The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Draymond Green Show - Warriors/Nets, the Staples Center Name Change, and An Interview With Mel Tucker

Episode Date: November 18, 2021

The Draymond Green Show is here! In the first episode Draymond explains how the Warriors could’ve played even better against the Nets, why the Warriors doubters from the past few seasons were wrong, and his thoughts on the Staples Center getting a new name before interview Michigan State head football coach Mel tucker.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Sportsbook app, sign up. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor, the full. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Meet Anna Delvey. You may think she's an audacious entrepreneur, or a complete con artist. But there's one thing about Anna you're never sure about. Who is she? Created and produced by Shonda Rhymes, Inventing Anna is about the legendary German heiress and media sensation,

Anna Delvey, who steals the hearts of the New York social scene, along with a lot of their cash. Don't miss the new limited Netflix series inspired by the incredible true story of Anna Delvey. Watch Inventing Anna. February 11th only on Netflix. With Windows 11 and Intel, you get the power to work with more speed, and you can arrange all your Windows, programs, and apps the way you want to see them with Snap Assist. Windows 11 and the Intel Evo platform make working from wherever better.

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What's up everybody? Welcome to the first episode of the Draymond Green Show. I am I'm super excited to bring this to you guys to bring my raw, unfiltered self and let you guys see a different side of me that you may not always see. Get to know more of me, more about me than you may know. I know most people think when you think of Draymond Green, you know, you think it is hard-nosed, tough playing guy that plays basketball that may talk a lot of shit, get a few technicals here, there. But newsflash, I'm a little more interesting and a little deeper than that. So this will be

fun. There will be a lot of fun segments. You will have some very interesting people coming on to the show, whether it's basketball players, football players, maybe some football coaches, some basketball coaches, possibly some GMs. But there will be some venture capitalists, some CEOs. We'll go all over the map. So this podcast will be for you. And no, not just you the basketball fan. It will be for you who likes interesting people, who likes interesting conversations, and most importantly, just want to learn new things and have fun. This week, my guest will be coach of Michigan State Spartans football team, Coach Mel Tucker. I am extremely excited about having Coach Tucker on the show. Obviously, my Spartans are rolling. Coach Tucker's come in. He's.

taking our program back to where it need to be, and also the new heist. So I'm excited about that. And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk last night's game. The Golden State Warriors versus the Brooklyn Ness. Hell of a game, hell of an atmosphere. Super fun, man. You know, somebody the other day was trying to build this game up.

It's like, man, this is your first game playing KD under normal circumstance. Get the hell out of here, man. Like, is this the new storyline? It was normal circumstances. Last year, it's KD's first time back to the bay, but there were no fans. So it's always some build-up. But nonetheless, when you're playing against a brother, a guy who has shared in the successes that we've had as an organization, a guy who was as important as anybody in our quest to two championships, should have been three,

but things happen, and that is what it is. but to take the court and play against Kevin, who's one of the greatest players ever, pick up a basketball, to take the court alongside Steph Curry, who's one of the greatest players to pick up a basketball. James Harton, one of the greatest players to dribble a basketball. And then myself, as you know,

the greatest defender to grace a basketball court. It was fun. It was a lot of fun, and obviously we got to win. Interesting enough, I thought we could have done a lot of things better. I thought we had 22 turnovers. We could have done that a lot better. We put those guys on the foul line a lot,

especially in the first half. First quarter, I think they shot 11 free throws. And our goal is to keep teams at 20 or below. So we're already over halfway there through the first quarter. You got James getting into the T-Far, defense getting filed. Kevin's always tough to guard. And then Bruce Brown was getting off. And one thing we said at halftime is James Hardin is going to,

get off. Kevin Durant's going to do what he does. That's just the nature of the game we play. When you have a great score, it's hard to just completely shut those guys down. Now, you can, you have your knights and you can also make them take tough shots. But just to lock those guys down, it's tough to do. We had James with 16 points a half. No, Kevin was 16 and a half. James was 14. And then we have Bruce Brown with 14. And those are the ones you can't survive. So out of their, what, 58 points they had a half time. That's three guys with 44 of them. So we needed to take Bruce Brown out of the game.

And coming out in that second half, we did that. We took Bruce Brown out the game. And then we also were able to make it tough on James and Kevin, which isn't always possible. But our defense has been incredible. I think our defense has been great all year. It's the reason we had the number one defense in the NBA. It's the reason we are 12 and 2

because our team is built on our. our defense. And that really showed up there in that third quarter last night. And, you know, we went on a run to start the quarter. We went up 13 points. Then we end up with Wiggins and Steph with four or fives. And the game could have shifted there. I think that was kind of the moment where everybody's like, oh, man, you got Wiggins off the court, you got Steph off the court. There have 13 points. Here comes Brooklyn run. And it went the opposite way. I think we took that 13-point lead and made it a 22-point lead. And it was great.

I thought Looney's defense was incredible during that stretch. Gary Payton's defense was incredible during that stretch. My goal was to anchor our defense and try to be incredible during that stretch. I was able to make Kevin take some tough shots. Dee Lee was all over the court during that stretch. And Jordan Poole was active on the defensive end, but even more importantly, we ran our offense through him. With Stefan Wiggins out, that was important.

And it's very important for a young guy who's just kind of coming into his own, who that's really his, like, one of few big games that he's playing in in the NBA due to the lack of success we've seen over the past two years. He stepped up in that moment. He took great shots. Didn't make all of him, which is basketball and it happens, but he took great shots. We were able to get good things on the offensive end, and we were able to take our lead to 22 points.

And that was kind of, I was kind of it. I don't think their guys came back in after that point or maybe they were, they had a few guys in to start the fourth quarter and then they kind of pulled the plug at the 9-minute mark. And I was shocked because, you know, when you have a score like Kevin Durant, a score like James Harden, I personally feel like you always have.

have a chance. And so I was a load of shot, but you had an understanding the landscape of the NBA, they have a role in Cleveland team coming in today. And you're down 22 points. You expend a ton of energy in that fourth quarter trying to make a comeback. What if you fall short? If you do fall short and you have a tough, young, confident Cleveland team coming in the next day and you're running on fumes, now you're risking losing two games. And so I definitely do understand. the logic behind Steve Nash, the consultant, who's now the head coach,

pulling the plug and just moving on to the next day because, you know, that's the NBA. You got 82 games. Every game won't be your day. I mean, obviously being on the team that was 73 and 9, it may feel like every day was our day, and yet there were still nine times that it wasn't.

It may be another 10 times that we were able to squeak games out, not more. And so every day won't be your day. So I do understand Steve Nash pulling the plug and just moving on to the next day, which is today and those guys take on a young, hungry Cleveland team that we actually take on tomorrow in the back-to-back in Cleveland. So it was an incredible game.

I was really proud of the way our guys stepped up in that moment. You know, a lot of people have been talking a ton of shit. Like, oh, their schedule's week and they haven't played anybody, and that's why their record is this and that. And, you know, I thought that was much of a statement game as a regular season game can be. You know, no statements are truly made in the regular season because none of the shit matters once you get to the playoffs. But if there was a statement game or if there is a such thing as a statement game in a regular season, I thought that was one. Just because of the noise surrounding, coming here to Brooklyn, playing against Kevin and James, which is always tough.

young team coming off a loss coming from Charlotte and having to bounce back from that, starting a road trip with a loss, I thought it was really, really, really a huge step in the right direction for our young team. I wouldn't say we're that young. It's kind of a mixture of old and young. But I also thought we could have played a lot better,

which is encouraging because in order to beat one of the best teams in the NBA with two of the best players in the NBA, in such a young point of the season for us. Coming on the road, I thought it was a big deal. But the encouraging part is we can play so much better and we beat that team the way we did. So some beautiful things ahead, man.

We got to continue to build, continue to grow, starting to hear all the noise about, oh, man, the Warriors are winning championship and blah, blah, blah. That shit's not real. We have a long, long, long, way to go. But I am enjoying and embracing the process of getting there and trying to help bring our young guys up to speed as fast as possibly can. And I think we're starting to see that. With young guys like Jordan Poole turned the corner, Jonathan Camino, as in the last week,

starting to get minutes and really giving great minutes. And I can go down the list. But the reality is, those young guys are coming along and we're 12 and two because of it. You know, when you think about the landscape of the Golden State Warriors, you look at the past, say, seven years, those first five of those seven years were brilliant. It was a championship followed by game seven, lost in the NBA finals, followed by two championships followed by game six loss after we lost two of the top players, ten players in the world to entry. in a matter of 48 hours. But then you go past that

and you have two years in between that up until today. And those two years were not so pleasant. They were, it was a shit season where obviously Clay was out due to an ACL injury. Kevin had left. Andre had been traded away. And Steph broke his hand. from not mistaken two or three games into the season.

It's funny because I was looking at, Steph showed me a clip the other day of a lineup that I was on of court with that year. In film, it was myself at the point, Glenn Robertson, the third at the two, Eric Pascal at the three, Amari Spelman at the four, and Willie Cawley-Sahn at the five.

I think Glenn Robinson, the third, is a very good player. I think Eric Pascal is a very good young player. Amari, in his time in the league, I thought he had really promising talent, and Willie Collie Stein is a very good young player. And then obviously I think I'm pretty decent myself. None of those pieces fit, though.

And yet, you would see lineups like that all the time. That's just what we had to roll with. And during those times, a lot of fucking people rode us off. The dynasty's over. Dremont's wash. He can't do this. He can't do that. Steph Curry has no help.

He can't carry a team. You know, he always need help from, he needed help from Kevin Durant, blah, blah, blah. He can't carry a team. Clay's wash, he's, this, that, another. They'll never be the same. Steve Kerr can't coach. Bob Myers is a terrible GM.

You go down on the list and the disrespect. It's unbelievable. I mean, you have to know the disrespect is unbelievable. By the way, Clay keeps speaking out on it. Clay doesn't talk about any fucking thing. Clay doesn't even fucking talk. And yet, this guy keeps fucking going insane about the lack of respect that we are getting as an organization, that we are getting as a dynasty. He just keeps going apes shit about it.

But I get it because everyone wrote us off. And yet, here we are two years later sitting in first place in the NBA. Hey, man, there's a lot of basketball left to be played. Like I'm not going to sit here and act like, man, we're sitting in first place at game 60. Like, it's game 15. It's not getting ahead of ourselves. But as a champion, I know what it takes to be a champion. So I'm not worried about getting ahead of myself because I know how hard it is to win a championship.

But what I do know is we have a damn good team. And we will continue to grow. We will get Clayback. We will get Wiseman back. And those are two more important people. to what we're trying to rebuild here. And I think it can and will be really special. But all the fucking doubt over the last couple of years,

it's funny, I caught my feet. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full. year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle

growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong

Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics. from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of taun tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back. at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode

with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah. Literally. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. So, Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years

for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yonseil late last night and I was talking to her about all the doubt and just like, odd shit. And she said some good things to me. It was actually beautiful to hear. But the doubt has been insane over the last two years

and to come back and be right back there at the top of the league with the good teams in the league today with hopes are competing for a championship. It's a beautiful feeling. And I still think, you know, we get ourselves there. We know what it takes to win. We know how to get it done. But we're a long ways away.

And we got a lot of improvements to make as the course of the season goes on. But if we stay dedicated to the process of reaching, of getting the championship, dedicated to what it takes daily to win a championship, we can put ourselves in contention. And that's all you can ask for, is to give yourself a chance to be in contention.

And I think if we continue to work, continue to stay committed, obviously stay healthy and get healthy, we can give ourselves a real chance. And I like that. And boy, don't let us win a fucking championship because you got to fucking hear it from me. With Windows 11 and Intel, you can do what you do better.

With Snap Assist, you can arrange your Windows, programs, and apps the way you want to see them. And with more power to run your favorite apps on a lightweight device, you can get powerhouse performance packed inside a port. PC. Windows 11 and the Intel Evo platform make working from wherever better. Learn more at Windows.com slash brings you closer. Meet Anna Delvey. She inspires loyalty in some, contempt in others, an obsession in everyone she meets. Anna is an audacious entrepreneur. Or maybe she's a complete con artist. But there's one thing about Anna you're never sure about. Who is she?

Introducing Inventing Anna, a new limited series on Netflix. It's the story. of the legendary German heiress and social media sensation Anna Delvey, who steals the heart of the New York social scene, along with a lot of their cash. But is Anna Delvey a brilliant businesswoman or a total fake? One journalist is determined to find out the truth. Inventing Anna, created and produced by Shonda Rimes, featuring Julia Garner as the mysterious Anna Delvey and Anna Klumski as Vivian, the reporter tracking down Anna's true identity.

Watch Inventing Anna, February 11th only on Netflix. So those are my thoughts about the Warriors possibly competing and winning the championship. As I know, as I said before, the noise is out there, man. We all hear it now that the Warriors are going to win and blah, blah, blah. But tossing into another guy who I think is going to win a championship, the first guy who would be an assistant coach with Coach Nick Sabin to take Coach Saban down, Coach Mel Tucker, extremely excited to have him on the show. obviously this is a near and dear one to my heart.

I think it's very well documented my love and affinity from my alma mater, Michigan State University. I couldn't be more proud and thrilled to have Coach Tucker on this show for the first episode. And such a huge week, we got Ohio State this week, which I'll be at the game, and I am fucking pumped about go support my Spartans. the Heisman of 2021.

They say candidate. I say the Heisman. Kenneth Walker, the Bolitnikoff winner of 2021. Jaden Reed. Peyton Thorne continues to grow as a quarterback. I am looking forward to him being the next great quarterback out of Michigan State.

We all saw Kurt Cousins do it and what he's doing. And here we are. Coach Tucker then built this thing up. So tossing it over to Coach Tucker welcome to the first episode of the Dremont Green Show. Coach Tucker, what's up, man? How you doing? Dremont, I'm doing great, man.

Thanks for helping me, man. I can't complain. How are you doing, brother? I am fantastic. I am incredible. I appreciate you coming on here. Obviously, you know, my Spartan blood run deep as yours do as well. And I, you know, you've brought that energy back to the program,

which we're all excited to see. and extremely appreciative. How are you feeling so far about this season? I know we all see it from one perspective and we're excited, but, you know, coaches sometimes can have a different perspective, so how are you feeling about it?

You know what I feel like we're moving in the right direction. I really like this team. They're a fun group to coach. They play extremely hard. They play for each other. You know, they play with toughness, mental and physical toughness. Got a great staff here to work with.

You know, it's not a one-man show over here. And, you know, we're building something special. And, you know, it's a process. We shift to the culture. We're cementing the culture right now, you know, every day. And I really enjoy the process. And I'm proud of what our guys have accomplished so far. But we're not done yet.

That's beautiful to hear. Obviously, as a fan, a couple weeks ago, We had a huge weekend in beating Michigan, and as it should be, I know you're two and all against the guys up the highway, which is beautiful. But then we had a slip up, slip up against Purdue,

and I personally loved a way the team bounced back. But how do you, as a coach, go in and getting the guys refocus and understanding that, all right, we had our slip up. Now it's back to ask you. Well, the first thing is to own it. You know, we have to, we can't allow to ourselves.

You know, we have to take a hard look at ourselves as a staff and as players and go to the truth and go to the facts and say, hey, what happened? What happened? And, you know, it was death by inches, you know, mistake here, misassignment here, miss block here, mistackle, mental error, lack of communication, all those things add up. And you can't beat good teams. You can't win road games.

You can't do that. when you beat yourself, you know, the margins are too slim. And so we went to the truth. We were honest with ourselves, and we learned our lessons, and then we went back to work. And it was a beautiful thing. And you as a Big Ten guy, man, you've been all over to Big Ten, Coach, obviously, a Wisconsin graduate, going on to Michigan State. You eventually ended up at Ohio State, and then on through the NFL as you major around. student NFL and to Colorado.

And now we're lucky to have you back at Michigan State. I got to tell you, as a black man, as a black African-American donor to a predominantly Caucasian university, it was very refreshing for me to see an African-American head coach come on and take over for our program. We have all these, all of, you know, so many students, student athletes that are African-American. And yet, you know, it sometimes come off as if our African-American men aren't worthy of coaching our athletes. And I think it was very refreshing for me and huge at the university and bringing you in as the head coach to run our football program. That's something that I think is great.

And now obviously followed up by an African-American athletic director, which is also beautiful. So, you know, how do you feel about the inclusion that is taking place at our university and adding more people of color into positions and decision-making positions and positions of leadership? Well, I think it's important. It's great, those are great points that you highlight. You know, Michigan State has always been a place of diversity, equity, and inclusion. You know, I'm not the first black head football coach here, you know, Bobby Wood.

Williams, obviously, was that. Going back to the 60s, you know, Duffy Doherty and the football program, you know, integrated college football. There was 20 plus players, black players on the national championship team in 1966. And so it's always had a history of diversity, equity, and inclusion. But, you know, there's always a work in progress. and, you know, you've never arrived, you're never there. And so I know that my hiring here is not just about me. You know, it's about all of us, you know,

and, you know, with the 130 Division I football programs and maybe 12 or 13 black head coaches, I know that, you know, I'm carrying the mantle and leading the way for a lot of coaches in the country. You know, young coaches, experienced coaches, you know, I carried our responsibility. And I know that, you know, everyone's watching. Everyone wants to see, you know, how we do, you know, how much success, you know, we have here as a program. And, you know, I don't take that responsibility lightly.

And so it's something that I think about constantly. That's just part of my experience and part of my existence. But, you know, I'm grateful for the opportunity. And, you know, my desire would be that more African-American coaches you know, men and women will get opportunities to be head coaches in the major college level at all levels and also in the professional ranks. Speaking of men and women getting an opportunity, we just saw Don Staley get an incredible contract extension, which is well deserved, extremely happy for her.

I had the time. the opportunity to spend some time with her this summer at Olympics because we were trapped into this hotel, couldn't go anywhere, and she's incredible. So I was extremely happy to hear that. I am also extremely happy to hear rumblings that Tuck no longer come and Tuck Stann. And, you know, I heard some rumblings last week and that kind of put me on alert. And now there's some reports coming out. that you're here to stay and you'll be with us for a long time?

Well, that's my goal. I came here and I made it clear in my initial press conferences that I thought the Michigan State was a destination job and not a stepping stone. And obviously, I have Big Ten Roots. I played in Wisconsin. I'm from Cleveland, Ohio. My parents are three hours and 15 minutes away.

My wife was from Chicago. And, you know, I know the Big Ten landscape. This is where I started my career in 1997 as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban. So Michigan State is a special place for me. And so there was never my intention to come here and just pass through. I believe that we're building something special here. And I've had tremendous support here to do that, and we're on the right track. and it's beautiful to see.

I also noticed when you took over the job that you brought some former players back, and I personally think that that's beautiful. I think it's important in keeping that culture. It's important that guys embody Michigan State, and so I thought that was a beautiful thing. Can you share with the world how many former players that you brought back onto the staff

and how important that it is to you to have those guys? Well, shoot, I got, it's very important because, you know, Spartan dogs are, those are the guys who built this program. And if weren't for them, it would be no me, you know. And so, you know, Courtney Hawkins is here as our, as coaching our wide receivers. He was at Flint Beacher High School and was head coach and athletic director there. who was a great player here at Michigan State and All-American, played in NFL, great leader of men.

Harlan Barnett was here previously. We're able to get him back after Istanbul Florida State. It's coaching our defensive backs again. You know, a great player here, great leader, great family man, just a great role model. We also have Kevin Vickerson here on our support staff working on the defensive side of the ball. We've got Lorenzo Gess, who, played, was on football, scotch and also played basketball.

Here, when I was here in 97 and 98, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in our, he's in the PhD, uh, yeah, so madame. He's, these great Spartans. Um, Darren Harris, uh, was, uh, is our director of player engagement. You know, he was a captain on, on the Rose Bowl team, uh, not too, not too long to go. And so, and I'm, there's going to be, there's going to be many more. As many former players that we can get back here, you know, we're going to do that in whatever role that we can, that we can find. I think it's important. And those guys, they believe green and white. I mean, they, they, they, it was blood, sweat, and tears. I mean, they were here. They lived it on the campus,

going to class, you know, they've done what our current players are doing right now. So who better to show them the way, you know, to be examples, to be role models, to help lead these guys and help show them the path to success. And I have a lot of respect for all of our former players, all of our Spartan dogs. That's beautiful. As a former player, I say thank you to just have it to see guys. I was in school with Darren. We spent a ton of time together.

Obviously, you know, Benny Fowler, Jarrell Worthy, those guys, Denzel Drone, like that with those guys. So I spent a bunch of time around football players. And it's special to see guys coming back. And Austin Thornton going back to the basketball team, I'd be remiss if Coach Isow didn't come up. And you and I talking. I see you guys are building a real strong relationship.

As someone who is a friend to me, a brother to me, a father figure to me, a coach and a mentor. I am extremely appreciative of that relationship. How is that relationship growing with y'all but also has grown since the time you come back to Michigan State? I'll tell you what, man. Coach Inzo is he's the best. He's the best. And, you know, I can see why all of his former players, his current players, well, they love him to death.

And we'll run through a wall for him because he'll run through a wall for you. You know, that's the type of guy. He's real, you know, everything is black and white. There's no gray. And if he tells you something, you can take it to the bank, you know. And he was here when I was a graduate assistant. You know, he had just been recently named head coach, and he was in the process of building the program. And so I remember it was, you know, Cleves and O.P. and Phil and Antonio Smith and all those guys, you know, and there was always, there was always here, always a very close relationship with the football program and the basketball program, which, and it was, and Coach Saban,

was really close with Coach Izzo. They had known each other for a long time. And it was just for something, it was just, it's very special that the, the football team and the basketball, men's basketball team here, it's like a family.

I mean, it's, it's, it's something that you don't normally see. And there's no animosity between the programs and between the coaches, you know, which is a beautiful thing. So when I,

when I was presented with this, this opportunity, here at Michigan State, one of the things that I wanted to know, the first things I want to know was how they coached this will feel about me. You know, that's what I want to know. Like, where is that, where's the ears on this, you know? And I got a call from, you know, I got a call from him. And he said that he would, you know, he was looking forward to working with me.

And he, you know, he wanted me to be a Spartan and things like that. And that went a long way with me because, He's been here 30 plus years, you know, and he bleeds green and white. And the greatness of Michigan State athletics, a lot of it is due to him. And what he's done and what he continues to do on a day-to-day, on a day-to-day basis. And he's not just the head basketball coach. I mean, he's an ambassador for the university. He cares about all the sports, all the other coaches in the athletic department,

all the donors. I mean, he is everything to all people. And so as it's coming in the door, you know, he has been a tremendous asset to me. He's been a friend. He's counseled me. You know, he's supported me. He's helped me, he's helped introduce me to donors. and we talk about football, we talk about basketball, we talk about toughness, we talk about practice,

we talk about all those, all those things, former players, family. I mean, it's not a day that goes by that I don't talk to him or we don't text back and forth. And I just, it's just been a blessing to me to have a Hall of Fame coach, you know, right here with me side by side. And I tease them all the time I say, because we live in a same neighborhood. I said, I'm always pinching myself, even out to this day that I drive home and I get a chance to drive past Tom Isso's house. So it's like, oh, this is a lot of them.

What mortgage you have for? Life is good, right? Absolutely. Life is great. Man, I definitely, if there's anyone that understands him in that relationship, I do because it's been, you know, he always said to me, Draymond, you've done so much for me, but the reality is, is he's done so much for me and teaching me what it was to work hard.

Like, I didn't, I got to Michigan State. I didn't have a clue of what working hard was, you know, like teaching me how to carry myself, holding me accountable, teaching me further understanding my understanding of the game of basketball, how to watch film, like all these things that matters and yet will still call me to this day and say, what the fuck are you? you doing? Why are you out there bitching, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, if I get in trouble with our general manager or our head coach Steve Kerr, I'm getting a call from Coach Izzo. And that's what I truly appreciate about him. You know, it's much further than just

those four years, and it's way further and deeper than just the game of basketball. So I'm truly appreciative of that. And I understand. like y'all relationship. Obviously, I don't understand from a coach's perspective, but I do have an appreciation for it. Speaking of mentors, as you said, you worked for Coach Sabin at Michigan State, but you also worked for him at Alabama.

And I think an incredible stat is, and I know you noticed that, and we all know it, and I have a fond appreciation for it, and I'm sure you do as well. none of his assistant coaches has been here. And it's funny because Smitty, Steve Smith, as you know, he said, Draymond, I have a lake house on the same lake as Nick.

And Nick say, Draymond, and Nick say, Steve, ain't none of the motherfuckers going to beat me. I'm always being my assistant coaches. So here we are. Obviously not to get too far ahead of things, but that could possibly be a matchup in the playoff. And I'm sorry, Coach Saving, but you got to go down this time, boss. I'll tell you what, yeah, coaches.

I've known Coach Sabor since I was a senior in high school. He recruited me when he became the head coach of Toledo. I remember getting a phone call after school one day. I picked up the phone and he was Coach Saving and said, hey, this is Nick Sable from the Houston Oilers. I'm like, Houston Oilers. I'm in high school. What's the girl?

He said, he just got the head job at Toledo. where my dad played football and baseball. And that's how I got to know Coach Saving. And he gave me my starting coach. And I actually coach, I was the defense boss coach at LSU, his first year there. And then I went back there with him in 2015. We won a national championship there.

And so he's taught me everything. He laid the foundation for me in coaching three of my first four years in coaching I was with Coach Saving. and whether it goes from recruiting to player development to defensive scheme, you name it, you know, just running the entire organization, strength and conditioning, you know, operations. I mean, he, from A to Z, he knows it all. He's the great explainer. That's the one thing I love, one of the things I love about Coach Savin, you know, he's very demanding.

which he should be, and he's very detailed oriented, and he has a sense of urgency. But he'll always tell you why he wants things done a certain way. He'll give you great detail and explain to you. He'll give you an example. He'll tell you a story, and he'll tell you why. So, you know, it's on you if you don't get it done. Because he's going to tell you exactly what he wants, how he wants it, why he wants it that way. and there's a reason why, you know, he's undoubtedly the greatest coaching in the game right now.

And he's extremely tough to beat, whether you are a former, whether you're assistant or not, because he's a relentless recruiter. You know, he's a great coach, and he never slows down. And he's a fierce competitor. And it doesn't surprise me when I hear that he said that none of it, his assistants won't ever beat him because, you know, he's, he's extremely competitive. Extremely. And losing is not part of his deal. No, I respect that.

I have a couple more questions, and I'm going to let you go as I know how huge this week is. as I want to let you go for your own personal sake, I want to let you go for my personal sake too because Michigan State win, I win. But speaking of an important week, we got Ohio State this week. There's no secret of how big this game is, what this game means to our season.

And, you know, as an athlete, I always say, people say, what's the best feeling as an athlete? And I always say, for me, it's going on the road, winning a big game, and you can hear a fucking pencil dropping when you're in that stadium. So I'm looking forward to this game.

I'll be there supporting and the green and white, so I'm definitely excited about that opportunity to be there. But what do you feel we need to do as a team in order to go in there and put Ohio State down and make our way on to this playoff?

I'll tell you what, we have to play conference. football. You know, we have to have our offense and our defense and our special teams clicking on all cylinders for 60 minutes, four quarters in the game in order to get it done. We can't leave it up to one player, one side of ball. We have to play complimentary football. We can't give them anything, you know. So we got to play smart, mistake-free, you know, execution is going to be paramount, you know, do your job, trust your training, do your job and count on the man next to you to do his.

And it's going to be a physical game. You know, we have to bring the physicality. You know, we have to win the line of scrimmage on the offensive side and the defense side and on special teams. We have to have some momentum plays and we've got to win the field position. But it's going to, you know, it's going to take all of us. We're going to have a great plan. We're going to have a great week of preparation.

And, you know, we're going to go in there and we're going to play Michigan State football. And that's, you know, that's rugged. It's physical. You know, it's not necessarily fresh pastry is more meat and potatoes. But, you know, that's how we play the game. And that's what it's going to take. That's how we love it. I lied.

I got two more questions for you, Coach. And as a former football player of myself who played in the spring game, who are you guys in that? It was terrible, coach. It sent me up for failure. Is there any guys on our team currently that you think? I mean, and obviously, and going out there for two days

and playing two plays in the spring game, I learned so much. And just more so how steep the learning curve is and why so many freshmen's rancher because the learning curve at that level is insane. The physicality at that level is insane. So take this question with a grain of salt. I don't really think anyone could go out there and do it.

But do you see some guys on our team or anybody for that sake, on our basketball team that could have made a great football player today? Man, you know what? That's a very interesting question because when I talk to high school, football coaches. One thing that always comes up is they say, they say, I got

I got all these guys on a basketball team that think they're going to be NBA players. They would just come out here and play football. I mean, it'd be a rap, you know? Absolutely. And so, like, when I

when I've gone over here and I've I watched the basketball practices. And I see these big guys, I mean, six, four, six, five, six, six, eight, six, nine, getting up and down the court. I mean, like just flying up and down the court, man, change the direction, ball skills, leaping ability, explosive initial quickness, all that.

I can't help but to look out and say, man, I wonder what that guy was looking like. out on the football field. And actually, when I was at Ohio State, when I was at Ohio State, I remember sitting in a, we were in a staff meeting, we were on a recruiting meeting,

and they put this film on of Akron St. V. Oh, wow. And we were watching a player. And we were like, man, who's that? We need to offer that guy. And it was LeBron James, you know. And Joe Chesell said, don't worry about.

He won't be playing any football. This guy. This guy, the first round pick, you know, NBA guy. I was like, wow. You know, so I have seen that, you know, that type of greatness, you know, on the field in terms of at the high school level. But, yeah, there's no doubt in my mind that the way coach is runs this program and the toughness that those guys play with and what's required in those prices.

There's no doubt in my mind that those guys can come out here on a football field and makes a place. No, it's beautiful. I think when I look at our squad, the person who jumps out at me is Malik Hall. Kids, 6, 7, got all the physical tools, jump out to gym, run like a deer. I think it's definitely Malik Hall.

But before I let you go, Coach, and again, I want to say thank you for being the first guest of the Draymond Green show. This is extremely special to me, man. I can't thank you enough. No, thank you. In that same spirit, I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the 2021 Heisman candidate, who I think is the 2021 Heisman, Kenneth Walker, who is come and transfer from Wake Forest,

and he's come to Michigan State, man, and I don't know how long he'll be there with the way he's playing, but I'm going to enjoy him this year and what he's been able to do and what he's done for our football team is incredible. I just really wanted to hear from your perspective, what's making him special and also his work ethic? What's his work ethic like? Oh, man. So there's no doubt it.

I mean, it's obvious what his physical talent, talents are. I mean, he's an elite athlete. But first and foremost, he is an outstanding human being. I mean, he is a great person. I mean, high character, tremendous. He's a humble guy. You know, not a real talkative guy. He's a great teammate.

I mean, just a, I mean, just a prince of a man. When the day that, I mean, from the day he got here, he goes in that weight room, he went in that weight room. I mean, the strength coaches were going nuts. I said, man, this guy was walking in the door is one of our most explosive athletes. And he is a tireless. worker. I mean, he is a grinder. He works, he works like a guy who was a walk on, who was

trying on, he's just trying to get on the team. That's how he works every single day. And we're really big into the sports science and the GPS units and all that stuff. And we have to we have to closely monitor his lows and his reps because he does not loathe. And we have to, we have to back him down. We have to monitor his reps, make sure we may say, hey, he's got 12 reps to that, 18 reps there, whatever it is, and or the rest of his

walk through or whatever, because when he goes, he is going. And the reason why he's able to, you know, hit up a 50-yard run or 60, and not, because when he gets the ball in practice, he's taken into the house. I mean, that's what he does. I mean, he, he finishes everything.

And he works on his past protection in terms of his work ethic, he is a guy that you point to and say, this is how you do it. That's how you, this is the approach you need to take in the way room. This is how you need to do. This is how you need to run. This is how you need to take care of your body.

This is how you need to practice. I mean, he's that guy. So if you take a guy with a tremendous amount of talent like that, and you take a guy with a guy with a, with very, very high character. And you put an elite level work ethic with that, then what you have is you got a Heisman candidate. Absolutely.

Absolutely. And that's what he is. And it's beautiful to see. I definitely hope he get his due. And obviously, you know, as great as that will be for him, great for you, great for the program, great for all of us. Man, again, thank you so much for coming on being the first guest of the Draymond Green show. I truly appreciate it.

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday. Let's get it done, Coach. Yeah, well, I'm looking forward to say, you, man. It's an honor and a pleasure to be on this first podcast with you. I'm going to add this to my resume, man. I'm going to add this to my bio in bold letters, man. But I appreciate you, man. I appreciate everything you've done from Michigan State.

I know you've given back in major ways. I know you spoke to our team a couple summers ago when we were attempting to register all our guys at Bowden and talk about civic engagement. You know, you're just such a great role model for all of our student athletes here. I know Coach Izzo talks about you, you know, all the time. And you're just one of the great Spartans. We've had a lot of great ones, and you're certainly one of those.

And I just appreciate you and what you mean to Michigan State, what you mean to all of our players who, I mean, when your name is mentioned, guys, eyes light up, man. I mean, they just, because they know what you stand for, they know how hard you play. They know the toughness. They know that you care about people. And it's more than just basketball with you.

So it was certainly an honor and a pleasure. come on with you today. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Thank you, Coach. For the first installment of Commissioner Dre, I am extremely excited in bringing this kind of my vanish point of how I see things, decisions that I would make if I was the commissioner. Today or yesterday,

we found out some huge news. And it's huge because it is when you touch historical monuments, it's a real thing. Like, it's, you know, people associate such great times or bad times or just times with historical things. And when you touch those things, you kind of shake shit up a bit. And so coming out of L.A. today, we had such huge news that Staples Center will no longer be the Staples Center,

and it will be the crypto.com arena. Interesting. Very interesting. Because sometimes in life and especially in sports, certain things outgrow the actual thing that sits above it. And so, for instance, the Staples Center,

the Staples Center severely outgrew to store staples. Like, if you're anywhere, in the world and you say I'm going to Staples and especially in L.A. But if you're anywhere in the world and you say I'm going to Staples, people are going to think you are headed to L.A. to go to a Lakers game at the Staples Center, to go to a concert at the Staples, to do something at the Staples if you say I'm going to Staples. I think another example of that was Oracle Arena, where I had the luxury of winning three

championships or playing in that building and winning three championships. Most people doesn't even know what the company Oracle does, but yet if you say, oh yeah, I'm going to Oracle, they're never going to think you're going to the company headquarters or something for the company. They're going to think you're going to Oakland, California, and going to the stadium that the Warriors played at. And so sometimes you have those situations happen, and it fucking. It sucks. It sucks. It absolutely sucks when all of a sudden it comes up and there's a name change

because those names grow with those places. But the reality is, for instance, the Lakers signed a 20-year deal. In 20 years, who knows if crypto.com will be the place and there will be some other big company that can afford the name and rights. And that's where Commissioner Dre comes in that because what's the solution? Like, again, people tie like all these memories to these places. I mean, one, we can all tie to Staples is Kobe played there. You know, like, Kobe played at Staples. Kobe didn't play at Crypto.com Arena. And so, like, just that whole thing. It's just like a, it really does suck. So what is the solution? It's interesting because you ask yourself, Well, should these arenas be named after companies?

Because they're forever changing, the landscape of America and our finances and Wall Street and companies and new companies and startups and the next Facebook and all of these companies. I guess forever constantly changing. And so we'll see more of this. This is just the latest, greatest huge announcement that we've seen. But we'll see more of this And more people will lose that sacred name That has grown with this place And with the successes of these teams

And events that take place In these certain stadiums and arenas And so the solution I don't know is it to name Is it to name arenas after players Well, Commissioner Dre You can't do that Because a player isn't paying 27

$700 million for 20 years. As a commissioner, your number one job is to grow this lead, to grow the pot, to grow the revenue, to take this league to new places. And so you're kind of faced with the task of do we change something that's so sacred and that's become so big and like a staple,

or do we stay with the name and not capitalize, on $700 million of revenue. As a commissioner, you must capitalize on a $700 million of revenue, as it is nearly impossible to make up $700 million of revenue. But it's tough, and it never sits well with anyone.

No one wants to say they're going to crypto.com arena. Not because crypto.com is bad, but because staples and staples. It's historic. I grew up watching Kobe Me and Shaq win championships at Staples. It sucks. But as commissioner, you must take the $700 million. So kudos to the Lakers and Jeannie Bus and Linda Rambus

and getting a $700 million name of Rice for a stadium because it is extremely impressive. So shout out to those two women, continuing to do great things with that organization. It's a beautiful thing. But as a fan, the fan in me, I step outside, take my commissioner hat off. The fan in me, you hate to see Staples go.

You hate to see the name Oracle Go. Because they just become so important to the makeup of these teams, to the history of these teams. You just hate to see it go. So you've heard of mean tweets. We've all seen them. We've all laughed about them. in the same vein, the guy who you know as the man who gets the technical files,

who gets into the shit on the court, who toss the shit on and off the court, I am going to give blind compliments. And what blind compliments will be, that will be me hearing a random name from my incredible producer Jackson, he will pull a name out the hat. And it'll just be a random name for me. and I have to give a nice, I have to give a nice compliment

to that guy. I have to just say something nice right off the top of the head. Blind compliments. Bringing this to you first episode of the Dremont Green show. Jackson, who's our first person? In the spirit of having Mel Tucker

as the first guest on the show, the first blind compliments name, Jim Harbaugh, Michigan head coach. Ew. Oh, my God. Oh, man. Jim Harbaugh. He's with us.

He's Michigan State's biggest ally. We love you, Jim. I love you. Keep bringing those wins to East Lansing, Jim. All right. That was pretty good. I was close to not being compliment, but I'll let it slide. The next one, Rodney McGruder.

Rodney McGruder. Rodney McGruder was a hell of a basketball player at Kansas State. And he carved out a decent NBA career for himself. I definitely didn't like what happened when our team was the last year. But Rodney and Grutter, I've always respected as a basketball player, hard-nosed. He got it out the mud. So I'll always have a respect for that, any guy who gets it out the mud. So that's my compliment for Roddy McGruder.

You want one more? Absolutely. Okay. So this one, very infamous singer of the National Anthem. Some of you may have heard this rendition. We're going Fergie. I feel terrible laughing at a legend like Fergie. A legend.

A legend. Fergie is a fucking legend. That's it. She's a legend. We all miss. We all. all missed. But Fergie is a fucking legend. All right, I accept

it. That's good. That's good. I want to thank everyone for tuning in to the first episode of the Dremont Green Show. That was a lot of fun. We'll be here every week. Make sure you click the subscribe button, the volume sports. Don't miss a week. You may miss a gym

or two or three. So I'd love to see y'all back here next week. So stay tuned in, stay locked in. Same time next week. Love you guys. Thanks for tuning into the first episode of Draymond Green Show. Peace. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts,

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guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smygel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. Eighty-four is big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.