The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Draymond Green Show - NBA Draft Breakdown + Mikal Bridges Trade

Episode Date: June 28, 2024

Draymond Green breaks down the 2024 NBA Draft from all angles including why France has not overtaken the USA, the Minnesota Timberwolves winning the draft by getting Rob Dillingham to pair with Anthony Edwards, Zach Edey being a great pick for the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Los Angeles Lakers selecting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James. Then he discusses the New York Knicks trading for Mikal Bridges and names his Top 5 second round picks ever. 0:00 - Start1:35 - International players drafted high6:00 - Timberwolves win the draft10:00 - Lakers select Knecht & Bronny17:25 - Mikal Bridges trade29:45 - Top 5 second round picks Produced by: Jackson Safon #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Or in West Virginia, visit 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 8778-8-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y 4667-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draymond Green Show. The second round of the NBA draft just ended, which is obviously the best round of the NBA draft.

All the stars come out of the second round. So we'll discuss that. No, we'll discuss the entire draft. I mean, some exciting things about the draft. Not so much on some other parts. But we'll get into that. Mike L. Bridges trade. A few more things going on around the NBA that we will discuss.

But first, the 2024 NBA draft has concluded. And the number one pick was Zachary Rissachet. Second pick in a row from France to be, well, second number one overall pick from France. Only the fourth, I think, in history. There's that. And everybody's like, oh, man, France and Europe is taking over the NBA. And it did seem that way. in that draft last or last night and today.

But might I remind you, y'all said this is the weakest draft in recent history. So don't tell me France is taking over the NBA. But because they have so many players drafted this year or that the international overseas, however you want to categorize it, don't tell me that they're taking over the NBA. they're far more superior in the NBA because they had a lot of players drafted. And what even before the draft started was kind of dubbed as the worst draft for the last 15 years, you cannot then say, oh, because that draft was dominated by European players or French players that they're now superior and they're taking over to NBA, that actually

just doesn't make sense to me. nonetheless there is this topic of conversation that the European countries are catching up to the Americans and quite frankly I think you'll see very soon in the Olympics how the European countries definitely have put out players Joker Luca um you know as of late those two wimby they have put out some Generation of talent size of late. For sure. No debate in that.

Nobody's arguing that. But there's this big debate on, like, Europe's taking over the NBA. And I just don't agree with that. Number one, Janice, number one, I'm not sure we've still reached a day of where a European guy is to face up the NBA.

Because the NBA isn't American league. And I'm just not sure we've hopped that hurdle yet. But we will soon see, or you all will see, because I know the real, how America still dominates. And by the way, when you look at domination, you can't just also look at, like, oh, this star and that star, you have to look at the whole, like the whole body of work. And if you look at the whole body of work of the U.S. players, the U.S. born players in the NBA right now, the superstars at the NBA and the non-superstars that are from Europe and the superstars from America

and the non-superstars from America it's not even close than non-superstars. Like the non-superstars from Europe and the non-superstars from America isn't even close. Like actually isn't even discussion. So that also plays a part

in who's superior and all this. You get like the talking heads like, oh, I'm telling you the U.S.-born players better watch out because Luca, like, Luca is once in a generation. That's why all his stats line up to the bronze this thus far in the career. Like he's once in a lifetime for sure.

Joker, Yonis, for sure. But you got to go through the whole body of work. And so I'm looking forward to that. Please stop with the, they're taking over the league. And at the same time, saying it's the worst draft in recent history. Because those two things are, they don't make sense. if I had to say who won the draft, who won the draft to me was the Minnesota Timberwolves.

And the reason the Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft is because they drafted their point guard of the future in Rob Dillingham, who I think is a very special player who some of those teams at the top of the draft were afraid of because he got swag and he got game and they don't know if his game is going to fit into their systems that don't work and get them fired. When you can just get a really good player who can score the basketball, Steph Curry, and figure out how the system works for him.

And then all of a sudden the franchise is in territory that's never been in before. But, you know, at times we run into these guards with swag that they just don't fit in the system. And so teams run away from him. And there's going to be some teams that's going to regret passing Rob Dillingham because he's the best pure score in that draft. He wants to be a great pro. If you talk to the young man off the court, great young man, but y'all probably don't know that because you just judged by how he bounced around

in his game. Very smart young man. Looking for the game, won't the game want the knowledge? and now he about to go play behind Mike Conley, a young Anthony Edwards who he's about to be running mates with for the next 10 years, and I'm just not sure many backcores going to want to see him and Antman.

Good luck. So with him, and then Terrence Shannon Jr., who had an incredible two years at Illinois after leaving Texas Tech, goes and have an incredible career at Illinois, falls in the draft because he gets lied on, then he falls in the draft. Everybody run away from him.

Minnesota's sitting right there, 27, we'll take him. Guess what? Because the way Minnesota's roster is right now, he may help Minnesota next year more than Robb. Because he's a big wing, can shoot the ball, can get downhill, get to the free throw line, and he can check. And when you got big wing,

that can check in this league, Jada McDaniels, they play. By the way, they make a lot of money. So, Minnesota won the draft to me. Look what they just did. After coming off of Western Conference Finals, look what they just did. I like it. Got to get Tim Connolly a lot of credit.

He keep doing special things. And listen, I'm a tough critic. You got to do special things over and over again for me to be like, wow. And I've always respected Tim because you see the work he's put in, but he just continues to snatch more and more respect. Like, continues to snatch more and more respect. Because what he just did in that draft, like, he couldn't have nailed those two pigs better. So Minnesota won a draft to me.

And quite frankly, Minnesota didn't need to win the draft. But they won the draft. And that's a team that's poised to try to compete for a champion. and you got to respect it. Gotta respect that. So, shout out to Minnesota. I think Zach Eadie at number nine was a great pick by the Grizzlies.

And the reason I think so is because the Grizzlies, the Grizzlies need a center. They have to have a center. Jaron's not a center. Jaron's a power for it. And when you allow Jaron to roam with a great rim protector behind him, Jaron is going to be right back

in the defensive player of the year rankings next year. because he's going to be able to do what he's special at. Get weak side blocks. Roam around, plug. And that's going to be great. And he don't have to worry about being the main rim protector. And that's going to unlock Jaron defensively again.

Zach, I also think for the Grizzlies, it's a low-reward, high-risk, I'm excuse me, low-risk, high-reward pick. I think it's a very low-risk, high-reward pick because, quite frankly, kid, what did he win? Back-to-back national player a year? Like, nobody's judging you for taking him with the knife pick.

Like, nobody's like, oh, you shouldn't have. Like, Eadie's kind of that secret in the draft or not necessarily secret, but he's kind of that unknown, I would say, in the draft of where, like, you don't know if his size is going to translate? Like, do he move well enough? frankly, I think what he does is going to translate.

But, like, Biggs in the NBA today is going back to that. Is it not? Like, but if it does and you get him and he pan out, you look great. And you pair him young. You get four years on a low contract with now Jaron making the big money and job making the big money and Desmond making the big money. So I like that pick a lot. I like that pick a lot for the Grizzies.

I think he'll be ready to go. right now senior play for Matt Painter in the Big Ten physical gonna be tough gonna know it stuff because we from the Big Ten that's what we do I like the pick I like that pick a lot and I think that pick is going to be huge for the Grizzlies

and not many people is talking about it but I really like that pick Lakers had a very interesting pick Dalton Connect I thought you all thought I was gonna say Brownie Hunt We get into that. Hold your horses. I like that kid a lot. He's a decent athlete.

Can shoot the ball. Got great size. Playing with that size alongside A.D. and Brian, they can shoot the ball and score the ball the way he can. I think JJ is going to run him off screens because that's who JJ was. So JJ's going to be looking for that.

And I think if he can come off screens, which he shows some at Tennessee. come off screens, firing and turn the corner and getting downhill, I think that's very beneficial. So I like that pick for them. And then that leads us to Brani, which, number one, congratulations to Brony, to Brony, to Brunner, the James Gang, Z, Bryce.

Congrats to them. I mean, obviously, we all know what Brony went through a year ago, and to be here today getting drafted by the loss. Angeles Lakers with the 55th pick will be the first ever father-son duo to play in the NBA. Absolutely incredible. To even to go through that and make it back from that and be within the NBA within a year, like as a testament to his drive and work ethic. And I actually think Brani is going to end up being a better pro than a lot of these players

in his draft because has the athletic. has the basketball IQ, plays the game the right way. I think he's going to be a good shooter in the NBA. And I think a lot of people judge Brownie off of his production last year at USC, which is a little skewed because, A, for anybody coming back in the middle of a season and trying to play when everybody's in tip-top shape is hard, to do that as a newcomer, as a freshman, as a rookie, missed training camp, miss some of the season. and you come in, it's nearly impossible.

He did it. And I think also when you look at the team that he was on, Isaiah Carrier, who's a first round pick, it's a point guard. It's more of a score first point guard, getting downhill, and Brownie's a point guard, playing the two, because Isaiah's number one pick in the class. That's how these things work.

Number one, excuse me, number one player in the class coming out of high school. so he's going to get the point guard spot and you're going to move Bronny off the ball. And in basketball, we always tend to think like positions don't matter, but I would love to see you take a Y receiver and put them at offensive tackle.

Or, like, take the center and put them at quarterback. Like, I would love to see you do that. But in basketball, sometimes we're like, oh, it don't matter. Like, but if you're a true point guard and somebody take you off the ball, it matter. Ask Josh Giddy. like when you're a true point guard and you didn't have to go play off the ball

it's different especially when you don't have a point guard that's feeding you a point guard that or even a point guard that plays the point guard position the way you play the point. And so I think some of that is being overblown like the production at USC

I think people don't look at those things that matters. Nonetheless, I'm just going to take the bet that this kid works hard, which he does. He has LeBron James DNA, and I'm going to take the bet on that. Like, it makes sense. And then you watch him playing. He's a good basketball player. I'm going to take that bet because, A, you got him at 55.

So if he even becomes a rotational player, you did great. And I think he could possibly become a rotational player in the next two years. So, shout out to Brownie. Shout out to the James game. Absolutely incredible to see him drafted. Happy as hell for him, for them. To see that, like, it's nuts. I remember when Brian first said it three, four years ago,

like, I want to play with you. Like, man, what? Like, you ain't going to be playing. Like, they did it. So shout out to them, man. That's super dope. Nets trade, Mikel Bridges to the Knicks for five first round picks. or five first rounders plus plus pick swaps.

I was a little shocked. I was shocked because it's crazy. So when Mike Hill got traded to the Nets from Phoenix, everybody kind of knew the Nets would at some point going to this rebuild that they just went into. And so everybody was kind of talking about what they would trade from Mike Lill Bridges, and you hear like four first round picks,

five first round picks. would be like the cost of the trade. And then the Rudy Gaubert trade happened. And when the Rudy Gaubert trade happened initially in the first year of it, it didn't look like it was working. And everybody gives up on things extremely fast in this day and age that we live in. And so it didn't look like it was successful. So then everybody pulled back on like the draft picks.

Like, they just took too many draft picks away. That's a heist. And then it kind of reset the market. So then in turn, you see how many picks Damian Liller got drafted for, I mean, got traded for last year, which was like two first round picks, I want to say, plus Drew Holiday. But we knew Portland didn't necessarily want Drew Holiday. What they wanted was the picks. They didn't flip Drew Holiday for some players and some picks. But the market had been reset.

And now with the Mikel Bridges trade, it's. went right back up to the amount of pigs that Rudy Goberra's traded for. Strictly due to the success that the Minnesota Timberwolves just had. So they go to the conference finals. Have a tough conference finals, but everybody thought for a second,

like, yo, this team might win in finals. And so we always talk about the copycat league. And look at that. In an indirect way, you see it again, the copycat league. And so the Knicks give up a bunch of picks And what the Knicks essentially just did was, they pretty much just said they're going for it now.

And I think Mike Hill Bridges is one of the better wing players in our league. You know, a great two-way player. He defends extremely well, shoot the ball extremely well. I thought in Brooklyn the second year, he got caught with the ball in his hands too much. And I don't think that's where he. he's at his best. I think he has the ball.

When he has the ball, he can make plays. But I thought the ball was kind of in his hand a bit too much that second year. And I thought it hindered his play a little bit. Now he'll be back at kind of his normal position where, you know, he catching his shooting, he catching attacking the close outs. And I think that best suits him, allows him to play his best basketball. We know he can do something with the ball. And so it's always good to have those skills.

when you need to get to it. But I think he's better suited and more of it is like his role in Phoenix. But out a much higher volume, like use him more. Use him more within your office, for sure. But just coming down, calling for a pick and roll every time,

I don't think that's where he's best suited. However, nonetheless, anyway, the New York Knicks went for it. And they just mortgaged off their future saying, we got it right now. and that's been a hot topic here on the podcast during the playoffs because I told y'all I you know what I thought about the New York Knicks and I've had a bunch of New York Knicks come up to me over the last

let's see what it's been since the New York's Knicks lost maybe a month over the last month like you were wrong about the Knicks I was at a friend's wedding this weekend actually in New York and um the best friend of the groom since elementary school. She's a New York Knick fan, big-time New York Knick fan. And we had a little thing back and for a while

where she tried to tell me like, you were wrong about my Knicks. I said, who was wrong? And she was like, you were wrong because blah, blah, blah. I said, no, but the Knicks lost in the second round. So I was kind of right. And she was like, no, such and such got heard.

And when OG Anobie plays, we are 26 and 6 and blah blah blah and this person was hurt and that person was hurt and I said well I didn't necessarily say y'all were going to be healthy or hurt I said I didn't think y'all would get much further so I was right and she went on this whole thing back for for a while and like ultimately she ended up telling me I was right which was true But anyway, which brings us, you know, to this discussion. I think Adam Mikel Bridges resigned O.G. Anobie to a FIre to a five-year, $213 million contract.

I think those are great things that makes that team better. And I think that team is going to be tough because they're going to defend. We know Tiv's teams are going to defend. They got offensive weapons. but I ultimately don't think that team gets over the hump still. And so if the team doesn't get over the hump, say in two years, then everybody in the NBA get really impatient, like, ah, it ain't working.

We got to make moves. And then now you're looking to trade some of those guys to get some picks back in because you move on to where the Knicks were four or five years ago, which was four or five years away. from being four or five years away. And so now the Knicks are in a space where they're going for. And I respect it. I think, you know, you got to go for it at some point.

But what just happened with the trade was that, you know, if this doesn't work in two to three years, the Knicks will be rebuilding again because they traded all their picks away. And then they'll be trying to, like, trade those guys to get picks back in. That's kind of how it all plays out. And I'm sorry to the Knicks fans, but that's how I actually think it's going to play out.

And I don't think it's any indictment to Mikel, who I think is like a top-tier player in the NBA. Like, you know, you got tears, but damn good player. Jalen Brunson, who's all-MBA, Julius, who's been all-MBA, Dante, nothing below. love for Dante, OG, who's a champion. It's actually no indictment on any of those guys. Like, I just don't think that group is good enough to be Boston. Like, ultimately, you're building a team that you hope can be Boston. And I don't think that team is going to be Boston.

So you got, like, a year or two, like the Houston Rockets. I don't know if y'all remember the Rockets of all when we was on our run. I always talked to y'all about them. It's they're very interesting. You got like two years and then it's like, up, that didn't work, and Clint Capella gone, like, and the first domino fall. And once the first domino fall, that's it. It's going from there.

And so that's what I kind of think is going to happen. That's how I see it playing out. If it don't work, that's exactly how it will play out. So you heard it here first. Nonetheless, I think those are great moves by the Knicks. I just don't think they quite get you over the hump, which then you have to say, ah, looking down the road. But, you know, I get it because if you're the front office,

you got to swing because if not, you're going to get fired because we play in this league that only really four to five teams want to win. Everybody say they want to win, and then a few more than the four or five will act like they want to win. But the reality is every year, only really four to five teams really want to win a championship. And y'all like, everybody want to win. I don't get that.

I'm not going to take the time on this podcast to explaining you what I mean by that. Just know only four to five teams want to win per year for real, doing everything they can do to win. But for some reason, coaches get fired fast like nobody's tomorrow in this league. GMs get fired after they get rid of fire and get done firing the coach a time or two to save their own ass and it's all kind of like smoking mirrors because

everybody really not trying to win so if a team go to the playoffs for a couple years in a row and get to like the second round if they get to like the second round or first round exit second round exit even mixing a conference finals here and there then a year or two later, if they don't do the same thing, they get fired.

But they be getting fired by these teams that don't really want to win. And so it's a very interesting dynamic in the NBA. I just been thinking about this a lot. Like, why so many coaches get fired? Oh, they get fired because the GM throw them under the bus to save his ass. All right, then the GM going to get fired shortly after that. And it's just like this ongoing cycle. But you see, like, all of these bad teams who really don't want to.

championships be the teams that's firing their coaches. And so in a league where that happens, that's what goes on with these teams. Everybody overreacts and it happens fast. They got two years. They're on the clock. New York Knicks fans. In the next three years, do the New York Knicks make it to the NBA finals? Yes or no?

No. I do not think so. No. Health is important. health is very important. And I'll tell you now, I don't want to see that team in the regular season because they are going to be playing harder than nobody's tomorrow. I kid you not that team.

Defensively is going, by the way, defensively, that team is going to be tough. Like, tough, tough. And playing against a team like that during the regular season when you really don't got time to, like, prepare and, and then you go up against that defense, man, it's going to be hard. It's going to be hard. Like that, they would not shock me if they get the number one seed, number two seed. Wouldn't shock at all.

But ultimately, I think when it comes down to winning a championship, you have to have guys who can get a bucket by any means necessary on anybody. I don't care who your defensive adjustment is. is who you go to, that guy got to be able to get a bucket on him in order to carry a team to a championship. And, like, they're guys you can make it tough on. And so I don't think so. That's just my opinion.

I'm sorry, Nick's fans. They'll be like, you're a hater. Like, no, I just got an opinion. And that's it. Before we get out of here, we're going to talk top five picks. No, not top five picks of the NBA drive. Top five second round picks, that is, because that is important. Before we got out of it, I saw one of the funniest things on Twitter.

I may start looking for these on the show. Kevin Durant, I'm going to read it to you because I don't, there's no point of me butchering it. Kevin Durant, some dude goes, SJ Basketball 8, at SJ Basketball 8 says, KD, so sorry. Look at what his reputation is now, L.O.L. KD. retwees him and go, well, check bar did.

And I thought that was hilarious. Because so many fans think that they could just do, like, who are you to call Kevin Durant? Sorry. Like, the things that fans actually say, it's crazy. So I'm going to start. calling you out on this show.

And by the way, everybody's going to be like, Kay is sensitive, Kevin Sissonson. He responded to casual, but all he said was check ball. And it's very true, by the way. You said, I'm sorry, at least from the neighborhood I come from. If you say, I'm sorry, check up. We don't need to keep talking about it. You don't need to say how good, how sorry I am.

I don't need to say how sorry back you. Check up. Check ball then. I thought that was a hilarious tweet that I came across just for some of these fans. who be talking crazy. So we're going to start highlighting y'all on this show. But let's get into this top five pick. The top five second rounders.

My top five second rounders. So I'm going to give you a list of second rounders. You got Joker, Dennis Robbman, Manu, yours truly. Mark Gassau, Tony Kooch, Gilbert Arenas, Paul Millsell, Chris Middleton, Isaiah Thomas, Isaiah Thomas from Washington. not oh isaiah thomas mo cheeks draymond greenshaw isat thomas not that one

they come on draymond green show not bad boys isaiah thomas that's a better way of saying my foezeat uh doc rivers jeff harnessette jaylon brunson just the name a few uh think pascal no pascal was the end of the first round But yeah, those are some second round picks. So my top five, my top five, Joker, obviously, Dennis Rodman, Manu, Mark Nassau, and yours truly. No question. Yeah, that would be my top five second round picks. I think Jalen Brunson, if he continues to play the way that he's playing,

I think he has a chance to creep up there. But that's my top five right now. Signing off yours truly. That's a wrap from this episode of Dremont Green Show. Congrats to all of those 58 guys that got drafted. Enjoy it. Tomorrow, it don't mean shit. You got to go stake.

Gotta go put your flag in the ground. Earn your spot because they only care how long you get drafted for a day. And then we all start on the even playing field and made the best man win. And I didn't see some of those top picks. not win. So don't think it's a guarantee that you're up there because you got a Draymond green coming from a 35th pick that wants a spot. So good luck to all those guys. Congratulations to them and their families. It's a great day. Enjoy it for tomorrow. Lock in. Peace. The volume.