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ByAnthonySlater BayAreaNewsGroup OAKLAND Andre Iguodala, offi- cially credited with zero blocks in the Blazers series, should have had one. With two minutes left in Game 3, Evan Turner slid by Ja- Vale McGee on a drive and went up for a layup. Draymond Green was 20 feet away, planted at the top of the key. Iguodala was the one who met Turner at the rim and swatted it away. But the official scorer cred- ited Green. Must've figured it had to be him. Green had done some- thing similar so many times prior. The Golden State Warriors' do- everything power forward had five blocks in Game 1, three in Game 2, six in Game 3 and three in Game 4. Those 17 total blocks are tied with Andre Roberson, who played an extra game, for the most of anyone in the play- offs. Entering Friday, Green had more than four entire teams — the Pacers (15), Jazz (15), Grizzlies (15) and Clippers (13) — even if the 14th of his 17 blocks was falsely credited. "Nah I didn't (know I got one of Iguodala's)," Green said. "But somebody got a couple of mine, so it's probably like 18." There are many reasons Green is likely to win Defensive Player of the Year come June. Some are traditional stats (his 2.03 steals per game led the NBA this sea- son). some are advanced stats (his 4.7 defensive 'win shares' led the league) and some of it goes be- yond the numbers, like when he killed a Warrior losing streak in March by ending a Sixers rally NBA PLAYOFFS WARRIORS'GREEN LEADING DEFENSE CRAIGMITCHELLDYER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, le , reacts a er making a 3-pointer over Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, during the second half of Game 3of a first-round playoff series Saturday, April 22, in Portland, Ore. NHAT V. MEYER — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP FILE The Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green (23) blocks a shot against the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard (0) in the fourth quarter of Game 1of their first-round playoff series at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Sunday, April 16. By Dan Brown Bay Area News Group SANTACLARA Some NFL hope- fuls spend their whole lives wait- ing for a call on draft day. Reuben Foster got the call twice. On the same day. At the same time. "It's a funny story," the Ala- bama linebacker said upon ar- riving at 49ers headquarters on Friday. The New Orleans Saints were so sure that they were going to land Foster with No. 32 pick of the first round Friday that they called the Butkus Award Winner and asked to speak to his girl- friend. Because the woman was a Louisiana native, the Saints wanted to talk to her about help- ing Foster transition to his new surroundings. Click! That was the sound of the 49ers on the other line. "I said, 'The New Orleans Saints are still on the other line,"' the 6-foot-1, 228-pounder recounted. "I wanted to be a 49er so bad, it wasn't funny. It was crazy." What Foster didn't know right away was that 49ers Gen- eral Manager John Lynch had traded up to the No. 31 spot. Lynch recalled his side of the awkward conversation. "I said, 'No, we're taking you.' It was hard because it happened late in the process," the GM said. "He was really excited when he found out that we had pulled off that trade. And we were cer- tainly very excited." NFL DRAFT Foster becomes a 49er with help from call waiting By Andrew Baggarly Bay Area News Group SAN FRANCISCO When it comes to a tricky course of treatment with a star player, there is great comfort in consensus. The Giants have reached a con- sensus when it comes to Madi- son Bumgarner's sprained left shoulder, and mapped out a re- hab schedule that should have the left-handed ace ready to return to the major league rotation shortly after the All-Star break. Bumgarner was definitively di- agnosed with a Grade 2 sprain of the AC joint in his left shoulder, which means that he partially tore ligaments. A Grade 2 sprain is another way of describing a sep- arated shoulder. Significant separations often require surgery to prevent recur- rence due to shoulder instability. But after seeking out a range of opinions from the foremost ortho- pedic experts in the country, the Giants received diagnoses in har- mony: Bumgarner's shoulder will heal on its own. "It's nice when everybody agrees," Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner said. "We've put a plan in place to re- hab him and get him back." Giants orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki consulted with 49ers orthopedist Dr. Timothy McAd- ams, who sees this type of injury more often with quarterbacks after they sustain high-impact trauma when hit or slammed to the turf. The Giants and Bumgar- ner also sought opinions from Dr. Neal El Attrache from the Kerlan- Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles and Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla. Bumgarner began rehab activ- ities on Friday, though he is un- able to do much at this time. Once he regains more range of motion, he can begin strengthening exer- cises. "About three weeks out, we'll see how he's feeling," Groeschner said. "We'll see how much we can push or not push. Bum is a pretty conscientious person. We feel pretty good that when we ask him to do something, he'll do it the right way and give us honest feedback, and we'll adjust the pro- gram as needed." Although some peaks and val- leys are expected, the hope is that Bumgarner can begin throwing near the end of June. Then he would graduate to throwing off a mound, build up his pitch count, throw live batting practice and make a series of minor league re- hab starts. It's impossible to say how Bumgarner's unique, three- quarters delivery would impact his recovery, or whether the in- jury will have any long-term con- sequences on his stuff or dura- bility. MLB Gia nt s co n fi rm Bumgarner shoulder injury MICHAEL CONROY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Larry Bird is leaving his post as president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers. The team faces a big decision on whether to keep star forward Paul George or trade him. By Jon Krawczynski The Associated Press Larry Bird started the week by driving an IndyCar down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to stump for the NBA's All-Star weekend returning to Indiana. He ended it by stepping down as president of basketball opera- tions for the Pacers, a stunningly abrupt decision that has become a hallmark of the NBA great's post- playing career. Bird made the call Friday and general manager Kevin Pritchard will be elevated to take his place, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on con- dition of anonymity because the team has not announced the move, which was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. Bird leaves the Pacers ahead of a pivotal summer in which the franchise will have to de- cide what to do with star for- ward Paul George. He can be- come a free agent after next sea- son and there is wide speculation he would prefer to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers will have to decide whether to try to persuade him to stay long term or trade him. With that potentially fran- chise-changing scenario pend- ing, Bird is stepping down from a major role with the Pacers for a third time. His quick exit follows a pattern for Bird. When the Hall of Famer makes up his mind, that's it. "Larry is very special, tremen- dous integrity," Pacers owner Herb Simon told The Indianap- olis Star this month. "His word means something." Bird coached the Pacers from 1997-2000, leading them to the NBAFinalsin2000beforewalking away from the job after applying a long-held theory that a coach's effectiveness is diminished after three or four years on the job. He returned as team presi- dent in 2003, helping construct a club that was among the best in the league, won 61 games and advanced to the Eastern Confer- ence finals in 2003-04. That team fell apart the following season af- ter the "Malice at the Palace," the ugly scene in Detroit in which players Ron Artest, Stephen Jack- son and Jermaine O'Neal fought with Pistons fans. NBA BirdstepsdownasPacerspresident NHAT V. MEYER — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Giants Madison Bumgarner talks to the media before a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. Saintscalledearly,beforeSFswoopedinandtooklinebacker PACERS PAGE 2 WARRIORS PAGE 2 DRAFT PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, April 29, 2017 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1