NBA News Today: Draymond Green blasts referees for technical, DeMarcus Cousins called Bob Myers, and more
Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green has called out NBA referees for a questionable technical foul he received. The incident occurred on Sunday during the Golden State's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In other news, former NBA All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins reportedly reached out to Warriors general manager Bob Myers for some advice. This comes following Cousins’ lack of NBA offers.
On that note, here is the latest news from around the NBA as of Nov. 28, 2022.
Draymond Green blasts referees for technical
Late in the Golden State Warriors’ 137-114 win over Minnesota on Sunday, Draymond Green received a questionable technical foul from the Warriors' bench. Green’s technical came after he jumped up and down in the corner of the court to celebrate a made basket by teammate Jordan Poole.
Draymond was whistled for a technical foul for celebrating on the court ... 😐 https://t.co/BSB3HL1WpG
The forward was not a fan of the call and argued strongly against it in his postgame interview. Green was particularly annoyed that the tech would count towards his season total:
"I thought I was standing in the corner, so I don't know. Sucks though. It's the NBA man.
"Your teammates make a good move. I didn't affect the play, like, there's no one near me. Sucks. And the fact that that's going to count, come on."
"It's crazy, man."
Draymond reacts to his technical foul for celebrating on the bench: https://t.co/VwMPjb2CUu
Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry seemingly tried to prove a point a little while later by intentionally earning a tech for a similar celebration.
Steph trying to prove a point to the refs? 😅 https://t.co/Z99AhITa5q
Despite the questionable technicals, the Warriors were still happy to get the win which put them above .500 (11-10) following their concerning 3-7 start.
DeMarcus Cousins called Warriors GM Bob Myers for advice on why he's not getting NBA offers
Many are surprised that DeMarcus Cousins didn’t receive an NBA opportunity this past offseason or over the first month of the season.
Cousins was confused as well and even went to Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers for some advice on the situation. Myers then explained to Cousins that teams are worried about his past behavioral issues.
Myers recently discussed their conversation during an appearance on the “All That Smoke” podcast.
“DeMarcus called me a month ago and he said, ‘Why am I not in the NBA?’” Myers said.
“And I said, ‘You want that answer? … Because people are afraid of how you’re going to act.’ And he’s like ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Well, whatever the reason is, it’s here now.’
“And I like DeMarcus. You guys may know him. He’s just, I can’t blame him for him because of all he’s been through,” Myers continued.
Last season, Cousins turned out for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 9.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 steals per game on 46.0% shooting in 48 games.
If Cousins does not receive an NBA offer, he is expected to accept an offer to play in the T1 League in Taiwan.
LA Clippers' big man Ivica Zubac has historic night with 31 points and 29 rebounds
LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac made NBA history during his team’s 114-110 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon.
Zubac recorded 31 points and a career-high 29 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards, along with three blocks in 36 minutes. He also shot a hyper-efficient 14-for-17 (82.4%).
In doing so, Zubac became the first player to record 30 or more points and 25 or more rebounds while shooting at least 80.0% since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.
Ivica Zubac fouls out with 31 points and 29 rebounds, falling 1 rebound shy of becoming the 1st Clippers player with 30 points and 30 rebounds in a game.
He is the first player with 30 points, 25 rebounds and 80% FG shooting in a game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004. https://t.co/VWzOQAhsOU
Zubac also became the third player in NBA history to record at least 31 points, 29 rebounds and three blocks in a game. The last player to do so was NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1978.
Elite company for the young big man.
The Clippers say since 1973-74, when blocked shots were first tracked, Ivica Zubac is just the third player in NBA history to have at least 31 points, 29 rebounds and three blocks in a single game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the last to accomplish the feat on 2/3/78 at New Jersey. twitter.com/thesteinline/s…
Zubac fouled out in the fourth quarter of the game which cost him the opportunity for a rare 30-point, 30-rebound game. Nonetheless, the Clippers still got the win to improve to 12-9 and fifth in the Western Conference.
LeBron James thinks Anthony Davis has been playing like the best player in the league
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James offered very high praise when asked about how his teammate and co-star Anthony Davis played in his absence.
James missed five straight games over the past couple of weeks due to an adductor strain before returning on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers went 3-2 without him and have now won both games since his return.
James said that Davis playing like the best player in the league has been a big reason for the Lakers’ recent success. Speaking after their 105-92 win against the Spurs on Friday, he said:
“The guys played some good basketball when I was out. You know, I thought AD was the best player in the league over the last, you know, four or five games. Just his numbers and productivity on both sides of the floor.
“You know, it’s not just offensively but defensively he has been super engaged. And tonight, once again, he was amazing.”
Davis missed Saturday’s 143-138 win over the Spurs on Saturday with a calf contusion. In six games before that, he averaged 31.8 points, 17.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 61.7%.
If Davis can continue to play at an elite level moving forward, the Lakers may be able to turn around their disappointing season. After winning two straight games over San Antonio, the Lakers are now 7-11 and 13th in the Western Conference.
Gordon Hayward’s wife blasts Charlotte Hornets over claims the team downplayed the severity of his injury
Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is out indefinitely with a shoulder fracture, according to The Athletic.
However, on Friday, the Hornets announced that Hayward would be out for the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a shoulder contusion.
This prompted his wife, Robyn Hayward, to voice her frustrations on social media with how the franchise has dealt with her husband’s injury. Robyn alleges that Hayward's injury was downplayed in an effort to get him to return prematurely.
"He actually has a fractured scapula … that they had him play with last game … that’s why he couldn’t move his arm up in the last game," Robyn said on Instagram.
"I’m over them not protecting players. Just was talking with a young player’s mom, and she was saying the same thing."
Was just about to tweet that Gordon Hayward's wife posted this on her IG story about his injury twitter.com/shamscharania/… https://t.co/iihIIHlxtt
These are certainly serious allegations from Robyn.
Hayward has earned the label of injury-prone over the past few seasons after a series of unfortunate injuries. His first major injury occurred in 2017 as a member of the Boston Celtics. Hayward suffered a scary leg injury on the opening night of the 2017-2018 NBA season.
Since then, he has had a hard time staying on the floor.
Gordon Hayward has now played in just 104 games for the Hornets in his three seasons with the team. The team has gone 54-50 in those games. In contrast, Charlotte has gone just 28-42 in games that Hayward has missed.