Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green’s propensity for in-game altercations and provocative jeering has earned him a reputation. Green believes that that reputation is altering the way that his game is officiated, and he’s fed up with the way games are being called. He spoke out against the relationship between referees and players, he tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
Draymond Green told The Athletic that the situation has become toxic and it’s something the league must address immediately.
“It’s bad,” Green told The Athletic. “It’s horrible. It’s really bad. I don’t know why it is. But I think it’s ridiculous. It’s ruining the game. … It should be one of, if not the main priority, to be solved. It definitely should.”
Green has grown so frustrated with the situation that, when asked for a possible solution, he threw out a radical idea.
“They can get a new crop (of referees), a whole new crop,” Green said. “Too many personal things going on. Too much me against you. It just don’t work that way.”
…
“I look at a lot of stuff and just shake my head,” Green said. “But I’m unfazed by it. Because at this point, it is what it is. They’re going to do what they do.”
Green told Slater that he believes “a lot of it is personal,” suggesting that he feels officials make calls based on his reputation more than his plays on the court.
“When you give someone so much authority and they make it me against you, you can’t overcome that,” Green told Slater.
(UPDATE 1/8/18)
The NBA has fined Green $25,000 for his public criticism of the officiating.
NBA has fined #Warriors forward Draymond Green $25,000 for public criticism of the officiating. pic.twitter.com/wZefwE5xwv
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) January 8, 2018