PHOENIX –- SiriusXM NBA Radio host and Suns color analyst Eddie Johnson explained Wednesday why he felt compelled to issue an on-air apology to Warriors forward Draymond Green last month.
Why did Johnson, who spent 18 seasons in the NBA, feel a satellite radio apology was in order? He concluded he made a mistake more than a year ago when he suggested Denver forward Kenneth Faried was comparable to Green.
“Yes, a while ago, and this was before Draymond took off, I said Draymond is like Kenneth Faried and Kenneth Faried is like Draymond,” Johnson explained after a 112-104 Warriors victory over the Suns.
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SIGN UP HERE “Some people took exception,” he added. “But at that point, I was like, ‘I don’t see much of a difference.’ That was after that summer when Faried had a great run in the (2014) World Cup.”
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Coming off an impressive showing in earning a World Cup gold medal with USA Basketball, Faried signed a four-year extension worth $50 million to remain with the Nuggets.
He was named last month as a finalist for the 2016 U. S. Olympic team.
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Green, too, is among the 30 finalists. Green also will be in Toronto this weekend as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team. Faried was not chosen.
“Well, after watching Draymond over the last two years,” Johnson said, “I felt, ‘OK, I’ve got to apologize.’
“He’s a lot better than Faried. I had to swallow my pill, take my poison.”