Draymond Green Reacts To Barkley's Retirement, Ben Simmons to Kings & Amen Thompson's Extension

What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. On today's show, I'll get into Ben Simmons back in the NBA, Imann Thompson getting a new deal, the Chuckster announcing his last season on Inside the NBA, and much, much more. And by the way, I'm gonna put out this disclaimer right now. You probably heard it on last episode, but there's something going on with a smoke detector or a motion detector or something. And I've now have 4 smoke detectors sitting on the table and 2 motion detectors with batteries out, and it's still making a sound. So if you hear the sound, ignore the sound like I've learned to ignore the sound. There it is right there. Needless to say, let's get into the episode. First off, before we move into the meaningful things, uh, I mean, I must say, the, the SCUM— and for those of you who are not from the state of Michigan, um, the SCUM is the blue and gold school that, uh, resides in a city within the state of Michigan, and they have football teams and basketball team. It's a university. That school is better known as SCUM. Scum versus Western Michigan football game, and Scum wins it 13 to 12 on a Hail Mary after somehow one second ended up back on the clock. Now I'm watching this play and I'm like, man, ball's in the air, 0-0-0. Oh, he gonna catch it. Oh no, it's out of bounds. Yep, there's game over. So do Western Michigan think so. And then somehow one second end up back on the clock, and I just don't know how the NCAA could allow or the Big Ten could allow that to happen. Now, there is benefit for the Big Ten for it to happen, but I I just don't know how one second ended up back on the clock when I was watching the ball in the air and before it hit the guy hands out of bounds, the clock said zero zero zero. Miraculously, somehow one second end up back on the clock, and it determined the fate of Western Michigan's football team. And I thought it was utterly ridiculous. You know, when you have a school like Western Michigan, a lot of those—and it's changed a bit today due to NIL—but a lot of those young players at Western Michigan are players usually from the state of Michigan that did not get recruited by Michigan State, that did not get recruited by the scumbums, um, or went to one of those places and transferred. Like, those are guys who, they live for that game. And for them to go into the little house And essentially win the game and still get robbed of it is extremely unfair to those guys. What that could do for their careers, what that could do for their season to actually go win it and still somehow get robbed of it. It's unbelievable. And I know in sports what's done is done and you move on. But I don't understand how someone doesn't go back and say, yo, that's a 12-7 win for Western Michigan, because there's no way it's a 13-12 win for the scumbags. Like, the clock— we all saw it. The clock says 0-0-0. And it's things like this that make people question the integrity of sports, when it's like, hey, we saw that with our own eyes. Uh, I just watched that. It said 0-0-0. And now all of a sudden there's one second back, like, are you calling me dumb? Are you calling all of us dumb? Or is the integrity off? And this is when you allow people to question the integrity of sports and what we do. And so I thought it was really unfortunate from that standpoint, uh, how that game ended. I also thought it was really unfortunate that, you know, the scumbums, they supposed to be the big, the high, the almighty And they need to cheat and put one second back on the clock to win a game against Western Michigan. I think it's extremely unfair. I saw a breakdown of the coaches' handshake after where people thought they saw the new coach Kyle, who came over from Utah, say to the coach of Western Michigan that. It was their game to win. It was their game. They won it. Uh, he didn't say those words, but it was along those lines. And, and I just think it's completely unfair. And like I said, it does no— it has no benefit for those of us that are in sports that when you're walking down the street, people say, man, is this rigged? Or is that rigged? And you're like, no, get the hell out of here. This— things like this doesn't help that. It doesn't help it at all. Uh, the scumbums lost. Western Michigan is 1-0 and the scumbums are 0-1. And that's the way things should be. The fact that it's flipped and it's the opposite way is an insult on everyone's intelligence who was watching that game. It's an insult on everyone's intelligence who saw the highlight of that game. And so I don't know, but something needs to be done about that. That's unfair. And that shouldn't happen that way. If you've ever run a business, you know that legacy banking is often the biggest bottleneck to actually getting work done. I remember the frustration of having to play phone tag with a representative just to verify the status of a simple domestic wire, or the headache of context switching between 5 different tabs just to reconcile a vendor payment. But banking on Mercury is different. It's fast, intuitive, and works exactly like the best-in-class software you already use every day. It's free to get started, Mercury makes it easy to get started with no in-person visits or minimum balances, and you get free same-day ACH, USD wires, and checks right out of the box. 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It was said that Ben Simmons really impressed, uh, the general manager of the Celtics, Sacramento Kings Scott Perry in a workout that took place in Miami as well as an interview, and then ultimately having a medical exam done on Monday, August 31st, in Sacramento that ultimately sealed the deal. Number one, I'm happy to see Ben Simmons back in the NBA. Ben Simmons is a is is a talent that you know they it doesn't grow on trees, and we don't get the opportunity to see. in the NBA every day. Uh, Ben Simmons got off to a very promising start in his career, and then a lot of people tried to blame his game and not his injuries. Um, it sucks that when guys get injuries, ultimately people start blaming them as a player, you know, as if you have control over the injuries that happen. And I know Ben Simmons was dealing with a back issue, and I know most people don't understand what that means, but Let me tell you, as someone who dealt with the back issues, debilitating. You cannot move. You cannot touch your toes. You you can barely sit. You get tingling down your feet. You get down your legs that goes into your feet. It's painful, and most importantly, it's mentally draining. It's mentally draining. Now you couple that with. All of the ridiculing that you receive that comes your way due to the injury. And, and it's brutal. And so I felt for Ben Simmons and I'm happy to see him back in the NBA because the injuries aren't always nice. And to see him get another opportunity, to see him excited. I actually had a conversation with Ben Simmons. To see him excited to play basketball, the first thing he say is, man, I'm healthy. I'm healthy. Like, it feels so good to be healthy. And that's incredible. To put the work in when everybody counted you out, when you don't need the money, you know, just doing fine in his life. And when everybody counted you out, to, to go back to the drawing board and get healthy, get back to being a good NBA player— by the way, I'm not saying Ben Simmons is coming out and he's about to be Ben Simmons of, you know, the young Ben Simmons who's an All-Star every year. I'm not saying that. But just for him to have a healthy season, because if he can just have a healthy season, we know the talent level. We know the IQ. We know the feel for the game that he has. Other teams who also showed interest was the Warriors, Timberwolves, and the Knicks, but none of them ultimately offered a contract. Now, when I look at this signing, I think this is great for Darius Akuff. You have a Ben Simmons who's eager. To make it right. Who's so he's going to give you the game, and he's going to work his ass off. I think this is great for Darius Aykub. Let's face it, Ben Simmons is Ben Simmons. This will take some of the pressure off Darius Aykub. If Ben Simmons isn't playing well, people are going to want to point to Ben Simmons and say, "Hey, he's not playing well." And if he is playing well, people are going to point to Ben Simmons and say, "Yo, look." He's back. And so I think this ultimately takes a lot of pressure off Darius Aykuff going into a Sacramento Kings situation that is not as great as one would like, right? You got Sabonis coming off an injury, and all the news is about how they can't trade him fast enough. They're trying to figure it out. You know, they just let DeMar DeRozan walk, uh, Russell Westbrook walk. Like, this is a Obviously you still have Zach LaVine there. Um, everybody's just waiting on the date, the clock, the calendar to tick strike to where he's traded. Like, these are the rumblings that's been all coming out of Sacramento. And so this ultimately can take some pressure off Darius Aykoff, who's coming in as the 7th pick in the NBA draft under a lot of pressure. This can help relieve some of that stress, uh, some of that pressure. And for a general manager who's who knows as much as Scott Perry does. I think that's one of the deciding factors, if not the deciding factor behind this move. Uh, but needless to say, I think it's a good move for the Kings. I think it's a good move obviously for Ben Simmons to see him back in the NBA. And most importantly, I think this is a good move for Darius Aykuff that will allow some of the pressure to come off of Aykuff and allow him to grow. Like rookies need to grow. This is not the most ideal situation for a rookie to be in. Obviously, you got the ball a lot. That could be good or bad, right? But you know, this is a good move, and I don't think people will value this move enough. But I'm looking forward to seeing a healthy Ben Simmons, healthy, confident Ben Simmons back on the floor as everybody has counted him out. Iman Thompson agreed on a five-year, two hundred and eight million dollar extension with the Rockets with a ten percent trade kicker. I think this is an incredible deal for Iman Thompson. Thompson, obviously we've seen the growth. We understand how talented this young guy is, uh, how special he is, especially on the defensive end. Um, really, really, really talented player who's only going to continue to get better. What this deal also says to me though is that this is Iman Thompson's team. Now, Alperen Sengun signed a similar deal. He signed a 5-year, $185 million deal, no trade kicker, uh, to my knowledge. But I do know that he has a player option on that last year, whereas Iman Thompson does not. Have a player option. Listen, this is the going rate for young talented stars in the making, and I think you know overall the Houston Rockets had to do this deal. They it's not something they could think about or not try to. They have to do this deal. And by the way, you want to protect your young assets. You want to show your young asset, you know young player that yo this franchise believe in you. But ultimately, I think what this deal says to me is this this. This says, this is our guy. This is who we're giving the keys to our organization to. And, you know, our man Thompson has the demeanor to be that guy. He has, you know, he has a certain seriousness about him when it comes to the game of basketball, you know, and yet, you know, he has a smile. He has an infectious personality. You know, he's a guy who you can put up on a big poster and be the face of your franchise. I think that he is that guy. And I think this is a great move for the— For the Houston Rockets, since he's been there, that team has been going up and up and up. And I think he's right in the middle of that, and he's only getting better. He's only going to get better. For instance, Joe Johnson came out on Nightcap and said all he all he should be doing is putting up jump shots this summer. I mean because look, that tells me one thing: the Houston Rockets really believe that he is like that. You know, to invest that type of money into you. Come on, bro. You gotta develop this jumper. They're gonna need you. And I agree with Joe Johnson 100%, but I also agree with Joe Johnson in they are handing you the keys to this franchise, and you have to take 'em and run with it. But you have to be improving. He doesn't have to come out and shoot the ball like Kevin Durant, um, but, but in order for this team to be who they wanna be, he's going to have to be an 18 to 20 point a night scorer, and he's going to have to be able to knock down an open 3. Uh, they're not gonna be able to be successful just putting him in the dunker to try to get around He's too talented. You need him with the ball in his hands. He needs to be making plays. And down the stretch, he's got to put himself in a position to do that. He's have to— he has to get a reliable mid-range jump shot and he just has to be able to knock a 3 down. Right. Like he don't— again, you're not going to ask Steph Curry, yo, go, go, go, go gain the ability to jump like Amen. Amen Thompson. We're not gonna ask anyone that. We're not gonna go ask anyone, yo, we need you to become as athletic as our man Thompson is. We need you to be as good a defender as our man Thompson is. No. So I do think, number one, you get paid for what you've done. I think there's always this idea of you get paid for what you're gonna become. No, no, no. In this league, you get paid for what you, you've done. Iman Thompson has put together a body of work that says, if you wanna keep me, this is gonna be the going rate. Now, yes, he needs to improve, but on the flip side, I do get a little frustrated sometimes when people come out like, yo, this guy can just gain a jump shot. Like, yo, jump shooting is a skill. Yes, you can work, work, and work to better that skill, but we're not gonna ask— I mean, Steph Curry to go beat Iman Thompson athletically. So if we're not going to do that, then let's not always point to when it— when it's shooting for a guy that, oh man, he need to— like, yes, he do. I agree with that. But let's also know he is elite at jumping. He's an elite defender getting from point A to point B. Elite. So he has some things about him that are elite, and ultimately that's what he's paid for. It would be great for his success, for his team's success, for him to acquire a jump shot, but he's paid because he's elite at some things, not because they think he's going to become a good jump shooter. Needless to say, I do agree with Joe. Uh, he get that jump shot down, it's going to be hell to pay for everyone. Starting a new business can feel daunting. 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That's betterhelp.com/draymond. In other news, Shams reports that Kawhi Leonard trade will go through any day now, which obviously ultimately sends Brandon Ingram to the Clippers. Now, if you're Brandon Ingram and you're going to this Clippers situation, Brandon Ingram, you're going to this situation and you're trying to ball. You try, because when you look at the situation that's now left behind, It's it's a it's not a good one. It's it's fucking awful, actually. And this team has no near future. They have no future. You're talking a future ten years down the road. Like, so if you're Brandon Ingram, you're looking at that and you're like, all right, I'm in Los Angeles. What can I do with this situation? You can go be an all-star again. You can go dominate and ultimately put yourself in a position to where the Clippers can trade you somewhere that needs you. And they can acquire some picks because they need picks. And so if you're Brandon Ingram, that's got to be the mindset. Let me go get back everything that I once had, and this is an opportunity for me next to Darius Garland to go and do that. Uh, because if you're those guys, you have to know that if I can raise my value, they're going to trade me because they need picks. They just drafted this kid, uh, Keaton Wagler, top 5 pick. They need picks and they don't have any. So if you're Brandon Ingram, I, I— there's— this is a great situation. Darius Garland, this is a great situation. You're talking 2 guys who's been All-Stars that kind of need to regain that form. Not that they're not capable, but they need to regain that form, and this is the perfect opportunity with the perfect coach in Ty Lue to do that. Now, in saying that, this is not a Clipper team that you're just going to come out and run over next year. They got some, some Good talent on that team, including two guys I just named: Rui Hachimura. Ty Lue is not coming out and just laying down. I guarantee you, think Phoenix last year. This is going to be a tough game on your schedule every time you play this team. And so, with those guys, I think that needs to be their mindset heading into it. WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert will retire in December of this year, and I. will say, finally. Not that I have anything against Cathy Engelbert, because I don't. I don't, I don't have any dealings with Cathy Engelbert. She's not our commissioner. But what I've seen for, for months now, players attacking her, uh, players putting out full statements going at her, and that's just things that I know in a well-run league like the NBA run by Commissioner Adam Silver, that would never happen. And so when I see those things happen, it shows me that it's disjointed and that things aren't going well and they don't believe in the leader that they're following. And if you don't believe in the leader that you're following, that's tough. And so I'm not— I don't sit here saying Kathy Engelbert needs to go or she's been a good— she's been a bad leader. What I will say is the W and where it was and where it is today from when she took over, leaps and bounds ahead of where it was. And so you have to tip your hat to her and give her some credit. But the, the disjointment at the top, it's, it's evident, and, and it's shown by their top players going at their commissioner. And I think ultimately, for this league to reach the potential that it has, you have to have some cohesiveness In your top players and your commissioner, they have to be on the same page. The message moving forward has to be on the same page, and if it's not, it's ultimately going to be hard to grow as large as you could possibly grow and fulfill the potential that is there. And so ultimately, I think this is a good move for for everyone. I think it's a good move for the W, and I think you know, like I said, I tip my hat. Uh, to Commissioner Engelbert, because where she's taken the league from when she found it is leaps and bounds. And whoever has complaints about her, I'm sure your complaints are valid or invalid either way, but the facts are the facts. The league is in a much better place since she took over. Charles Barkley announced on the Bill Simmons Podcast that this season will be his last on Inside the NBA. Me and Ernie are a package deal, so right now, unless Ernie changes his mind next year, this is my last year, 100%. 100%. And I will say to that, this isn't our first time hearing, um, Chuck say this is it, but this is definitely our first time hearing Ernie say it. And I do not believe Ernie will be back after this year. I think he will call it a quit. So he's been at it a long time. He's been at, uh, Turner Sports since 1989. I was born in 1990 and you all think I'm old. That's how long Ernie's been there. I took my cap to Ernie, uh, having the opportunity to work with, with Ernie on the set with those guys. He's the— he— and I say this with all due respect, uh, because y'all know I rock for this guy, but he is the best point guard I've ever played with. That's no disrespect to the great Steph Curry. Ernie Johnson on a set is as incredible as they come. He sees everything. He's like, man, this guy haven't spoke for a while. Let me toss it to him. Oh man, this conversation is going off the rails a little bit as it can on that show. Let me rein it back in. You can have a producer in your ear and they're like, Chuck, stop. Like, yo, we got 5 seconds. And somehow Ernie still raps in the time. Like, I mean, it's just the things that you see, like this guy is amazing. And so number one, I tip my cap to him headed into, uh, his last year. Speaking of Chuck, I do think Chuck may be serious this time. Uh, when you tie it to Ernie like that, it makes all the more sense. Uh, I think, you know, as in anything we've ever seen, um, shows go on. You know, you find new personalities. You find new point guards and the show must go on. One thing about that show is the people behind that show are some of the best in class. And, you know, what they did was they created a show that fit incredibly well with the talent that they had. Craig Barry, Nate Schultz, they're going to continue working. TK, they're going to continue working to make that show great. They're just not going to be like, oh man, 2 of our guys are leaving. Well, that's the end. I can't foresee that. You know, I, I, you, you know, I think they're going to continue to do what they're doing, they've done to build a great show. And I think they'll put another cast together to make it great again. Uh, but overall, uh, the, the moments that we've been blessed with, uh, with Chuck up there and with Ernie up there, obviously with Shaq and Kenny, uh, man. What a show. You're talking show that's won Emmy after Emmy after Emmy. You know, you stay up at 1 o'clock in the morning to watch this show. Like, that's how special it is. And so, uh, forever grateful to, to be a supporter of that show and obviously extremely grateful to, um, take the stage with, with those guys and have the opportunity to talk basketball and shoot the shit, uh, on Inside the NBA. Definitely the best NBA show we've ever seen. And it'll be hard to top, but special, special crew, special talents. And yet, and still, like I said, I think the people behind that show will find a way to continue to make it great. Pat Bev said on the Thanalysis Podcast that he helped ignite the winning culture in Minnesota. He said, I really put on for the city of Minnesota. I don't know if people know this, but they hadn't missed the playoffs. They haven't missed the playoffs since I got there. I'm not saying it's all me, but I started something in Minnesota for sure. Uh, Pat Bev, y'all know I got a lot of love for Pat Bev. I, I just want to remind Pat Bev that when he got there, young Ant-Man was there. Now what I will say is you can't take credit away from Pat Bev because Pat Bev brings a certain mentality to a group. And for a young talented player like Ant-Man to see that mentality and say, ah, okay, and also get that first taste of the playoffs, it then sets you up for the future. So I'm not gonna come on here and say, oh man, Pat Bev is tripping. I do wanna remind him that Ant-Man was there. I think better said in this situation here, and again, I don't think Pat Bev is wrong here, But I think better said, and that would've been better, you know, people would've been, it would've been better received if he mixed Ant-Man in with this. Like, yeah, by the way, they had a young guy who's up and coming and I showed him how to do that, how to win. I think ultimately that rests on the ears more because ultimately people are always looking to take a shot wherever they can. And that's going to be the case. However, I've never seen Pat Bev go to a team in the NBA and that team got worse. I've never seen that. And so, yeah, people don't like to give credit, but you got to give credit where credit is due. No team he's ever gone to in the NBA got worse. They all fought every single day. They all put themselves— some put themselves in better positions than anyone ever thought they would be in. And so I do tip my hat to Pat Bev. I do want to remind him that a young Ant-Man was on his way, but I also do want to say Pat Bev coming in with that mindset and them getting in through that play-in game and him hopping on the table, I do think that that had an impact on those young guys. Once you get your first taste of the playoffs, you never want to miss that again. Obviously they haven't, uh, but The slander that I know everyone wants to give Pat Bev, it won't happen here, uh, because again, the proof is in the pudding. Every team he's gone to, they got better. And lastly, the Lakers announced that they will unveil a new Phil Jackson statue on April 9th, 2027, outside of Crypto.com Arena. This will be the 9th statue outside of the arena, and I think, man, what took so long? I'm happy this is happening. Phil Jackson and his mark that he left on the Lakers organization. I know everybody say, oh man, it's the Lakers. Like, no, Phil's mark on the Lakers is real. Uh, you're talking 5 championships that he won with the Lakers. Uh, each championship that Kobe Bryant has was under Phil Jackson. You know, I— and Phil being the great that he is, uh, like I said, I, I, I beg the question of what took so long. Uh, needless to say, this is well deserved. Uh, so shout out to the great Phil Jackson. And his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. I wanna thank you all again for tuning into the Draymond Green Show. Until next time, deuces. If you're rocking with the Draymond Green Show, be sure to click follow on your favorite podcast app. And while you're there, go ahead and drop a 5-star rating and leave a review. I wanna hear what you think, and it would also mean a ton to me if you share it with a friend that you think would enjoy it. Let's keep this thing growing. The Draymond Green Show is presented by Audacy and executive produced in conjunction with The New Media. Our executive producers are Leah Reese Dennis, Danny Friesinger, and Greg Holtzman. Video production and creative design by Kirk Courtney, Tim Mickle, Lauren Vieira, and Evan O'Brien. Special thanks to the team at The New Media and the team at Audacy. Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Hillary Shuff. Eric Donnelly. Kate Rose. Colin Gaynor. And Jake Galli.