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Draymond Green is a liability to his team. The 26-year-old power forward already has eight technical fouls and we haven’t gotten through January yet. From his leg flying up and hitting people to close-lining another player to stop a fast break, the player known as “The Enforcer” is on pace to cause serious bodily harm to another player with his on-court antics. He hasn’t learned anything from his Game 5 suspension in last year’s NBA Finals and despite his triple-double stat sheet stuffing performances, many are concerned this ticking time-bomb will explode at any minute.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith had some harsh words for Green following his latest run in (literally) with nemesis LeBron James after the former Michigan State Spartan close-lined James and then proceeded to mock him to the Warriors bench during the last meeting between the Warriors and the Cavaliers. “I’m very disgusted to be quite honest with you […] with Draymond Green. I like him a lot but I’m getting very disgusted […] it’s time that he wakes up and starts appreciating the seriousness of this kind of stuff.”
Fox Sports radio personality Colin Cowherd echoed Smith’s concerns about Green’s dangerous play, tweeting “@getnickwright has a message for @Money23Green about mocking Lebron: ‘Learn from your mistakes” referencing Green’s habit of mocking James on the court.
And sports blogger Anthony Slater tweeted “apparently Draymond Green not only got the flagrant, but also a technical (double T with Richard Jefferson) during scuffle. 8th of the season.”
While killing time on Twitter the other day I couldn’t help but notice the pattern of tweets concerning Green’s behavior, or should I say misbehavior on the court. I realized I wasn’t the only person who loved his aggressive play but could do without his outrageous tantrums and his inability to correct his behavior. At the current rate he’s accumulating technical and flagrant fouls this season, I would be surprised if his team doesn’t lose him for at least two games due to suspension. Whenever a teammate is absent from a game or causes this much drama it’s a distraction; Golden State needs to focus on winning a second championship, not issuing timeouts and stern warnings.
Hey Draymond, why waste time at home when you could be hitting the hardwood, not people?