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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green defended Giannis Antetokounmpo on The Draymond Green Show, answering recent comments from former Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers and Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie. Green also said he would like to hear Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra speak up for his forward.
Rivers made his comments on The Bill Simmons Podcast, and Bleacher Report reported them on Nov. 6. He said Antetokounmpo was not easy to coach and does not have a super-high basketball IQ. The two-time MVP plays at a downhill pace and forces plays, Rivers said, and still needs to learn the value of execution.
After Miami’s 114-108 win over Sacramento on Sunday, Christie said the Kings were “living with” Antetokounmpo’s contested mid-range shots. He predicted Antetokounmpo would not make them in his next game, according to EssentiallySports.
“I say, if coaches going to get to the point to where coaches start talking crazy, players should start talking crazy about coaches too,” Green said. “If that barrier is no longer gonna be upheld of the way coaches speak about players, then the way players speak about coaches, what’s the difference?”
“Why wouldn’t players go in interviews now and be like, ‘Yo, Doug Christie sucked last night. Look what happened to their team. They weren’t weak-side low help. That’s an indictment on the coach,’” Green said. “Not saying that. I’m just saying in general, what if players start doing that and just shooting at coaches?”
Draymond Green Separates Doc Rivers And Doug Christie
Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson once said Stephen Curry ruined the game. Green brought up that remark while discussing Rivers.
“And we learned this when Mark Jackson said Steph Curry ruined the game,” Green said. “When he said it, I’ll be honest, I remember everybody, including us, like, damn, why? Why would he say that? Like, that’s just crazy that Coach Jackson would say that.”
“And the reality is, Mark Jackson has had never been more right about anything in his life when he said that,” Green said. “Steph Curry changed the way the game is played. The way he shoots the basketball changed the way people guard, changed the way the game is played. It changed offenses.”
“When Doc says this, it’s similar to Mark Jackson saying that, except when you start saying he doesn’t have a super IQ, super high IQ. He doesn’t understand execution. Those then come off and allow people to take them as personal shots,” Green said.
Rivers later apologized, Bleacher Report reported on Nov. 9. Green said he had seen a report that Rivers regretted the IQ remark and that he would agree with Rivers if it were true.
“You can make the point that you’re trying to make without saying he doesn’t have a high IQ, without saying he needs to learn how to execute better. You can still make your point and not make it come off as a direct shot at Giannis,” Green said. “But I’ll be honest, I don’t think Doc was really taking a shot at him. I think Doc was kind of just sharing his truth and what he saw.”
Rivers stepped down as Bucks coach in April and now works as an NBA on NBC analyst. Green also referenced past criticism of Rivers from Lakers coach JJ Redick.
“Now, what it does go back to is when JJ Redick went crazy and said this guy always blames his players and he never takes the blame,” Green said. “This does kind of bring that thought up of like, man, he’s blaming a player again.”
“I think Doc’s intentions were pure,” Green said. “Doug Christie, on the other hand, that was a little dicey to me. And you got to be careful because you’re gonna be a coach in this league, and what if some of these players don’t want to play for you because of that?”
“Number one, he is a top 20, top 30 player in NBA history. Whether he got a high IQ, whether he execute well, whether he go too fast and crazy downhill, he top 20, top 30, whatever,” Green said. “I haven’t really sat and done a ranking, but I’m just going off top.”
“So whatever the hell he doing wrong, cool. Maybe it would have took him from top 20 to eight. But top 20 ain’t that bad, and the NBA be a top 20, top 30 player of all time. That ain’t that bad of a gig,” Green said. “So yeah, Giannis got some things he can get better at, don’t we all? But sitting and talking about this man like he not Giannis, the Doug Christie one was crazy to me. Like that’s wild.”
“Now again, I get what you’re getting at. But some things, as a wise man once told me, some things are better left unsaid,” Green said.
Draymond Green Calls On Erik Spoelstra
Miami acquired Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee in an offseason trade. Spoelstra defended Antetokounmpo’s mid-range work and work ethic after Christie’s comments, EssentiallySports reported.
“I would love to see Coach Spo come out and say something great about Giannis. Like support your guy. I would love to see that,” Green said. “Spo’s a great coach. I’m not taking anything away from Coach Spo. He’s incredible coach, one of the best we have in our league. But I would love to see him come out and just show a little support for your guy, because the way people bashing him and opposing coach, I don’t like that.”
“Even if it ain’t Giannis, you could piss another player off, like, ‘Oh, I got a relationship with Giannis,’ and you just don’t know,” Green said. “Which is why I think coaches don’t usually talk like that.”
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who coached Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, also disagreed with the IQ remark, according to Sports Illustrated. Antetokounmpo made his Heat debut in a 131-106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 21, according to Field Level Media.
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