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AP Photo/Nathan Denette
Rapper Drake, left, says something to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23)
after the Toronto Raptors defeated the Warriors in Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals on
Thursday in Toronto.
Column: Let’s ignore Drake
for the rest of the NBA Finals
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Columnist
Obnoxious
sideline
celebrities are as much a
part of the NBA as slam
dunks and getting away
with an extra step or two.
From Jack Nicholson to
Spike Lee to Jimmy Buf-
fett, we’ve grown accus-
tomed to boorish, entitled
superstars doing their best
to make themselves part of
the game.
Welcome to the club,
Drake.
The
Toronto
rap-
per-slash-superfan has got-
ten as much air time as any-
one on the court with his
antics during the playoffs.
He mocked Philadelphia’s
Joel Embiid. He rubbed the
shoulders of Raptors coach
Nick Nurse during a game.
And, after the opener of the
NBA Finals, he exchanged
some heated words with
Golden State’s Draymond
Green.
Here’s an idea: Let’s
ignore Drake for the rest of
what could be a memorable
series between the Raptors
and Warriors.
That goes for the TV
cameras that can’t seem to
turn away from him. That
goes for those of us in the
media who can’t seem to
quit writing about him (I
promise, this will be my
one and only Drake col-
umn). And it most certainly
goes for the Warriors, who
need to stay focused on the
important task at hand —
trying to win their fourth
championship in fi ve years
— when Drake starts hurl-
ing his childish taunts.
Green insisted the inci-
dent in Game 1 was no big
deal.
“You got a question
about
basketball?”
he
shot back when a reporter
brought it up afterward.
“It wasn’t really a scuffl e
because I didn’t hit him and
he didn’t hit me, and I didn’t
push him and he didn’t push
me. We talked. We barked
a little bit, but I wouldn’t
necessarily consider that a
scuffl e.”
No doubt looking to
move records and build his
brand, Drake was in his
full troll mode for the start
of the fi rst Finals held out-
side the United States, turn-
ing up at his familiar court-
side seat in a replica of the
Raptors jersey worn by
Dell Curry at the end of his
career — a jab, of course,
at Dell’s son, Warriors star
Steph Curry.
After Toronto secured its
118-109 victory, Drake con-
fronted Green on his way
off the court. It’s not clear
all that was said between
the two, but Drake could be
seen mouthing “trash” as a
smiling Curry stepped in to
make sure Green went on to
the locker room.
With a night to sleep on
things, Green was down-
right diplomatic during the
off day Friday. He knows
the best way to answer
Drake’s insults is to play
better than he did in Game
1, when he contributed a
mere 10 points on 2-of-9
shooting and struggled to
contain the Raptors’ emerg-
ing star, Pascal Siakam.
“He talks and it gets
more attention because he’s
Drake,” Green said.
While the NBA certainly
loves the off-the-court
attention that it celebrity
fans generate, Commis-
sioner Adam Silver made
it clear that there’s a line
Drake should not cross —
which he clearly did in the
Eastern Conference fi nals
by briefl y grabbing Nurse’s
shoulders as the oblivi-
ous coach looked up at the
scoreboard during Game
4 against the Milwaukee
Bucks.
“We certainly appreci-
ate his superfan status, and
I know he’s beloved in the
community of Toronto,”
Silver said. But, the com-
mish quickly added, “Cer-
tainly we don’t want fans,
friend or foe, contacting an
NBA coach during a game.
I think that even as Nick
Nurse later said, ‘I didn’t
even realize it was Drake
or hardly was aware that I
was being touched,’ and I
think those can lead to dan-
gerous situations. You’re in
the middle of coaching a
game and you’re completely
focused, you obviously
don’t want somebody who
is not on your team touch-
ing you.”
Better than any other
league, the NBA knows
how to nurture and protect
its superstars — a philoso-
phy that has extended to its
most famous fans at least as
far back as the days when
Nicholson was razzing Los
Angeles Lakers’ opponents
during the Showtime era,
or Lee was getting away
with far more than most
fans while taunting Reg-
gie Miller during playoff
games at Madison Square
Garden (yes, kids, the New
York Knicks were once a
competitive NBA franchise
that made the postseason on
a regular basis).
Silver said the league
spoke with Drake and his
management team about
avoiding contact with play-
ers and coaches, apparently
coming to an understanding
that he wouldn’t do it again.
“Given Drake’s relation-
ship to the team, it’s not the
same as just any fan who
happened to be courtside
touching a coach,” the com-
missioner said. “But I think
that’s an absolute bright
line that we have to draw.
So that’s one example and I
would also say that I think
the issue for the league is
that he has this ambassa-
dor-type role with the team.
So he is viewed a little dif-
ferently than any fan sitting
there. But at the same time,
I think there are appropriate
lines that shouldn’t be cross
in terms of how a compet-
ing team is addressed or the
offi cials for that matter.”
While a case could cer-
tainly be made that Drake
should be banished to a
less-prominent seat during
the remaining games in
Toronto (as Buffett once
was during a Miami Heat
contest for cursing at the
offi cials), even Green said
that wasn’t necessary.
“So many people are
complaining about it, like,
‘You don’t let any other fan
do that,’” the Warriors star
said. “Yeah, any other fan
is just not Drake, so they
probably shouldn’t be able
to do that. That’s just kind
of how the cookie crumbles.
He’s worked his (butt) off to
be who he is. I think we all
know when you do that, you
get more leash than others.
I think there’s so much talk
and the NBA needs to ... no,
they don’t. He worked to be
who he is, (so) you should
get more leash. I don’t mind
it. It’s fun for me.”
The best way for Green
and the Warriors to shut
Drake up is to win another
title.
As for the rest of us, let’s
just ignore him.
Jets interview Seahawks exec
Scott Fitterer for GM vacancy
NEW YORK (AP) —
The Jets have interviewed
Seattle Seahawks execu-
tive Scott Fitterer for their
general manager job.
The team’s announce-
ment Friday that it com-
pleted its meeting with Fit-
terer marked New York’s
fi rst interview to fi ll its
front-offi ce vacancy.
Fitterer has been the
Seahawks’ co-director of
player personnel alongside
Trent Kirchner since 2015.
He has worked with Seat-
tle since 2001 and served
in various roles, including
as the team’s director of
college scouting.
Mike Maccagnan was
surprisingly fi red by Jets
chairman and CEO Chris-
topher Johnson on May 15
after four seasons — just
2½ weeks after the GM
oversaw the team’s draft.
Johnson said he was look-
ing to hire someone who
was “a strategic thinker”
and added that “it’s more
than a talent evaluation
guy.”
Head coach Adam Gase
is the acting general man-
ager and has an active role
in the Jets’ process of fi nd-
ing a new GM.
Joe Douglas, Phila-
delphia’s vice president
of player personnel, is
expected to interview with
New York over the week-
end. He is largely con-
sidered the favorite to
land the gig. Terry Fonte-
not, New Orleans’ direc-
tor of pro scouting, is also
expected to be among the
candidates to meet with
the Jets.
The East Oregonian is proud to announce its partnership with Athena
Public Library, City of Echo, Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society,
Pendleton Round-up, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Umatilla County
Historical Society and our readers on a new pictorial history book,
“Umatilla County Memories: The Early Years.”
YOU’RE INVITED
We are excited to invite you, our readers, to participate in this unique project. Please
bring your photos to one of our scanning sessions listed here — and be sure to check
our submission guidelines. Photos will be scanned on-site and given right back to
you. In order to keep things speedy, please fill out our simple photo submission form
prior to the session. Forms can be downloaded at Umatilla.PictorialBook.com.
Please plan to fill out one form for each photo you’d like to submit.
Download submission forms and pre-order at
Umatilla.PictorialBook.com
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
General interest photos, such as: commerce, industry, transportation, rural life,
public service, etc.
Photos taken between the 1800s and 1939.
Photos only — preferably original (no newspaper clippings or photocopies).
Photos taken in Umatilla County.
Limit 10 photos per family. No appointment necessary.
If you’re a private collector, call 360-723-5800 to set up an appointment.
SCANNING SESSIONS
Saturday, June 22 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Tribal images only
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
47106 Wildhorse Boulevard, Pendleton
Sunday, June 23 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Echo Bank Building and Historical Museum
230 W. Main Street, Echo
Monday, June 24
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Athena Public Library
418 E. Main Street, Athena
Wednesday, June 26
10 a.m. – noon
Umatilla County Historical Society
Heritage Station Museum
108 SW Frazer, Pendleton
Thursday, June 27 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society
and Frazier Farmstead Museum
1403 Chestnut Street, Milton-Freewater
Not all photos submitted or used in
ads will appear in the final book.