grouchy. angry. angry. smoke.
Choose a word, any word. Draymond Green was all of the above for long runs on Tuesday night at the Chase Center. Even on a night he found himself in two separate brawls with the New Orleans Pelicans, Green may have been more upset than when Steve Kerr didn’t challenge a charge he called with 4:48 left in the game and the Warriors up by seven points.
The call gave Green five fouls on the night, meaning someone else would take him out of the game. The Savior was someone who respected Green as much as anyone in the building, and someone who didn’t walk the Warriors’ side very often.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers walked him off the bench and made sure he got Green’s attention. When the GM started to speak, Green was shaking his head side to side. Within seconds, Green was in agreement, and now he was shaking his head up and down. He put Myers on, donned his warm jacket and strode his way into the warriors’ assembly—now applauding as a matter of encouragement.
“It was huge,” Green said of Myers’ letter. He came down, he was like, ‘Listen. Well, you’ve proven your point and you’re probably right, but if you stay that way, guys will follow you. If you turn around now and enter a mob, the guys will follow through.
“I got back together and challenged our guys and cemented the lead even further. You won’t always get to see Bob’s work, other than holding the team together. But he’s so important in everything we do. I can’t imagine — I know, I watch this league. No managers keep The game pulses on the team like Bob keeps the pulse on this team.Maybe a couple of GMs in the league would come down to the bench and say something, and that’s also someone I have the utmost respect for.
“If Bob comes up and tells me something, that’s bible to me. I’m going to listen. But that’s a relationship that’s been built over the last 11 years, and it’s a relationship that’s going to continue to grow over the next 40 years. For him to come down in that moment and say something to me, he has to To be respectful of that and it was huge.”
Less than a minute later, Green returned to the game without an error, with just under four minutes left in regulation. In roughly the next three minutes, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 10-2 before pulling a start with a minute left in their 120-109 victory.
Myers could do what most GMs do and keep his distance. He knows what makes Green tick and what makes him go. His voice was needed at that moment more than any coach or teammate.
How many other front desks have that kind of weight, that kind of impact? The total can be calculated on one hand. Truthfully, the answer may be the sum total of zero.
What has been revealed is why Green, Steve Kerr, and Steph Curry are on record, arguing their case for Myers’ importance—both in terms of what he meant to the dynasty and what it would mean in extending it to a handful of future Hall of Famers.
“It’s just another example of that,” Carey said. “Whether it’s in front of 19,000 and on the bench or whether it’s a phone call or a text or a conversation, whatever it is, there’s a lot of confidence in his perspective. You don’t see him coming off too often.
“So it’s not like it’s a recurring thing. It’s just the right time, and that’s something Draymond responds to because he trusts his point of view. I don’t know what he said in that moment, but it goes a long way whether he’s in the locker room, in practice, Off the field, out of the ring – whatever it is, we respond to what he says.”
During the night, Green had a game-high 26 plus/minus over 33 minutes in the Warriors’ 11-point victory. Scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, along with 13 assists, six rebounds and two steals. His late turn Sunday night in the Warriors’ ugly 99-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves played a key role in one of Golden State’s most frustrating meltdowns of the season.
Draymond took it upon himself to bring the fire and be the Warriors’ energy on Tuesday night, especially after such a disappointing loss two nights ago. The warriors walked out of the gates slowly and in need of a spark. The 33-year-old has been the match and flame for the defending champions, who fight every day to avoid the tournament and improve their play-off ranking.
Down 17 points in the first half, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 74-46 in the second half – a 28-point margin. Green played 17 minutes in the second half and attempted one shot. To expand on Green’s unique appeal, Plus was 26 in the last two quarters with two points, nine assists, three rebounds and countless examples of Warriors revival.
“Draymond wanted us to win tonight,” Kerr said. “His intensity, his frustration early on with the way we’ve been playing, angry at the world, yelling at everyone — bench, bench, me — and frankly we all deserve it. The first half was as poor as we’ve played all year. We weren’t involved and that’s what makes Draymond Distinguished.
“It’s not just about his incredible level of intelligence in basketball, defense and playmaking, but it’s just his sheer will. And he was the key tonight.”
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His sheer willpower behind his intensity and frustration was the glue that kept Green and the Warriors together. He thanks Myers for that. All without a contract that extends beyond this season.
After that away from the Warriors this season, Green has a player option worth $27.5 million in his contract for next season. Myers has nothing. He and owner Joe Lacob appear to be at odds over Myers’ current contract, which expires after this season. Draymond could test the waters, or sign on the dotted line for at least another year.
In his first NBA draft as a GM for the Warriors, Myers took a flyer on a decorated college star who was considered a tweener, then a strikeout in lieu of a plus, with the fifth pick of the second round. The rest is history, and everything he and the Warriors built could be history if Myers’ future with the franchise isn’t decided quickly.
A runaway win on Tuesday as the Warriors trailed by as much as 20 points could be the turning point in the season, or just another victory at a stadium they’ve dominated all season. Either way, it served as a prime example of Myers’ unparalleled influence on the Warriors.
The rest of the Warriors’ decision makers better hear loud and clear the meaning behind Steve and Draymond’s words. The weight their words carry is immeasurable, and the basketball world is watching.
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