This week, we examine a changing Draymond Green legacy, one in-season tournament play the entire league should bookmark, a new(!) moment of genius from LeBron and ... oof, the Wizards.
Jump to Lowe's Things:
Draymond's legacy | The IST play to bookmark
The genius of LeBron | Jaquez is #HeatCulture
The Wizards D is bad | Hawks stuck in the mud
New Spurs court | Strawther, defensive playmaker?
1. Draymond Green and basketball mortality
It was the resignation that hit hardest -- that threw into stark relief what Green has lost, and the disarray these proud NBA champions find themselves in as they attempt to salvage a Golden State season that began with such promise.
When Green's flailing arm slammed Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in front of the Warriors' bench Tuesday night, there was almost no reaction from any of the coaches or players watching from feet away. There was no protest as referees reviewed the play, no disagreement when they announced Green's ejection. Green jogged off with a blank stare. The game went on.
The team struck the same tone afterward, with coach Steve Kerr giving a terse answer about the Warriors needing Green before switching topics to his benching of Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins late.
Golden State officials used to mount vigorous defenses of Green when the league fined or suspended him. They no longer have it in them. How could they?
They were angry at the league for suspending Green in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals, even though the inciting incident marked the culmination in a parade of scuffles and flagrant foul points.
The Warriors lost those Finals, but in defeat, the door to signing Kevin Durant creaked open. Two titles and three Finals appearances followed. The splintering between Durant and the team spilled into public view early in that third season, when Green screamed at Durant on the bench during a game against the Clippers. Durant left that offseason, although that choice went far beyond Green.
The pandemic and injuries to Thompson and Stephen Curry wiped away the next two seasons, but the Warriors roared back to a fourth championship in 2022; Green then dubbed the playoffs the "Warriors invitational."
Somehow, for Green, it always worked out.
That streak expired a year ago, when Green coldcocked Jordan Poole at practice -- the tape leaking to the public. Green lost standing in the organization that day. It is hard to get it back when he keeps removing himself from game play.