Rasheed Wallace and Draymond Green’s back and forth on X, formerly Twitter, continues to catch the interest of fans on social media. The whole thing started when Green appeared on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast to talk basketball. Naturally, the discussion went about how past Laker teams led by O’Neal would do against the Warriors.
The talk somehow went to the 2003-04 season when the Detroit Pistons pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history versus the Lakers. O’Neal, the late Kobe Bryant and their teammates were heavy favorites but lost in five games. Green said the Dubs would have “mopped” the floor with those Pistons.
Rasheed Wallace did not agree with Draymond Green’s assessment and argued that Steph Curry wasn’t a “defender.” More importantly, the former Portland Trail Blazers star thought Green and Co. were “too little.”
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Green saw the clip on X and responded:
“We putting you and them big a** forces in every pick and roll. Let’s see you move them feet.”
Rasheed Wallace made sure people understood there wasn’t a beef between him and Green. All they had going on was basketball talk. Wallace wouldn’t let go of his point, though:
“Dray you already know how we got down on that squad!! Don’t matter the rules yours or ours …. y’all as a team were too f**kin little… you can ask more than half ya teammates (who we played against) on that roster… and we can keep it with that year b/c no way yall could f**k with any of us in our prime.”
Wallace is confident that the Warriors’ high-powered offense behind Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson would fail against them. The feisty forward explained how the ‘04 Pistons hung their hats on defense and consistently beat opponents that way. For him, there was no way somebody from Golden State could chase Rip Hamilton around or deal with Chauncey Billups’ physicality at the point guard spot.
Rasheed Wallace vs Draymond Green would have been a riveting matchup
Rasheed Wallace retired following the 2012-13 season which was Draymond Green’s rookie year in the NBA. When Green arrived, Wallace was already 38 years old and playing a supporting role for the New York Knicks. He was far removed from his heyday as one of the NBA’s feistiest and most skilled power forwards.
A prime Wallace against the best of Green would have been electric. At 6-foot-11 with a silky smooth jumper and bruising post-play, “Sheed” would have been a tough cover even for Green. It wouldn’t be surprising if their battles would turn contentious.
Rasheed Wallace is also one of those players who will not back down. Draymond Green, who is known for some questionable plays, will find a willing partner who will not hesitate to go toe-to-toe with him.
All that, though, is hypothetical and something fans can only dream about. It’s also about as realistic as the 2004 Detroit Pistons taking on the 2017 Golden State Warriors.
