On the list of things that Draymond Green has instigated, punching Jordan Poole ranks, what, like high teens? Early 20s? We could write about Green every week if we wanted to. The guy not only makes headlines, he literally writes his own. So the news out of the Bay Area of this altercation isn’t really anything surprising.
Can see the punch here:
He argues with teammates so much that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson essentially have a system for dealing with his outbursts. (Per Green, they usually just ignore him until they have to scream at him, and then they move on.)
Whatever potential internal punishment he’s facing, he’s probably faced it before, and my guess is the same goes for the line that he crossed, as well. Like Charlie Murphy said about Rick James: He’s a habitual line stepper. This is nothing new for Green, and it’s also nothing new for sports.
It seemed like the NFL had a fight every other day in training camp, and we all know the story about Michael Jordan sticking Steve Kerr in the face during a heated practice. This will be Green’s 11th season, and the former Michigan State Spartan probably didn’t have the time or energy for whatever brand of shit his teammate and former Michigan Wolverine was spouting.
Whether it was about Sparty’s 2-3 start to the football season, Green’s impending contract extension, or who should’ve been eliminated from last week’s Great British Bake Off, it’s not going to affect the Warriors’ season. The only reason Golden State didn’t win the title during Durant’s last season with the team was because of injuries.
The Warriors have been under the microscope for going on a decade now, and this level of drama is not uncommon, especially for Draymond.
Green’s contract extension
NBA Twitter’s sleuthing rumored that money may have been the impetus for the altercation as if NBA players fighting about money is something new. Of course Green wants to get paid with guys like Tyler Herro inking four-year, $130 million deals, which is $25 million less than Green’s on-court career earnings.
Joe Lacob and that front office have shown a willingness to pay the luxury tax to contend, so they should be willing to take care of the most-durable of their All-Stars and a vital piece of the franchise’s 73-win season, four titles, and six finals appearances in the past eight.
He should be paid what he’s worth, and honestly, he should probably be overpaid. We know about the defense, and nobody has been as versatile and as consistent as him on that side of the ball over the past six, seven seasons. He should have three DPOY awards, not Rudy Gobert. The reason Kerr benched him during the fourth quarter of Finals was offense, not defense.
His 3-point shooting percentage might be abysmal, but the chemistry between him, Steph, and Klay makes up for it. And I’ve been on the opposite side of a lot of “Please shoot that” moments with him that haven’t gone the way I’d like.
As far as the mental chess game, he’s one of the best to ever do it. The guy could get the Queen’s Foot Guard to snap at him in less than five minutes. I’d be afraid to heckle Draymond at a stand-up show even though he’s never done comedy.
If the Warriors don’t want to pay him, it’s their loss.