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NBA ALL-STAR WEEKENDFebruary 17, 2017Draymond GreenNew Orleans, Louisiana DRAYMOND GREEN: Obviously, I would love to go over and see what it's all about. I've heard a lot of great things about it, but we really just appreciate them tuning in and supporting us from afar. Q. You play with your heart and soul. How can that inspire the young Africans that want to play basketball? DRAYMOND GREEN: Just at the end of the day, you're just really putting your mind and your heart to whatever it is you want to do. Obviously, a lot of people say that it's not possible, but just continuing to work and knowing that that's what you believe and that's what you want to do and make it happen. Q. What does it mean for you to be voted in by the fans? DRAYMOND GREEN: Well, I wasn't voted in by the fans, but just to have that fan participation always means a lot. Obviously, this year, with the way the vote was set up, you had to get some votes from some fans in order to be a starter and a lot of other places. But I think always keeping that fan participation, it means a lot to the fans and a lot to us. Q. Can you talk about your time in East Lansing and Coach [Tom] Izzo and how that helped prepare you for life and basketball? DRAYMOND GREEN: It helped me a lot, just learning from a guy like Coach Izzo on a day-in and day-out basis, him and his staff. The things they -- like basketball is great, the things they teach you in basketball. But what they teach you about life goes far beyond what the basketball court can ever teach you. Four of the best years of my life. That place is always home. Q. You being from Saginaw, just your ties to Michigan, the Pistons moving to downtown Detroit, can you give me your thoughts on that? DRAYMOND GREEN: I think it's great for the city of Detroit. For so many years, the Pistons have been on the outside of Detroit. Even when you look around the NBA, a lot of guys don't really know about the city of Detroit. They know Birmingham. They know the suburban area. They don't really know about the city of Detroit. So I think it's great for the city. The city has continued to grow. It's growing at a rapid rate. And moving the Pistons down there, I think will help it even more. Q. Do you think Klay's going to repeat? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, I do think he's going to repeat. Q. In the three-point shot? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, I think he will. Klay takes that very seriously. He takes that three-point contest very seriously, so I think he will. Q. Do you see him training with the special [inaudible] DRAYMOND GREEN: I've seen him train a couple times. He's serious about that. Q. What's it like to have all four of you guys on the court at the same time? DRAYMOND GREEN: It's pretty special. Three of your teammates in the All-Star game. You make up 4 of the 12 guys, that says a lot about our team most importantly. To share the floor with those guys, especially in an environment like this, it means a lot. Q. After last year (inaudible), anything surprise you about this team this year? DRAYMOND GREEN: I wouldn't necessarily say anything really surprised me other than how fast this team has really come together. I think, if you look at the start of the season and everyone was unsure, everyone was -- this person didn't want to shoot too much, that person didn't want to dribble too much, or this person, oh, I'm going to pass up this shot because I don't know if I should shoot right now. Like the way everything has come together so quickly where guys know how to pick and choose their spot, no one's worried about, oh, am I shooting too much, or is he shooting too much. We just play within the flow of the game and let everything figure itself out. I think the way everything has come together so fast on the offensive end, but most importantly, how everything has come together on the defensive end. With losing some of the guys we lost, a lot of people thought our defense would take a huge hit. However, we figured it out, and we're still one of the top defensive teams in the league. So the way all that's just come together has been pretty good. Q. Are you surprised that -- you and Kevin having those words on the sidelines during that game. What really happened there? What was the result of that? DRAYMOND GREEN: We're teammates, and we're good friends. That's all I've got. Q. Like brothers growing up and having words and getting over it? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, it happens. Q. Do you think people misconstrue your fire and your energy for a negative? Do you feel like the way you play comes off the wrong way? DRAYMOND GREEN: Honestly, I don't really try to figure out if it comes off the wrong way or not. I'm here to win basketball games, not to worry about how someone views me or views the way I play. My number one goal is to win basketball games. It isn't to be liked or someone to say, oh, man, I love this game. If I win, that's all that really matters to me. Q. Are you surprised your comments on [Charles] Oakley have gotten so much publicity and so much press? DRAYMOND GREEN: I mean, I don't know. In today's day and age, everything gets publicity and a lot of press. We live in the social media age where one click and something's all over the world. I wouldn't say it necessarily matters. Q. [Inaudible] DRAYMOND GREEN: I'm not sure how people view it. I don't really know everyone else's opinion or views around the league. I'm in the locker room with 14 guys on a daily basis. I kind of know their views because we talk a lot, but I don't know everyone else always views. Q. (No microphone) made those remarks supporting him. Do you know him at all? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah. Q. And do you consider him a friend? DRAYMOND GREEN: Yeah, it's a brotherhood. At the end of the day, past or former players, it's a brotherhood. We look at this as a fraternity. We get a chance to be part of this special fraternity, and we don't take that for granted. It's important. It means a lot. You know, it's important that guys stick together. Q. Can you explain what you meant by this? DRAYMOND GREEN: I explained it actually yesterday on ESPN. There's an article on ESPN.com about it, and that's really all I got to say about it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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