Ex-Warrior Says Draymond Green, Klay Thompson “Got Into it a Lot” During Practices

To put it simply, 2016 for Draymond Green has been one interesting year. He’s hit the groin area of more than one player, he was involved in some legal issues back in his home state of Michigan and he sent less than favorable snapchats for the world to see. And the 2016-17 NBA season hasn’t even started yet.

But before we look towards what Draymond might be doing this season, you have to look back to Green’s past. In particular, some incidents that might not have received as much fanfare as his other transgressions.

We all know Draymond Green is the heart and soul of the Dubs. He’s voiced his displeasure with people being upset with how he acts and also how they treat his new teammate Kevin Durant. He’s quite possibly the best power forward in the NBA and also tops the list of most versatile big men in the league. He defends just about every position, can step out and knock down a three on occasion and his passing is without a doubt way better than others at his position. But there’s also another side of Draymond you might not see. That of a possible headache.

Here are some notable excerpts from an overall interesting piece by Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN noting the history Green has within the Warriors organization and how the Warriors handle his bad situations.

“Draymond f—ed up practice and s—,” then-Warriors center Marreese Speights says. “Draymond’s a good guy, but I think at the end of the day, it hurt the whole chemistry of the year.” One player, in particular, he says, took much of the heat: “Draymond and Klay got into it a lot.” (Thompson declined to comment for this story.)

A code of conduct exists within the NBA. Some yelling is expected, but vets do not accept frequent Bobby Knight — style haranguings from younger players. Or, as Speights puts it, “Guys don’t respect you if you yell at them in front of all these fans. We’re not trying to lose the game. F — .”

And so it was that an hour before a win over the Lakers on Nov. 24, almost two months prior to his return to the sideline, Kerr visited with the team to deliver a speech on his four core values: joy, mindfulness, competition, and compassion. According to team sources, the emphasis on compassion was meant as a message to Green.

Privately, according to sources close to the team, Green’s teammates respond by voting to fine him. (When asked a week later about the fine, a livid Green would insist, “I asked to be fined. You can report that!”) Green also does not take kindly to the coverage of his outburst, which leads to the Warriors brokering a sit-down between him and Salters. Salters recalls telling him, “What kind of bothered me about it was hearing the pain that was in your voice — you weren’t just mad, you were in pain, emotional pain.”

Insofar as there can be unanimity regarding the unknown, the Warriors believe this: The 2016 title would have been theirs if not for Green’s Game 5 suspension, the penalty he earned in the waning moments of Game 4 by swiping at LeBron’s genitals after James guided his undercarriage over the back of Green’s skull. Few things capture the beautiful absurdity of sports quite like this moment deciding a championship, a moment Speights frames as, “If somebody put they balls on your head, what are you supposed to do?”

It turned out that Green, who’s struggled with his weight since his days at Michigan State, had developed a theory: By riding the bikes in the sauna, he could more efficiently shed pounds. In the short term, biking in a sauna will do that, but much of what is lost is water weight and is soon gained back. Golden State trainers were aware that Green’s regimen was, at best, scientifically dubious. Also, the bikes were getting ruined. Says a former Golden State trainer: “He would come in and say, ‘The screen’s not working on the bike.’ And I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I wonder why.'”

Marreese Speights took to twitter to shoot down some of the items reported in the story.

Overall, this look-back at the Warriors and Draymond Green relationship is very enthralling and definitely worth an more in-depth read through. Strauss takes the reader on a ride through the mind and psyche of not only Green but those who support him, even through a number of public issues.

Strauss’ main point resonates the most throughout. With Green, the Warriors just take the good with the bad. But how much longer can they? And furthermore, say Green continues to be a headache. Could he be replaced by Durant as the small ball big man in the Warriors offense? Stephen Curry needs to get paid this upcoming summer and if the Warriors run into a future pickle seeing them have a lack of cash, it might be Green that could see his way out of town.

Some extreme things might have to happen for Draymond to see himself on another roster but if one thing remains true, teams are looking at this Warriors situation even more carefully now.