As far as Draymond Green is concerned, his dust-up with Kevin Durant during Monday’s loss that caused days of speculation about the possible end of the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty is all but over.
Speaking to reporters for the first and, as he says, only time about the matter during morning shootaround in Houston on Thursday, Green tried to make it clear that he and Durant are all good and will move on without any issue.
“I will speak on this one time and one time only with what happened a few nights ago,” Green, who was suspended for a game for his actions, began. “Kevin and I spoke. We’re moving forward. I don’t think there’s no secret that I am an emotional player. I wear my emotions on my sleeve and I play with that same emotion. Sometimes they get the best of me and it doesn’t work to my favour. I will live with that because it works in my favour to the good as my résumé speaks and this team résumé speaks, more so than it doesn’t.
“So, I’m never gonna change who I am. I’m gonna approach the game the same way that I always do and, you know like I said, we’ll continue to move forward.”
It’s been widely speculated that a major reason behind the argument between Green and Durant hinged on Green venomously saying Durant’s just going to leave the Bay Area at the end of this season and that the two-time Finals MVP is dragging his free agency decision into the season.
In his statement with reporters Thursday, Green appeared to address that and, ominously, suggested that the end may be near for this current Warriors dynasty.
“I’ve read a lot about how ‘Is this the end of the run?’ or ‘Is it over?’ or ‘Did I ruin it?’ or ‘Did I force Kevin to leave?’ At the end of the day, as I’ve said before, whatever Kevin decides to do, whatever Klay [Thompson] decides to do, whatever who decides to do, we had great years together and I support everybody whole-heartedly, 100 per cent because as a man, as a human being, you’ve got the right to do what you want to do with your life. So I’ll never question that.”
Putting Green’s words into context, Durant can be a free agent at the end of this season should he opt out of the final year of his deal – which he’s expected to do. Meanwhile, Thompson is also set to become a free agent at the end of the season as well, meaning the Warriors could potentially lose both star players in one fell swoop come July 1, 2019.
However, even if that scenario should come to pass, according to Green, this tiff with Durant will do nothing but make the Warriors better.
“What you must know, is nobody in this organization, from a player – not myself, not Kevin, not anybody else – is gonna beat us. So, if you one of them other 29 teams in this league you’ve gotta beat us, we not gonna beat us. We gonna continue to do what we do.
“This only makes Kevin, myself and the rest of my teammates stronger. That’s what it’s gonna do. You think you saw something before, good luck with us now. We’re not gonna crumble off of an argument. We’re gonna move forward.”
The Warriors play the Rockets on national television Thursday night. It should be good proving ground of Green’s theory.
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