Draymond Green: Kevin Durant made a mistake leaving the Warriors

Draymond Green: What I will say is, when [Kevin Durant] decided that he was going to leave, I thought it was a mistake. And not for the reason that everyone else thinks it’s a mistake, by the way. I thought it was a mistake, because I know Kevin. And what Kevin likes to do in his life – the number one thing in Kevin’s life – and that’s not the case for most people, including NBA guys, by the way. Basketball isn’t the most important thing to me in my life. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you and act like it is. It’s not the most important thing in my life. It is extremely important. But it’s not the most important thing in my life. Basketball is 100 percent the most important thing in Kevin’s life. It is the thing that he cares about himself more than anything in the world. And when Kevin was here, the reason I thought Kevin was making a mistake, because I felt like when Kevin was here, what he was allowed to do was to simply just go play basketball, which is what Kevin loves to do.Source: Dan Feldman @ NBC Sports

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Kurt Helin @basketballtalkDraymond Green: Kevin Durant made mistake by leaving Warriors nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/02/dra… – 3:00 PM

Tommy Beer @TommyBeerSteph, Klay and Draymond have been healthy in 6 of the past 8 years.The Warriors have advanced to the NBA Finals in each and every one of those six seasons. – 1:30 PM

Andrew Greif @AndrewGreifDraymond told @Dan Woike what Darvin Ham brings to the Lakers:“It’ll be a different toughness that they haven’t seen. And he’s going to command and require a different respect level that they haven’t really have had.”latimes.com/sports/lakers/… – 1:13 PM

Ian Begley @IanBegleyKevin Durant’s Boardroom has partnered with Showtime to produce ‘NYC Point Gods’, a documentary highlighting the impact of NYC guards from the 80s & 90s. It airs on 7/29. “Everyone knows an NYC point guard when they see them,” Durant says. (*Hopefully, film includes Kareem Reid) pic.twitter.com/EAFH0IKCiT – 12:23 PM

Story continues

Michael Lee @MrMichaelLeeKevin Durant & Rich Kleiman already produced a documentary on PG County, next they’ll feature legendary NYC PGs. Personally, I’m excited to see anything that puts a spotlight on @Kenny Anderson. Showtime doc also includes @Mark Jackson, @Stephon Marbury & @rod_strickland. Airs July 29 pic.twitter.com/Ti7hU1hQbJ – 11:20 AM

Ramona Shelburne @ramonashelburneThere are two kinds of dynasties in the NBA. Those that have a great run. And those that extend beyond the initial rise and fall. Here’s how the Warriors are attempting to do that, & the critical role a magnanimous gesture from Kevin Durant played in it. espn.com/nba/insider/st… – 10:40 AM

Steve Popper @StevePopperShowtime is releasing a documentary July 29 from Kevin Durant’s Boardroom on NYC point guards — and the who’s who is a reminder of what the city produced… pic.twitter.com/VZALnfKrcL – 10:30 AM

Jorge Sierra @hoopshypeAmong All-Stars, Kevin Durant has the third-worst mark in speed drills at the draft combine.Only two All-Star centers did worse.So perhaps don’t read too much into draft combine measurements? pic.twitter.com/EMfRhprp5o – 10:23 AM

StatMuse @statmuse11 of the 14 top scorers this Finals were drafted by their team.Jayson TatumSteph CurryJaylen BrownKlay ThompsonJordan PooleAndrew Wiggins*Marcus SmartAl Horford*Grant WilliamsDraymond GreenDerrick White*Robert WilliamsJonathan KumingaKevon LooneyHomegrown Bowl. pic.twitter.com/4jkTznGgSc – 9:30 AM

Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDNKevin Durant and Rich Kleiman have produced a documentary about NYC Point Guards. It’s called ‘Point Guards’ and spotlights Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson, Steph Marbury, Rafer Alston, Rod Strickland and Pearl Washington.Airing on Showtime July 29. – 9:14 AM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalkDraymond Green was right: Stephen Curry got double-teamed way more than Kevin Durant in NBA Finals nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/02/dra… – 12:06 AM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalkDraymond Green calls All-Defensive second-team selection a slight nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/01/dra… – 9:44 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_ChronI wrote on the Draymond Green-Marcus Smart dynamic, and why these Finals could help determine who’s the NBA’s best defender: sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… – 9:32 PM

Monte Poole @MontePooleNBCSThe LeBron-DWade Heat tapped out after 4 years, the KD-Russ-Harden Thunder ended in 3. Shaq and Kobe won 3 titles in 8 years and ended ugly. The Steph-Draymond-Klay Warriors are the exception because of No. 30nbcsports.com/bayarea/warrio… – 8:33 PM

Mark Murphy @Murf56Draymond Green on Marcus Smart: “I think he really thinks the game. You can see it the way he plays, the way he’s teaching guys, the way he’s commanding attention in huddles and going through the X’s and O’s in the huddles. You see it all. I think he does a great job of that.” – 7:26 PM

Jason Dumas @JDumasReports“Guys had to go on BART and give tickets away. I remember that.”Draymond Green on how far the GSW franchise has come since his was drafted. pic.twitter.com/JMxsgKKAmL – 6:37 PM

Tim Bontemps @TimBontempsMarcus Smart, on if he agrees with the comparisons to Draymond Green: “I do.” – 4:58 PM

StatMuse @statmuseFun fact: The last 4 Finals MVPs are the last 4 All-Star Game MVPs — all from Team LeBron.LeBron (’18 ASG MVP, ’20 FMVP)Durant (’19 ASG MVP, ’18 FMVP)Kawhi (’20 ASG MVP, ’19 FMVP)Giannis (’21 ASG MVP, ’21 FMVP)Steph (’22 ASG MVP, ?) pic.twitter.com/575O3Qlt2Y – 4:15 PM

Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlinDraymond Green, who is 32, on 19-year-old Jonathan Kuminga:“He look at me like I may look at a 55-year-old man.” – 3:58 PM

CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22Draymond Green on Marcus Smart’s evolution as a defender: pic.twitter.com/K68n0fnkgh – 3:55 PM

Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobeDraymond Green said he remembers as a rookie having to go into downtown Oakland to give out #Warriors tickets because the franchise was struggling. Times have changed. #Celtics #NBAFinals2022 – 3:55 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBADraymond Green on Marcus Smart: “He thinks the game. You can see it on the floor…And he’s a great leader. And he’s grown so much. It’s been really good to watch.” – 3:51 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBADraymond Green on the Celtics defense: “You respect and admire that everyone is defending. Not a guy comes on the floor that isn’t giving 110%. And you have to give a lot of credit to Ime (Udoka). They aren’t that different from the team we’ve seen in years past.” – 3:50 PM

Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlinDraymond Green on the Celtics: “You respect and admire that *everyone* is defending.” – 3:49 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBASteve Kerr says that Marcus Smart is the guard version of Draymond Green: “He’s a great, great defender and probably an underrated offensive player as well.” – 3:43 PM

Jay King @ByJayKingSteve Kerr has compared Marcus Smart to a guard version of Draymond Grren: “He’s a great, great defender and probably an underrated offensive player as well.” – 3:42 PM

Jake Madison @NOLAJakeLocked On Pelicans is live!🏀 Jeremy Sochan draft profile🏀 Is he the next Draymond Green or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist🏀 Defensive potential too important for the Pelicans to ignore🎧 https://t.co/BETlDzBFEvWatch on YouTube!📺 https://t.co/4DBES9YyFq pic.twitter.com/vwYN4Av9RM – 3:30 PM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalkDraymond Green on Warriors: “No one has ever beaten us whole. Ever.” nba.nbcsports.com/2022/06/01/dra… – 3:23 PM

More on this storyline

Draymond Green: And so it wasn’t that he was going to play with Kyrie Irving. It wasn’t that everyone’s, “Oh, Kyrie isn’t there.” It wasn’t any of that. Or it wasn’t, oh man, you’re winning championships. It was more so, from me, from a life standpoint, because again, I care about the person. I don’t give a damn about the basketball player. He’s a great basketball player. I just care about the person. And I just knew what makes him happy in his life is being able to simply go play basketball. And so that’s where the mistake was made for me. It’s not that he wasn’t going to go win, because again, it’s not proven that they’re still not going to win. It takes time to build these things up. Whether that fails or succeeds, that wasn’t the mistake to me. The mistake, for me, was simply from a life standpoint of what makes you happy. What makes you happy – I know you. You’re my brother. What makes you happy is just simply going to play basketball. And so that’s where the mistake was made to me. -via NBC Sports / June 2, 2022

First Take: .@stephenasmith says Steph Curry changed basketball for the better, while MJ changed it for the worse. “Michael Jordan is responsible, as much as anybody, for changing the game for the worse!” Kevin Durant: My theory is that guys like steve, skip and Shannon have changed the game for the worse. Playas like Stephen and Michael can only push the game forward. -via Twitter @RealQuintonMayo / June 2, 2022

A 9-year-old Jayson Tatum was in the stands with his father as his godfather Larry Hughes’ Cleveland Cavaliers played the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals. Fifteen years later, longtime best friends Hughes and Justin Tatum will be in the stands together watching “Lil J” as he tries to lead the Boston Celtics to a title over the Golden State Warriors. “When a kid sees that a dream is real, it’s easier, but not easy, to chase that dream,” Hughes told Andscape this week. “I was glad that he was able to see that making the NBA was possible. I’m hoping he earns his award.” -via Andscape / June 2, 2022