Draymond Green Reflects on Knicks Takes, Jalen Brunson Versus Steph Curry & NBA Foul-Baiting

What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. On today's show, it's a mailbag episode edition of the show. I'll be going through your questions and answering everything that you, the fans, wanna know. Full disclosure, I'm taping this before Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, so you'll have to wait until next Wednesday to get my thoughts on the game and the finals breakdown and predictions. But lucky for you, I will address some of my previous Knicks comments in this episode. So let's get right into it. This episode of the Draymond Green Show is presented to you by Kyax. Stay tuned for the rest of the show where I'll tell you about their brand new ready-to-drink pre-workout beverage. We're gonna get into both conference finals, but first we're gonna start the show today with the rapid-fire warmup brought to you by Kyax and their new Creatine EAA Booster Drink. Finally, creatine that stays creatine and is ready to drink. All right, so I know throughout this season, And seasons pass. I've expressed my doubt in Knicks team making a finals run. I'd like to revisit those takes and see if I'd like to double down, make some edits, or flat out apologize. May 2024. It's the first one. You can get to the conference finals by playing very mid teams, and that's kind of what you're doing right now. What this is setting you up for is what happened to the Hawks when they went to the conference finals and never got back. Another example of this is the Blazers in 2016. 2016. That's what the Knicks are setting y'all up for right now. And it'll probably be another 15 years of miseries. And we'll all sit around and laugh at Knicks fans with their delusion. I would like to apologize for this one. And I apologize for this one because I said 15 years of misery. And the reality is, is you all fired your coaching, you brought in a coach that won a championship with us, which was great and the right idea. And you all went and got more players like, um, Mikal Bridges, like, um, Karl-Anthony Towns. Yeah. Yeah. So I'd apologize for that one. June 2024. The Knicks are gonna need to rebuild in a few years if this Mikael Bridges trade doesn't work out. And I'm sorry to the Knicks fans, but that's how I actually think it's gonna play out. I don't think it's an indictment on Mikael. I just don't think that this group is good enough to beat Boston. A lot of things changed for Boston. I still don't think this group can really beat Boston. So I'mma double down on that one. And I mean the real Boston, like healthy Boston. October 2025. Personally, the Knicks, I just don't believe that they're contenders. I don't think they have what it takes to win at the highest level. I think you can stifle their offense and make it hard on them. Anytime you have a couple guys on the floor at the same time, that's really key guys and don't really wanna defend, it makes it tough to win at the highest level. And so that's kind of my question. Mm-hmm.— with the Knicks, I double down on this. My question with the Knicks, if you have guys that don't defend, it's gonna be hard. Karl-Anthony Towns, again, you can only have one of those guys. You can't have two. And Karl-Anthony Towns has been defending at an elite level, at a much higher level than Karl-Anthony Towns has defended. Also, their offense is not the same offense they were running. They're running an offense through Karl-Anthony Towns. So with that being said, yeah, you have to switch that offense. Took my advice. Congratulations. January 2026. I still think the New York Knicks are missing that one piece that makes you a championship team. And that's Kevin Durant, that's Steph Curry, that's SGA, that's LeBron James. That's these 1A, bona fide 1A, that like, if I go here tomorrow, I'm 1A. If I go there the next day, I'm 1A. Until they have that, I just don't think it's gonna be, it's gonna be very tough to win a championship. And I double down on this, just like Becky Hammond said, prove me wrong. Prove me wrong. Double down. Absolutely double down. Getting out of the East has never been a surefire to winning a championship. What y'all talking about? You get out of the East, you're supposed to get out of the East. It's the fucking East. Of course you're supposed to get out of the East. That don't just mean you win a championship 'cause you get out of the East. It's the fucking East. Great. It's the East. Would've beat up Boston. You should get out the East. Happy for Mike Brown, by the way. But you should get outta the East. Thanks to our friends at KAYAKS for sponsoring this rapid-fire warmup. I'm feeling ready to go, and you'll feel ready for your workouts with their brand new Creatine EAA Booster Drink. This Swiss-engineered, ready-to-drink pre-workout beverage has a dual-chamber cap from V-Cap that keeps the creatine, caffeine, and other ingredients separate until you open it. Just push the cap and it mixes right in. Finally, creatine that stays creatine and is ready to drink. If you're trying to keep up with the NBA playoffs right now, you already know. The games are kind of everywhere. One night it's on ESPN, then the next game you wanna watch is on ABC or NBC. And suddenly you're bouncing between apps trying not to miss tip-off. It can get overwhelming fast. That's why I've been liking Sling. It's one of the most flexible live TV streaming services out there. And it really lets you watch the playoffs your way. If you're mostly trying to catch the ESPN games, their passes are a great option. You can grab a 1, 3, or 7-day pass depending on what you need, which is perfect if you're following a specific matchup or just tuning in for a big weekend. And the best part is there are no long-term contracts, so you're not locked into anything. You can watch on your terms however you want. Learn more at Sling.com. Quick stat for you. Phoenix tourism is up 23%. Hotel occupancy is at 89%. And a developer called Intersection Development, who already has 15 properties live and operating on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix, has purchased the land for what might be the most interesting hotel project in the country. It's the first ever Atari Hotel. And before you write that off as a novelty concept, consider that the gaming industry just crossed $450 billion, bigger than film and music combined. This project sits at the crossover of that culture with one of the strongest hospitality markets in the US. Even more interesting is that they filed a Reg A+. With the SEC, which means you can pull up the actual financials, projections, full deal structure, and become an investor. Check it out at atarihotels.com. So if you like alternative investments and doing your own due diligence, this one's worth a look. That's atarihotels.com. Now we will get into the questions that you all, the fans, have. And first up, from George, "What's next for Cleveland? Should they feel good about these playoffs and their future?" Or do they have to seriously assess making some big changes? I think both. I think they should feel good about the playoffs. Like you make a trade for James Harden. I don't know many teams that make a, made a huge trade in the middle of the season, trading your point guard for a different starting point guard and win a championship. Yet they got to game, well they got to the conference finals. Further than most of those guys outside, except for James, has ever been in their career. So I think you should feel good about that. And if Game 1 goes differently the way it should have, does the series look different? So I think there are some things to feel good about for sure. And I don't think you just abandon everything right away. I think you go in this year, next year, looking to get better, looking to improve around those guys, but you definitely roll the dice and see what you can do again next year. From Luke, what did you make of the pounding Kenny Atkinson took for his comments about analytically winning the series? Kenny said analytically we won 2 or 3 games on the expected score. Well, I don't make much of it because I know what analytics is and I know what Kenny's talking about when he talk about the expected score. For those of y'all out there that don't know what Kenny's talking about, there's an analytical department in every NBA, that every NBA team has right now. And they run all these analytics all year from how many times I tie my shoe during the game, to how many jump shots, to where the jump shots are. Everything down to a T. One thing that they also do is every game, the coaches get an expected score of the game based on all these different facts. Think about sports gambling and why people around NBA teams can't bet on sports. All these different things that they take into an account, and they come out with an expected score, and the coaches get that expected score. As a part of all their things before the game. That's what Kenny is talking about. So everyone's like, "Oh, what is he talking about? Analytics this, analytics that." For all of you out there, analytics play a huge role in what you see your NBA team do. So just because you don't know what it is, don't completely throw it out because it plays a huge role in what your team does. From Evan, Adam Silver said that, Adam Silver said there's difference between selling a call, exaggeration, and a true flop. As a defender, How would you define the difference between those three distinctions? Also, what do you think of the way the league is approaching the flopping issue? Is it a big— is it as big of an issue as fans are making it out to be? Well, listen, I'm not gonna get into what I make of the three distinctions because it's not my statement, it's Adam's statement. What I will say is I think, yeah, guys do great jobs selling calls, guys do exaggerate calls, and guys also flop. All three of them do happen. All three of them are common. The reality is none of them are called outside of the call. No one gets flops. We implemented this flop rule many years ago that never gets called. Probably 3 flops a year. And there's analytics on that. But listen, it's a big as issue as y'all make it. I don't really care. As a defender, I've played against guys that flop. Guys that flop don't win. If you just got floppers out there, they don't win. So y'all can stop calling Shey Gilgeous-Alexander a flopper because he's a champion. And I can tell you floppers don't really win. It just really don't happen. So there's that. Worried about him flopping? Play better defense. If not, shut up. That's how I feel about it. I don't care. From @stacklike510, all-time MSU starting 5 versus all-time Michigan starting 5. Who wins? Michigan State wins, no question. Irvin Magic Johnson himself. Is playing for Michigan State. And I'm trying to think from Michigan who I'd put in that category, and I'm having a tough time doing it. No disrespect to the OG, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, no disrespect, but I'm having a hard time. Fine and, um, Irv and Magic Johnson. So I'm done. We win. What's mentally harder, winning 73 regular season games or 16 playoff games? Uh, they equally play a different role. Like winning 16 games is hard to win a championship. Going through playoffs is hard, but winning 73 games is very hard, which is why it's only ever been done one time in the history of basketball in the NBA. It's hard. It's mentally exhausting. It's nearly impossible. So they both are extremely hard for different reasons, but equally tough. Excuse me. And by the way, that last question was from my brother @therealprop. From FYTB Games, how much does development fall on the actual player versus the coach? It is, it's not equal. The player, The player must be in control of the development. You must put the work in. You must want to get better. You must be committed to the craft. The coach matters because guidance. How are you teaching this kid? What type of confidence are you instilling in the coach, the teammates? What type of confidence are y'all showing him? Where's the leash? How much can they do? Like how much freedom, how much not? Are you putting them in positions to be successful? So it matters, but ultimately the player drives it. Player must drive. Coach can't make you want it. From @timuu.n8, "How do you think your career would've panned out if your role was more offense and less defense?" I think ultimately I would've adjusted to whatever role that I was gonna have. That's why I became who I've become because I knew how to adjust and make the best of whatever it was for me. So I think it ultimately looks different because if your role is more on offense and not defense, then it's the typical, Right? Like people always gonna overvalue offense. And so maybe it looks different from that aspect, but I'm very happy with my career. From @ibar, who are your top 3 defensive teammates of all time? Andrew Bogut, number 1. Number 2, Klay Thompson. Klay Thompson, ball hawk. And I'd say number 3, number 3, my favorite, Defensive teammate of all time. Well, not favorite, but top 3. Bogut, Klay. KD was elite defensively here. Elite. Andre Iguodala. Andre Iguodala made the game really easy. Gotta go with Andre. It has to be Andre. From Eliza, is the West just OKC versus San Antonio for the next 7 years? No, it never goes that way. Other teams come along just when you don't think so, it happens. It won't just fall out that way. I know everybody— trades happen, injuries unfortunately happen, things change. The likelihood that it's that way for the next 7 years, if it is, I wouldn't be surprised. If it is, I wouldn't be surprised. From David, how does Jalen Brunson playoff late game clutch ability compared to Steph Curry? It's up there. It's definitely up there on an elite level. But you must win a championship to put it in the same category. Needless to say, Jalen Brunson, when Jalen Brunson got the game late and you on Jalen Brunson's side, dammit, you feel good about it. Like Steph Curry, but you can't compare it totally until Jalen Brunson's a champion. From Mitch, would you rather have Alex Caruso or Josh Hart on your team? Man, they're both incredible players. I think Josh Hart plays a little bigger than Alex Caruso, but ultimately, man, it's hard to pick between those guys. If I'm a general manager, I don't feel bad about having either one of them. But right now, Alex Caruso's a 2-time champion, so I gotta give the nod to Alex Caruso. 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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 Meekle, 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, Collin Gaynor, and Jake Gally.