ESPN’s Ethan Strauss responds to controversy over Draymond Green story

Our immediate instinct is to circle the wagon and defend our players whenever they are subjected to media scrutiny. But it’s important that any debate over a story start with the facts.

Marreese Speights has denied making some of the statements presented in the article. Ethan Sherwood Strauss may not come out waving the fact sheet in our proverbial faces, but it does appear that the words in Strauss’ article belong to Speights, based on the assertions Strauss makes in his tweet and the legitimacy of ESPN as a reputable news source.

From the truehoops podcast yesterday, here’s a transcript (borrowed from Reddit r/GiddyCamper’s post)

Ethan: There was Mo, and then I had to reach out to him and tell him that, um, there is a recording of our interview, and so I don't know if...

(Laughs from Woz and Tom)

Woz: Ethan, people gotta know that you record this stuff for quality assurance purposes

Ethan: Of-... yes, quality assurance purposes, plus, "Hey I'm interviewing you for an article, um and..."

Tom (picking up where Ethan left off): "...and this is on the record and you know what that means."

Ethan (while Tom is finishing his sentence): Yes, yes, yes...

We have years of evidence supporting Strauss as one of the very best journalists covering the NBA. Take whatever issue you want with the article and its conclusions. But let’s be fair and understand that this guy is literally as good as it gets.

Perhaps we could let our defenses down and listen to the message, even if it’s a message we do not really want to hear — that fan-favorite Draymond Green, who can fire up a crowd better than anybody, may be a bit of a hothead who rubs teammates, coaches and staff the wrong away at times.

Or not.

The fact is, none of us have been in the locker room to see for ourselves, so we are free to form whatever opinions we deem valid based on published reports. But like any source of information, it’s valuable for us readers to carefully consider the reliability and reputation of the sources before rejecting (or accepting) the facts.

Enjoy sports coverage however you want. But it is disheartening to see Strauss taking abuse from the Warriors fan base in Reddit threads and on Twitter. Strauss is a fan of the team, and as familiar with the players as any diehard fan.

Above that, he is a professional writer who has earned our trust.