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Calling Today’s Youth and Adam Silver’s NBA “Soft”, Stephen A. Smith Defends Draymond Green

Published 11/15/2023, 9:09 PM EST

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Stephen A. Smith is back with his take on the Draymond Green incident. Unfortunately for Adam Silver’s NBA, it’s not good. Growing up watching a different kind, a more brutal kind of basketball might be what is behind Smith’s reasoning. Whatever his reasons are, Stephen A. is not one to keep his opinions to himself. And by now, everybody has accepted the fact.

According to the eminent sports journalist, the NBA league has become too “soft”. And he has pointed out a very good example of this in his podcast.

Draymond Green gets the support of Stephen A.

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In support of Green, Smith brings up something from his past. Specifically, the 2016 NBA Finals where Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5. He says that he can understand the flagrant foul called on Green during a groin kick on Steven Adams in the Western Conference Finals. But for Dray to get suspended when LeBron and the team were already down 3-1; he cannot accept that decision.

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” I don’t hold against him when he got penalized for that incident in the finals …  LeBron James threw him to the ground and then stepped over him. He wasn’t even ejected that game; it wasn’t until after the game,” he says. Green is one of the NBA’s best defenders. For LeBron to step over the veteran like that, of course, made him mad. We all know how Dray reacts, even for the tiniest of matters.

For James to disgrace him like that certainly hit home. Stephen A. also brings our attention to the fact that what looked like a clear win for the Warriors was now in shambles. Andre Iguodala was also suspended shortly after. With two of their key players down, the Warriors were no match for the Cavs.

But Smith is not done with Adam Silver and the NBA by a long shot.

Stephen A. Smith rips into the league for their recent decision-makings

Smith is simply tired of people bringing up Draymond’s past to add more fire to his recent altercations. Bringing our attention to just three days ago, when Anthony Edwards‘ dunk on Dario Saric was called a technical foul, he rests his case. “Detachment from today’s youth, this softness cottonelle tissue that the league has turned itself into,” – this is his representation of the league now.

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“I’m not calling a player soft. I’m saying the league in terms of rules that they’ve imposed upon the players,” he added. Anthony Edwards has risen to the occasion as the Timberwolves’ new star. With him taking the lead on the Warriors‘ game on Sunday night, Minnesota cooked the Dubs with a 116-110 victory.

The highlight of the game was Edwards’ dunk on Saric and, of course, the trash talk with Green. Dray just can’t resist a good old-fashioned brawl. But Stephen A. is confused as to why Edwards was penalized. In his own words, “He’s a superstar in the making. He’s got an NBA body, he gets to the rim with ferocity, he will dunk on anybody, he’s improving his perimeter shot, he’s giving you over 22-23 a night. It ain’t Karl Anthony Towns’ team anymore; it’s Edwards!”

Smith doesn’t have to say anymore. All the rising “superstar” did was celebrate his win. Stephen A. is not happy with how things are running up there. Whether this will kick-start a closer look at the NBA rules and regulations is more or less a distant mirage.

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Written by:

Geisha Pulimoottil Don

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One take at a time

Geisha is an NBA content writer at EssentiallySports. Having years of experience as a content writer, she focuses on providing in-depth coverage of the basketball entities. The increased use of technology in studying the game and its intricacies intrigues her.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe