Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors has a way of finding himself at the center of things. Whether that be a skirmish, a post-game conference rant, or on his podcast.
He has a clip going viral at the moment about his stance on today’s physicality compared to the NBA in the 80s and 90s. This is a polarizing clip because it’s resonating with a lot of basketball fans. However the messenger is one that isn’t very liked.
On Tuesday, reporters asked the Golden State Warriors player about 1980s Celtics player Cedric Maxwell, who said Green would’ve “got knocked the #&$# out” back then if he played like he does today. Draymond Green did not pull any punches when giving his answer. No pun intended.
“Y’all were getting bullied”
Draymond has a message for those who glorify the physicality of basketball in the 1980s and ‘90s 😂 pic.twitter.com/BRxU5Z0SS9
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) June 7, 2022
“There were a few guys back then that would lay you out, that would knock you out, that would foul you and get thrown out the game,” Green said. “Bill Laimbeer. Rick Mahorn. But everybody running around acting like they were that.”
I am no fan of Draymond by any means but I think he has a pretty solid point here. A lot of the guys who chirp about the physicality, were not the perpetrators of that style of play. Also the fines of today’s game are night & day in comparison. For a player that is universally found to be annoying, I think this is a pretty redeeming light he put himself in. He should do more to be like Bobby Portis.
Draymond Green was at the center of multiple skirmishes in Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs the Boston Celtics. The montage showing him chirping at Jayson Tatum, falling on top of Jaylen Brown, and shoving Marcus Smart was classic Draymond Green behavior. Draymond is viewed as a “Bad Guy” in the NBA for this type of play. Regardless of this stigma he has a bad guy, I’ve never seen him throw a punch.
The comparisons he made were logical and rationale, unlike how his play could be described on the court at times. In summation, Draymond won a few cookie points with basketball fans for this warm take.
