NBA Countdown | Stephen A. believes Warriors seeking trade options amid Draymond Green’s absence

NBA Countdown | Stephen A. believes Warriors seeking trade options amid Draymond Green’s absence

And LeBron James is looking to help the Lakers Turn the page on a middling end of 2023 while James has averaged almost 27 points per game since winning the inseason tournament his team is still 500 but they have a Runway to start 2024 off right it begins tonight on

ESPN welcome to NBA Countdown presented by door Dash hey welcome to NBA Countdown alongside Stephen A Smith Michael wilbon Adrien WJ narowski the architect of the four-time Champion Golden State Warriors Bob Myers I’m Malika Anders and gentlemen there is so much to get to around the association that we have not

Won but two shows to get ready for tonight’s action on the ESPN family of network so we’re going to start our show today at West with the Golden State Warriors who got a much needed win defeating the magic last night behind 36 points from Steph Curry the Warriors

They had 10 players score at least 10 points in the game and have improved to six and four during Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension Bob this is actually the first time you’ve been in studio with us since green was suspended in inid December the Warriors they have

Frankly been a a very average team in that time so you have the floor what are you diagnosing Golden State with right now no but Stephen are you going to let me have the floor I get it for a little bit appreciate that thank you I thank

You welcome back to work yeah thank you see he wouldn’t do it he couldn’t do it couldn’t do it um look they they don’t know what they are I mean it’s without him he’s the fulcrum and Draymond Green is such a good defensive player and has been such a great leader that’s been

Tested lately and there’s a void I mean that’s the truth there’s a void without him um six and four I don’t think that’s real I don’t I think that’s a little bit of a mirage I don’t think they think they’re on to something without Draymond Green um he’s good enough to make any

Team a good defensive team so without him they’re they’re with a 16th 17th in the league in defense he’s always made the Warriors a good defensive team the hard thing with these things is um when a player goes through something like this or a team and I was there for many

Distractions I mean you guys has covered all of them it’s just hard it takes energy it takes energy to deal with these things it takes energy to have to lose a player for a li for amount of time to bring him back into the fold Steve ker is trying to figure out the

Rotations and when Draymond gets back that kind of all starts over again uh Steph has had to try to figure out the Reliance of Curry on Draymond is something we all know and know well so then he loses him and says okay I got to

Figure out how to play with CP which CP is great at it but it’s something that has caused in many ways uh a period of time where it’s just a great amount of uncertainty and now they got to come back when he comes back when that is

Yeah and figure it out again and it’s just exhausting that’s the hard part of it a lot of time left um they’ve been in a ton of games 25 clutch games I don’t know if that’s good or bad but um not where they want to be uh Steve K’s still

Trying to get it right Steph Curry’s still I believe might be the best leader in sports so he’s going to keep him on on the path but um you just got to get grandma back as soon as you can and then plug him in and see what you can do

Right now there really is no wiggle room in the western conference right the Warriors they’re currently half a game outside of the play in just behind the Lakers who have been having their own problems right three and eight since winning the inseason tournament so Stephen A when you’re looking at the

Standings in these two franchises specifically which one needs to make a move sooner rather than later for me I I would think it’s the Los Angeles Lakers I mean when I think about the Golden State Warriors here’s the deal I I can guarantee you this I don’t think this

Team will stay together after the season’s over I think that what you see this is the last to Rob because Joe Lup and the crew they they just can’t take much more of this you you got to have when you look at Steph Curry You’ got to have pieces that are reliable around

Them which they customarily have been up until recent memory but they are still better off than the Lakers as far as I’m concerned because when I think about Steph Curry the greatest shooter God has ever created he’s going to be just fine in the case of the Golden State Warriors

What you’re looking at is you want better from clay you want Draymond Green to step on the court with the Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis is playing all World LeBron James is all World absolutely and there is an APB out for everybody else on the squad I mean damn

It local police FBI nobody can find them I mean you can’t find them they can’t shoot they can’t seem to defend they don’t seem to give you consistent effort they’re 20th in offensive rating they’re 21st in defensive rating and and they look like a team dare I say that is distract

Theyed you know when you live in LA is distract banners across the street too in LA right that’s that’s not everything you said I agree with I’m not talking about LeBron by the way not those two by the way they’ve played in all the games right neither one has had

Any health issues so far they’ve played right one here one there they’re not good enough the Lakers aren’t you you you’re saying these names they were good enough for a stretch last year after Rob pinka made that deal it all every piece fell properly into place what are the

Chances that’s going to happen again with Houston outperforming expectations oh wait the Minnesota Timberwolves outperforming expectations even Oklahoma City has got to be at least a year early that’s three teams outperforming where are the Lakers in that and are their rosters even topheavy with those two

Hall of Famers are they as good as Oklahoma City’s roster no yeah I think I think the Lakers uh and the Warriors are both facing these upstart teams in Minnesota Oklahoma City and of course the defending champions in Denver these are deep rosters they are well balanced

These are teams certainly uh in you know Denver uh and uh W with size and they do not have depth on these rosters and when you have not when especially with the Lakers when you don’t have young players that you’ve drafted under contract that are moving up and you’re always having

To go trade for him after a while you you get diminished returns that’s why Austin Reeves you talk to teams who would like to deal with the Lakers one name comes up will the Lakers include Austin Reeves in a deal that’s the player who has great value in trades the

Lakers understandably they’re very reluctant to put him in any deal and if Austin Reeves isn’t in a trade yeah it’s hard to imagine a differen maker La can acquire would you Bob would you put him in a trade no no no I think he’s a good

Play he’s got a great contract by the way I don’t let me ask you anybody this Western Conference finals last year it’s pretty much the same team is it just because the West is better is that the only reason you say distracted I mean I

Look they seem that way they do they do seem distracted but the team I saw and Anthony Davis he said to someone before game the game in the End season tournament in Vegas against the Pacer he said I’ll show you what a game seven looks like he said that to somebody

Would he get like 30 and 20 in that game 40 40 and 20 these guys have they have their next 11 of 12 across the street in L we may feel very differently about them after the eight or nine wins our our requisite turn my attention to will

Here do that I thought you were coming to me I thought you were coming to me listen listen everybody up here knows basketball you have this is basketball this is not football you got two superstars you know what everybody else needs to do your job he ain’t asking but

But so much ain’t nobody asking hot ain’t nobody asking Angelo Russell to go out and average 25 and nobody asking Austin Reef to go out an average 25 do your job that’s why I can use the word distractions because when you can’t perform your everyday dude if I got a

Star a superstar like LeBron James and a dude playing like a superstar on Anthony Davis I’m like damn if I’m halfway decent we in good shap ask a quick question that’s basketball you look at the rest of the rosters just just confine it to we let’s leave Denver out

Minnesota and and Oklahoma City they hungry do you think the rest of their rosters after you take the top two out you think the rest of their rosters are as good as Oklahoma City and Minnesota but they ain’t this Mike that’s the difference they’re not this bad do your

Job suggest they can do it better than the competition and I’m saying to you they can’t they Circle that potentially will see more people doing their job is January 15th the next one coming players exactly that certain players become available and we will see if they are still on the

Los Angeles Lakers in the meantime Jaylen Brunson averaging a career-high 25.6 points for the for the coverage guys our guys did a great job of scramble drill of getting open I think we had a new number of plays that were extended that were big play for so just a complete

Game by tomorrow I don’t care about the favorites you know um that’s a great team though you don’t take anything away from them you know defense offense and special team as well uh but I I pretty much like it that way you know just being underdogs I don’t want people

Looking at us like oh we need them to go and do this and that you know um I like playing as the underdog and I feel like we have more success being there we we play better under pressure uh we keep our po we stay locked in um no matter

How the game may seem no matter what the crowd noise is um no matter how hard the defense hitting us cuz they you know they the defense are flying around you know got to get credit when credit is due uh but we just stay locked in you know I don’t think

Nobody play like us we just need to keep keep playing that way you know keep playing The Raven Way all right here’s a look at those updated MVP odds minus money on Action Jackson and how could you argue dominates the moment in Santa Clara comes away with the win and he’s

Looking for that team Hardware this season already got an MVP trophy to show for but a second one in route to a super bow well that wouldn’t be bad either to Philly we go Christmas day in the City of Brotherly Love what better way to celebrate than amongst loved ones

Eagles trying to snap a three- game losing streak nothing to love there they can move into first place in the NFC East with a win Giants they’ve lost 10 straight road games in Philly trying to break that streak but early second quarter hers back to pass find Devonte

Smith he gets blocked down field that makes it 173 Birds they lead 20 to7 going into halftime so maybe they Flex their muscles take care of a lesser opponent maybe not opening kickoff at the second half Eagles returning it Boston Scott going to run into his Z man there drop kick him I

Mean my zakus blocked into Scott sort of there causes the fumble Giants recover short field strange sequence ensuing Drive third and three saquan in Giants Trail 20-1 their first touchdown in seven quarters count it late third quarter same score Eagles ball until it wasn’t hurts giveaways have been the

Issue and it bites him again and oh we got a ball game adori Jackson with the Pick 6 76 six yards the other way Giants would convert a two-point conversion so 20- 18 our score third pick six by the Giants this year hurts his 18th turnover

But the Run game was going a bit in this one DeAndre Swift on the next Drive punched it in from five out to make it 2718 Giants not done yet 5:30 left tan Taylor in the game now Tommy cutlet did start team needed a spark they’d get it Taylor finds Darius

Slayton 69 yd touchdown makes it 30-25 not Done Yet Eagles would add a field goal to make it an eight-point game still one possession can Tyrod lead him back fourth and seven 26 ticks Taylor the Darren Waller climbs the ladder gets the first down giants still with life

Last Hope here 3 seconds two Taylor escapes going to try and drive one into the end zone here but key Ringo comes up with the final Gift of the Night game over Eagles win 3325 that is 11 straight home wins against their divisional foe here in New

York as for the Eagles Jaylen Herz 15 rushing touchdowns punched in a tush push early in this one that’s most by any quarterback during a single season in NFL history they don’t ask how long Those runs were just how many 15 this year as for the Giants they’ve been eliminated from postseason

Contention for the sixth time in their last seven seasons last year the only expectation changer but the expectation reduced this time around if you were expecting some money well the Giants brought it to you the over also a winning Ticket all right you just got to win the games they don’t put pictures on the schedule nor the scorecard but this could be worth something worst Point differential through 15 games by an 11 plus win team the Eagles making the graphic here with the fifth worst difference ential just a plus 26 home

Usually pretty good away some issues they got to sort those issues in the next 14 days if they want to get back to where they were last Season a historic rivalry providing the early action on Christmas Day Raiders and Chiefs kicking off the Christmas Day slate it’s your nickmas game on Nickelodeon and

NBA Countdown | Stephen A. believes Warriors seeking trade options amid Draymond Green’s absence