When Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green was ejected on March 27, it was his fourth in what has been a tumultuous season for him – he got the boot less than four minutes into the contest.
Green had twice been suspended this season, one of which was indefinite, for on-court conduct; during last season’s training camp, in which the Warriors were the defending champs, he punched then-teammate Jordan Poole in the face.
The most recent ejection even made Stephen Curry emotional; he was seen hiding his face in his jersey after his eyes became watery.
So, Green had longtime teammate Klay Thompson on his podcast and asked him to be “brutally honest” about how Thompson feels when he gets ejected or suspended.
Thompson took a few seconds to answer, but Green got what he wanted, and Thompson’s answer “took a lot out of” him.
“I always know your intentions are good. You’re one of the greatest winners in the history of basketball at every level. … So, when you’re not out there, it’s like a piece of us is gone …” Thompson said. “We can never be ourselves and have the freedom we do on the court without you. So, when you’re not out there, it’s kind of like a huge chink in the armor.”
“And I know the other team is very happy you’re not out there. I just know that for a fact. They relax for a little bit, they let their hair down, they pump their chest up a little more. Our muscle guy, our enforcer, the heartbeat of our team is not out there. …”
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“At the end of the day, we just need you. That disappointment and that feeling of just, like, shaking your head, it just comes from ‘Dang, we can’t do this without you.’ We love you, and we need you so badly. And these young guys need you, too, because Steph and I, we’re leaders, but we don’t talk the game like you do, we don’t inspire these young guys like you do.”
“Even when Kenny calls on you in film, there’s going to be [a] void there always if you’re not out there. We’re not the Warriors without Money Green, that’s just a fact. You can ask anybody in the Bay, around the world, who’s followed this team. We would not be the Dubs without you. That’s where that ‘Dang, not again,’ that’s where that comes from. It’s just like, man, it’s just hard to do it without you, bro.”
Green said he hurts the most for Curry and Thompson when he finds himself in on-court trouble and that he does “not take that brotherhood for granted at all.”
Curry’s leadership has apparently been called into question because of Green’s destructive on-court behavior.
The Warriors are 25-11 in their last 36 games, but their 19-24 start was enough of a hole to keep them in the play-in tournament. They are currently the 10th seed and would currently face the Los Angeles Lakers in a win-or-go-home situation.
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