Draymond Green on Who Owns the State of Michigan
UMHoops.com has this interesting tidbit in this morning's round up:
Draymond Green took part in Sam Hosey’s Spartan Fastbreak Show and provided this quotes (transcribed by Joe Rexrode) in regards to what was worse: a first round NCAA loss or being swept by Michigan:
“I have to go with the loss to Michigan because that’s gonna stick with me forever right here (pointing to heart). Like, it hurts so bad, I didn’t know the feeling because I’d never lost to them prior to this year. And then to lose twice, it still bothers me. Because it’s Michigan and I hate, just, it makes them feel like they’re better than us. After them not winning at the Breslin for like 13 years, however long it was. And now they feel like this is their state. And this is Michigan State’s state. We own this state, it’s our state. And it gives them the hope and a crazy reason to think this is their state. And I completely disagree with that 100 percent.”
On the one hand, Green and MSU certainly have recent history on their side. On the other hand, U-M clearly won the battle of Michigan this season. The situations are, of course, reversed for football and so any arguments pro and con will have a nice mirror image quality to them (that is, if you're being intellectually honest -- and when it comes to rivalries, we all know that being intellectually honest is always the first consideration).
In the end, U-M's success will need to be duplicated for several more years before it can clearly be said that Green's assertion is unsupportable. That said, it's not crazy to think that it won't be the case soon enough.
Class ratings don't always matter. Example: I would much rather have THJ over appling. Also, Smotritczh(sp?) and Horford have shown flashes and could be very good very soon.
The way we're recruiting is just fine. It would be nice to see us pull a 5* in once in a while, but as of now, beilein has proven he can see talent in even the people who aren't all hyped up. THJ and smot are prime examples. Not to mention burke and brundidge actually ARE hyped up....Brundidge was in the running for mr basketball in michigan and Burke won mr basketball in ohio, thats pretty big time if you ask me. Last year that honor in ohio went to sullinger....
I hate that fat fuck.
accurate and concise.
i literally loled.
This is why it was so hugely important to sweep them this year, not just get a split. What's amazing is that even much of our own fanbase had internalized this view of the rivalry. The fact that we dominated MSU for decades was completely forgotten (or, in the case of some younger fans, never learned).
The "lost decade" was not about us not being able to compete. It was about us grossly overreacting to some NCAA violations by deciding, basically, to take our ball and go home. We did not try to compete at the highest level. We made two cheap, crappy coaching hires, made no effort to upgrade our substandard facilities, and did next to nothing to promote the program to the public. Only in the last few years, since the Beilein hire, have we finally made a genuine effort to compete again.
Well, one cheap, crappy coaching hire. I think the effort was there in hiring Amaker. That didn't work amazingly well, but it wasn't the worst thing ever, either. He wasn't Ellerbe.
Amaker was better than Ellerbe, but by the time we landed him, he was no longer really a hot item, and he came pretty cheap.
I think it's always better when results in bball/fball games between the two schools do not seem foregone to the point of one side's disinterest.
I see the future being very bright in this rivalry. We have GOT to take it to them again next year, and looking at the talent (or lack thereof) that MSU returns next year we should expect nothing less. Draymond knows MSU is in trouble.
about sparty. I see Beilen owning the State so they better get used to losing. Go blue
Fuck Draymond Green.