Draymond strongly refutes concerns about his Warriors availability originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Members of the Warriors organization and Dub Nation should always be concerned about whether forward Draymond Green will be available during any NBA season.
After all, the four-time NBA champion served two separate suspensions and missed a total of 27 games last season.
Green, for what it’s worth, isn’t worried about everyone’s concern for him, as evidenced by the back-and-forth he had with The San Francisco Chronicle’s Scott Ostler during Warriors media day Monday at Chase Center.
Ostler: “You know people care about you, fans, maybe your teammates.”
Green: “Why do they care about me? I’m a successful black man in America doing incredibly well. What’s to care about me?”
Ostler: “They care about you.”
Green: “There are a lot more people in this world to worry about than me.”
Ostler: “We’re here now.”
Green: “We’re all here. I don’t think you should worry about me. I’m fine enough. If you’d told me when I was 13 years old in Saginaw, Michigan, without a pot to pee in, that’s what you’d be sitting here and somebody would say they’re worried about you, I’d probably tell them they’re crazy if I’m sitting here and they’re worried about me.”
Ostler: “Well, they care about themselves, too. They want to know — they know the team needs you.”
Green: “Why are they worried?”
Ostler: Because they know the team needs you.
Green: “They’re not feeding their families doing this. I’ve been here. I’ve been here for 13 years.”
Ostler: “You’ll be here every night?”
Green: “Been here almost every night for 13 years, a lot. We all have. Look, Kevon Looney played 82 games two years in a row and everybody celebrated. We all miss games.”
Ostler: “They want to know if you’re going to be here mentally.”
Green: “I’m always here. And? Suspensions — the suspension guideline is something that exists because it’s a possibility.”
Ostler: “Nothing changed by that?”
Green: “I don’t know what would change. I don’t get the question. I think my mindset has helped us do some great things. That’s pretty cool.
“It’s about how you spin it. I love how you try to spin it, but it’s not my spin on it, player. It’s good.”
The Warriors will need Green on the court as much as possible during the upcoming 2024-25 season as they look to return to the NBA playoffs.
With an aging roster and young players who haven’t quite established themselves, the Warriors will lean heavily on Green and two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry.
If Green can’t stay on the court, the Warriors might have a big reason to worry.
