514457182214
While the Golden State Warriors may have some numbers to back up his statement as the best team in NBA history, going as far as to claim they could destroy Shaq in the pick-and-roll seems like a bit of a reach.
We’re talking about the most dominant big man in NBA history, a rim-running juggernaut that would never be denied down low. Also, he was a strong defender with quick feet that could stay in front of smaller, faster players in pick-and-roll sets.
Both teams played in a different era. Basketball is just different nowadays, and while Green is a former Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most versatile defenders in the league, it just feels like he’s way out of line this time. Maybe he should’ve waited until retirement before talking his talk like that.
Also, he’s an outstanding player and nobody could deny that, but he’s not the face of the franchise like the Splash Brothers to be making those kinds of comments.
It’s only a matter of time before Shaq gives us his input on this matter. You just know he’s not going to take those comments lightly, so stay tuned for the repercussions.
