1. Draymond Green is a breath of fresh air because he’s the rare player who doesn’t deal in clichés and doesn’t shy away from saying exactly how he feels. However, his latest comments on Bill Simmons are a big swing and miss.
The Warriors star, who recently joined the media by becoming part of TNT’s Inside the NBA studio show, recently discovered a story that was a big deal a couple of weeks ago, with Simmons saying on his Ringer podcast, “f--- Jalen Green. I don’t care if you’re scoring 40 points and your team is 19–60.”
Anyone who heard the clip or understands context knows that Simmons wasn’t saying “f--- Jalen Green” the person. He was saying “f--- Jalen Green” as a candidate for the All-Rookie team.
Was it the most professional comment? No. Is it something Simmons should’ve said? Probably not. Was it meant with malicious intent? No. Have people taken that quote and made way more of it than what it was? Hell yes.
Green took to his Instagram account to address the controversy and opine that Simmons is not qualified to have a vote on NBA awards.
“How is it that this guy has a voice in deciding if Jalen Green will qualify for a super max deal?” Green wrote on Instagram. “He clearly says F Him, which sounds very personal btw. But he has a say in what someone earns? What work has he done in this life that qualifies him to have a say in an NBA players salary.”
Green also shared a post from another account that pointed out that Simmons was 52 years old and “has beef with a 20 year old.”
First off, Simmons doesn’t have “beef” with Green. He just doesn’t think Green should be on the All-Rookie team. Secondly, I don’t understand why Simmons’s age is relevant here. Are 52-year-olds not allowed to have opinions about the NBA and its players?
Green also looks foolish for questioning Simmons’s credentials. Simmons has covered the NBA since the advent of the internet. He was part of ESPN’s NBA studio shows. He follows the league just as closely as anyone in the world. The guy wrote a 700-page book called The Book of Basketball, for goodness sake!
You may not like Simmons’s opinions on the NBA, but you can’t say he isn’t qualified to vote on postseason awards.
2. A brand-new SI Media Podcast dropped this morning, and it features a conversation with Ryen Russillo of The Ringer.
The host of the very popular Ryen Russillo Podcast shared his thoughts on everything from the NBA playoffs to Kevin Durant vs. TNT to the power of Inside the NBA to which sports have the worst officials to his favorite NBA announcers to how much trouble Major League Baseball is in to the state of podcasting to Elon Musk’s buying Twitter.
The podcast closes with our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment featuring Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York. This week, the Jimmy and Sal discuss the NFL’s reportedly scheduling three games on Christmas Day this season and a game on Black Friday beginning in 2023, as well as HBO’s Winning Time series and more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
3. I just want to point out one thing about Sage Steele’s lawsuit against ESPN. Part of the lawsuit states, "Ms. Steele alleged she was forced to issue an apology that said, 'I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.'"
Just remember this the next time you see a public figure issue an apology. It's all optics and the apology is always meaningless.
4. It was just another typical postgame show on Inside the NBA on Wednesday night.
5. I just feel like everyone needs to see this photo of Tom Brady.
6. Happy NFL draft day.
