mollyfamwatSAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors devoted most of his post-game press conference Monday night to the way the NBA treats its players, while citing several examples of double standards in the league.
Green’s three-minute tirade came after Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers – Golden State’s opponents – and he decided to leave Andre Drummond in the middle until he finds something to do.
I’d like to talk about something that’s really bothering me, Green said after the Warriors’ 129-98 victory. And that’s the attitude of the players in this league. Seeing Andre Drummond sitting on the sidelines before the game, then running after him and coming out in street clothes because the team wants to trade him is the bulls…..
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst, the Cavs have moved to the new Jarrett Allen Center and feel it’s unfair that Drummond is limited in his minutes due to the move to Allen.
Green added that when James Harden asked for a trade in his final days in Houston and in fact brought them in, no one will dispute that James brought them in, but that he was criticized for wanting to go to another team. Everybody destroyed that guy, and yet the team can come in and say oh, we want to trade a guy, and then that guy has to sit down, and if he doesn’t stay professional, it’s cancer. And he’s not good in a locker room, that’s a problem.
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Drummond, who was in plain clothes at the Chase Center and spent most of Monday on the Cavs’ bench, joined Green a few minutes before the break. While it’s not clear what they discussed during those brief moments, Green’s message was evoked when he stepped up to the podium after the game.
And we see situations where Harrison Barnes is not on the bench, Green said. Or DeMarcus Cousins finds out after the All-Star Game that he traded an interview and we let him. But I got fined for expressing my opinion on what should happen to another player, but teams can go talk: Oh, we’ll take care of the boys, we won’t play with you. And yet, we must remain professional.
Green, who has long been an outspoken critic of issues close to his heart, was fined $50,000 for expressing his feeling that Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker should leave the organization when he was a guest analyst at Turner Sports during last season’s NBA reboot in Orlando, Florida.
At some point we have to be treated with the same respect as the players, Green said. And have the same rights as the team. Because as a player you are the worst person in the world if you need a different situation. But the team can see they’re dealing with you. And that person has to stay fit, has to stay professional. Otherwise his career is at stake. At some point, this league has to protect players from that kind of embarrassment.
Green’s words came on the same day that Pistons general manager Troy Weaver told ESPN that the team would sit down with former All-Star Blake Griffin to negotiate a trade or possible buyout.
We say all those things about, you can’t do it, you can’t say it publicly, Green said. If you say that in public… Anthony Davis was fined $100,000, I believe, for demanding a trade, but can you say that Andre Drummond is publicly traded and we want to publicly trade him, that he stays professional and just goes along with it? And then when Kyrie Irving says: Oh, my mental health is bad, it’s driving everyone crazy too. You don’t think this affects anyone psychologically? Even though we do everything we can to be great, to come here and be fit, to produce for the fans every night and, most importantly, to help your team win, do you think that doesn’t affect someone mentally?
Green’s monster came one night when he reached the peak of his career with 16 attendances. His press conference began with a question about his relationship with Stephen Curry over the years, as Curry’s high marks sometimes coincide with Greene’s high marks. After answering this question for about 30 seconds, Mr. Green went on to talk about the treatment of players.
As players, we were told: Ah, no, you can’t say that, you can’t say that, said Green. But teams can… The same thing happens when everyone wants to say: Ah, man, this guy just won’t come out. But no one wants to say that the organization can’t do it. At some point actors have to be respected in these situations, it’s ridiculous and it makes me sick. Have a good night. I’ll see you Tuesday or Wednesday.
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