Lol. Gym. And just tall and legit NBA size.
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How long until Chris Haynes tweet: âMy exclusive source, who is definitely not named Draymond G, says that the audio in this video would show that Poole was saying that heâs a nazi supporter and wants to murder childrenâ
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I donât want to hear another word about Juwan-Krabbenhoft from MSU people ever again
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I also do not, so I agree, but that feeling has nothing to do with this video
(and I think that in retrospect Iâm a lot more understanding of Howardâs actions than I was right after, but hitting someone in a practice facility is different than in an arena with 15k milk-crazed fans who are out for blood)
(but I donât think thatâs a distinction msu fans who are still talking about it really care about, either)
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I think, given how long ago Draymond wore the green and white, pitching this as an âMSU vs. UMâ thing, as much as we may want to, isnât the way to see it.
Draymond has always played on the edge of going too far, and has nearly never been punished in real terms for going over the line (I say this is as someone who mostly likes him). These two, in very real terms, are going to be arguing over a large slice of a finite pie of compensation this off-season, and while teammates, are also competitiors in that sense.
That doesnât excuse what Draymond did (itâs inexcusable), but people donât do things for no reason (no matter how bad a reason), and âI donât like your collegeâ for two guys who have had three years to know each other seems REALLY unlikely.
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Wait, people think that Draymond punched him because he went to Michigan? 
I guess Iâm saying that pitching it as âwhat UM fans will say and what MSU fans will sayâ is like a 78th level concern here. (but yes, Iâve seen it as MSU on UM violence on twitter). I think even bringing up their schools sort of implicates it as an explanation.
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Whatâs the concern? I just think itâs a Michigan message board so of course people talk about UM and MSU fans.
I think people also realize that grown ups probably arenât arguing to the point of punching each other over something like that and that it was probably more personal
I donât know that thereâs some grave concern to be addressed. I know it looks bad but I honestly donât see it becoming a huge issue (other than the external shockwaves now) for the Warriors or anything like that.
Now this spiciness, Iâm here for:
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Off the top of my head, I canât think of another player in any sport who has benefitted from the surrounding team and organizational context more than Draymond. I know Iâm not basketball savvy enough to fully understand the impact of Draymondâs defensive âgeniusâ but I really struggle to see how heâs a winning basketball player in any other system in any other era (always surrounded by generational shooting, the fifth option on offense, and the ~4th best player on some of the best teams of all time).
I really disagree with that. Maybe as far as contracts and titles, but Draymond is a winning basketball player and has been for a long long time. I think he creates far more of the team context than you are giving him credit for.
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What three Warriors were better on balance during most of their run? Steph and Klay, sure. Durant for 2 of them, but I tend to think Draymond may have been more important to those teams than KlayâŚand Draymondâs status of 4th (if thatâs what you think) says more about the absurd talent level on the team than his own quality.
Heâs one of the best defensive players ever, is capable of being the primary ballhandler (which allows their titular PG to run around the court like a waterbug), and according to most people there (this being a violation of the idea) the primary culture setter.
I know. Most if not all smart basketball people disagree with my take so Iâll gladly roll with the punches, but the dude isnât sniffing the Hall of Fame or anything approaching an illustrious career if heâs drafted by, say, the Pistons. Again just my worthless opinion, and itâs totally biased by a few factors.
I really like Draymond as a player. He benefitted from the Warriors system but itâs not like theres dozens of guys out there that could have done the same thing. Heâd be valuable on any team, but the Warriors and Draymond enjoy a positive synergy that gets the best out of both
This is really bad though. Not the first time Dray and a teammate have had issues though, but obviously first time heâs socked someone, presumably.
I think the âecosystemâ in GS has been created by the combination of the talents of their âbig 3â, AND all three have benefited from it as well. Iâm not sure Draymond, Steph, or Klay are the same players historically without each other.
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Youâre missing Durant, even if he was only there three years. Theyâve had some other great role players there over the years as well (in which Iâd lump Draymond personally): Iggy, Wiggins, perhaps Livingston, etc. I said â~4thâ for a reason in my first post.
And I donât put much stock in the culture stuff but obviously I have no real insight into it and Iâm sure itâs all extremely earnest. Donât want to discount it entirely, but in my mind if you take Draymond out of it, someone else fills that void for narrative purposes. Iggy gets partial credit already, for example.
I donât disagree with that. I just think one of those guys benefits far more than the others. Like, in my Pistons drafting you scenario, Steph is still probably a Hall of Famer, Klay might be (his career would be different, too), and Dray just isnât.
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Yeah, but I think the ecosystem (âhow they playâ) is tremendously indebted to him, if not as much as Steph and Klayâs shooting.
Without his on-ball skills, Steph canât play the way he has for his whole career. Without his ability to play center defensively (EXTREMELY well) their hallowed âsmall ballâ lineups that dozens of teams have unsuccessfully tried to replicate (because they donât have him) never get off the ground.
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I love how the immediate reaction to this story coming out was âwell Green punched but the other teammates wanted to do the same because Poole was getting too big for his britchesâ.
This is ridiculous, thereâs literally nothing Poole could have said to provoke that reaction.
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Yeah, I tihnk in this case, youâre looking at Steph being on a Damian Lillard level, and not in any conversation of best of anything (but a HOFer).