"Crazy and a little disheartening": Draymond Green calls out Anthony Edwards for 'outlandish' take on All-Star game
Four-time NBA All-Star and Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green was disappointed in emerging Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards for his somewhat disparaging view on All-Star Games.
Edwards, 22, made it to his second All-Star Game this season. The game ended with Eastern Conference winning 211-186. However, it drew flak from many quarters for its lack of competitiveness.
The fourth-year Timberwolves player said that from his end an All-Star Game cannot be truly super competitive and that participants just want to have fun and not compete there (via Athletic).
Draymond Green considered Edwards’ take on the NBA midseason classic as discouraging. The Warriors veteran shared on the recent episode of The Draymond Green Show:
“To see guys like, um, Anthony Edwards, who a lot of people are saying as the next face of the league, like, blatantly say, ‘We don't care. We don't want to play. We don't want to be there. To me that was a bit, um, disheartening …”
He continued:
“I don't understand why a young Anthony Edwards wouldn't want his name sketched in stone next to [the greats of the game] … I thought that was a little outlandish. I thought it was a little crazy and like I said a little disheartening, just because of who he is who we all think he is going to be to this league and a part of being the face of the NBA…”
Check out what Green had to say below, beginning at 7:31:
Edwards played 12:34 minutes in his second All-Star Game, finishing with four points on 2-of-3 shooting, a rebound, an assist and a steal for the Western Conference team.
For the season, the former Georgia Bulldog is averaging 26.3 points, 5.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 35 minutes for the West-leading Timberwolves (39-17).
Draymond Green says Stephen A. Smith is wrong for saying LeBron James destroyed the NBA dunk contest
Draymond Green said it was a stretch for sports analyst Stephen A. Smith to say LeBron James destroyed the NBA slam dunk contest during All-Star weekend.
The ESPN analyst was reacting to another underwhelming showing of the slam dunk contest in the recent All-Star festivities, which was won by defending champion Mac McClung of the G League. In making his case, Smith said that the demise of the once marquee event started when James refused to participate in it and other stars followed suit.
In the recent episode of his podcast, Draymond Green defended James from Smith’s criticism, highlighting how such assertion was a stretch to say the least.
The four-time NBA champion said:
“I saw Stephen A. Smith say LeBron James singlehandedly killed the dunk contest. It is those statements that just not see sit well with me. How can one guy who did not participate in the dunk contest singlehandedly 20 years ago killed the contest?”
Green added:
“There has been several great dunk contests since [James entered the league]. So for Stephen A to say LeBron James singlehandedly destroyed the dunk contest, it’s quite a reach and it’s not quite accurate…” 3:17
He went on to mention the likes of Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, Zach Lavine and even Aaron Gordon as among noted dunkers and slam dunk contest legends in James’ time.
In this year edition, Boston All-Star Jaylen Brown, Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York’s Jacob Toppin also competed in the slam dunk contest.