Draymond Green Wasted No Time And Went In On A Reporter For Suggesting People "Worry About Him"
Ezra Shaw. Getty Images.All around the NBA with 28 teams holding their Media Days, the vibes are supposed to be high. It's a time for low stress, heavy doses of pandering, and an endless supply of hope. For the most part, that's what today was. You heard about how everyone is in the best shape of their lives, the goal of the season is a championship (unless you're Jakob Poeltl, he said the quiet part out loud) so on and so forth.
Then of course there's what took place at the Warriors Media Day. If you had to guess who might be the one guy to kill the vibes on such a positive day, we all have the same answer, right? So it wasn't exactly a stretch that Draymond Green got super defensive and a bit aggressive with a reporter during his media session
OK, first things first. That reporter clearly botched his question given what we all know he truly meant. I'll never throw shade at someone who maybe fucks up their question at that moment because it has to be nerve-wracking. As someone who has never asked a press conference question, I'm not going to throw stones at that guy. The question as he worded it sounded pretty outrageous, but it's pretty clear what he was getting at.
Everyone is maybe a little worried that Draymond is once again going to do something stupid either on the court or in practice that could potentially jeopardize another Warriors season.
Given what has happened these last few years, I don't think that's a crazy question. There is no denying that Draymond's actions, whether it was punching a teammate or choking out an opponent played a major role in each of the last two Warriors' seasons. He's too important to what they do on both ends of the floor to where any type of suspension isn't a big deal for GS. He's the straw that stirs the drink, and now with Klay gone, he's even more important.
Based on how Draymond reacted and then went after that reporter, you know deep down he knew that's what he meant as well. But instead of owning it and just saying some boilerplate response, he got super defensive. Everyone knows that when you get that defensive it's because you not only know what that reporter really meant, but you also know it's true and a valid concern. It'd be one thing if this was totally out of the blue and we had no reason to think this was an issue for Draymond, but….ya know
When you have as many incidents as Draymond does, and you've been suspended the amount of times Draymond has, I don't think it's crazy to ask him about this sort of stuff heading into this season as the Warriors try and play their way back into contention. The execution of the question was a disaster, but the overall angle of it? I feel like that's a pretty normal thing to ask Draymond. Remember, he was the one who told us he was going to therapy and was a changed man. It's not like this was a "gotcha" type of question, the reporter just fumbled what he was trying to ask.
Had Draymond simply gone with something like
"You know as one of the leaders of this team I've learned from my mistakes and I'm working every day to be a better teammate and be there for my team every night"
this is a nonstory. But that would also require Draymond to take ownership of his actions and admit he fucked up on multiple occasions. Instead, getting all defensive and responding the way he did only adds fuel to the fire and kills the positive vibes on what should be a day of celebration. That was an opportunity to take that question and spin it as a positive while giving fans something to grasp onto. Meanwhile, it doesn't look like anything has changed.
Yes, it's true that Draymond's mentality is a big factor in why the Warriors won their titles. That's pretty indisputable. It's also true that his mentality and behavior have ruined multiple Warriors seasons. Both things can be true! But pretending as if there's never been an issue or there aren't any reasons for fans or teammates to maybe be worried about his availability this season is a bit bizarre.