Stephen A. Smith, Jay Williams and Michael Wilbon all gave their thoughts on Draymond Green’s comments after last night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.
The 35-year-old’s emotional comments came in the aftermath of Green getting a technical foul for elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid and being heckled by a fan who made racially charged remarks.
“Is Draymond Green an angry Black man? No, I don’t think so,” Williams told Smith and Brian Windhorst on ESPN’s “First Take.” “But does he have anger issues on the court? Yes, he does.”
For Smith, a longtime NBA analyst and reporter who knows Green very well, it’s a matter of how referees and fans view the Warriors forward as a player, since they don’t know him off the court.
“At the end of the day, what people know is what they see, which comes back to what Jay is pointing out. It’s what they see,” Smith said. “They don’t know Draymond Green off the court. They don’t know how philanthropic he is. They don’t know what a great family man he is. All they know is the player they see on the court.
“And when you know that’s all that they know, but you don’t guard against showing that, then you’re not going to garner the level of empathy or understanding that you might like.”
While Green has become one of the best defensive players in NBA history, his style of play has gotten him in hot water with the league on many occasions. From flagrant to technical fouls and long suspensions for physically striking players, Green has developed a reputation, fair or not, and while he has done a lot to work on controlling his emotions, he still is responsible for his actions on the court.
“Draymond Green has 37 technical fouls in the postseason since entering the league in 2012-2013,” Smith said. “That is 15 more than any other player. Why do I bring that up? Because the same Draymond that Wilbon, myself, you Windy [would] all defend and say, ‘He’s a good man, he’s a really good dude, he’s very smart, he’s family-oriented, at this core he is as decent as they come.’ It’s hard not to have love for Draymond if you know him a little bit.
“But there does come a point in time where you’re saying to yourself, ‘There is some culpability here, alright?’ ”
Still, the heckling by Minnesota fans undoubtedly contributed to Green’s comments, with one fan getting ejected from the arena. The Timberwolves organization is investigating the incident, and potential discipline for the fan could be forthcoming. For Wilbon, the heckling played a big part in Green’s reaction, one that resonates with the longtime ESPN host and commentator.
“Those comments resonate more with some people than others,” Wilbon said. “It resonates with me. Unlike Draymond, I usually wake up as an angry black man most days, not all of them. And if I had been there last night, I might have been [in the tunnel to talk to him]. I’ve talked to Draymond a lot recently. To me, that’s a trigger. Somebody or something triggered him.”
Green is at his best when playing ferocious defense that is within the NBA rules. He’s at his worst when he makes needless contact with opposing players. The 35-year-old will have to keep his emotions in check in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals if the Warriors are to get back in the series.
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