Where to now, Draymond?

Draymond Green is undoubtedly one of the more accomplished players in the NBA today. With 4 championship rings to his credit, he has proven that he has the skills and the cage IQ to hoop with the best of them. Through the years, he has been the defensive hub that has proven very instrumental to the Golden State Warriors’ domination in the past decade.

His recent transgressions however tell us that something is wrong. More and more people are saying that he may no longer be an asset to the team, but an unwanted distraction that will make this year’s campaign a long, difficult and painful disaster. He has played in only 15 of the Warriors’ 24 games so far. And he has already been ejected 3 times, for a cringe-worthy average of 1 ejection for every 5 games! His ejections came from: 1) acquiring 2 technicals in a game against the Cleveland Cavs; 2) putting a headlock on Rudy Gobert (5-game suspension); and the latest, 3) hitting Jussef Nurkic for a flagrant foul 2 (suspended indefinitely). He has been suspended 6 times in his entire 11-year career, but the alarming part here is that 2 of these suspensions have been served only in this young season, in rapid succession.

These recent misdeeds have not only tarnished the image of the team, they have seriously undermined the team’s chances for another run at the title. With Draymond in and out of the roster, the team rotation inside the court has gone awry, with its defensive flow totally out of sync.

What really is going on with Draymond? What is he doing to his legacy as a topnotch cager? What happens to the Warriors now, with Draymond serving an indefinite suspension? These are just some of the questions that need to be answered in this ongoing Draymond soap opera.

Draymond undoubtedly is intelligent, articulate and very charismatic. In fact, he is invited often to talk shows, and has legions of followers with his no-nonsense podcast. In his podcast, Draymond shows how good of a straight-shooter he is as a basketball analyst. His cage wisdom is highly valued, and many knowledgeable basketball fans turn to him for nuggets of wisdom in analyzing contemporary basketball.

Hence, it’s simply exasperating to watch the inexcusable acts he has been trying to sell lately. From the cheap shot at then-teammate Jordan Poole, to the Sabonis Stomp, to the Gobert stranglehold to the recent Nurkic swipe. Why does a guy with a proud legacy to protect want to tarnish that image?

One side of me – the one that rooted for the Warriors before – would like to believe he is simply doing his best for the team. That he just wants to provide a tough defense for the team, and that sometimes in tight defenses, accidents just happen. But the unbiased side of me says that most of these were not accidental in nature, that these breaches in on-court conduct were deliberate and dangerous.

But why does he do it? Why would he try to tarnish his Hall-of-Fame bound image with all this crap?

And the older player in me volunteers a ready answer. That’s how it is when players get older. As their speed and playing abilities start to wane, they have to rely on more ‘mature skills’ to stay competitive against younger, faster, stronger players. They use their hands and their feet more often to impede, to slow down, to deny movement of the younger legs. That’s just a natural reaction of players as they get older. Unfortunately, some of these acts could be risky and harmful.

But there’s the naughty me venturing a more sinister scenario. My naughty side tells me that Draymond could be trying to get himself traded. He doesn’t want to make it appear to loyal Golden State fans that he’s giving up on the team. He wants the team to give up on him.

Naughty me continues. Draymond knows that the Golden State’s ship is sinking. With Klay Thompson and Andre Wiggins no longer performing at their peak, chances for another title are next to impossible. Draymond wants to jump ship and latch on to another contending team – preferably the Lakers. Having developed a close relationship with Lebron James helps. Having the same agent, Klutch, makes it even easier. And with the trade deadline slowly approaching, Draymond wants to surface this option for the Warriors before a highly-publicized proposed Laker deal for Zach LaVine comes into fruition.

Draymond’s skills are what the Lakers need on the defense. His presence in the Lakers team will bolster the defense even as Lebron and/or AD take periodic rests for their bodies. He can be the 3rd star that can eventually bring the Lakers an 18th title, a feat that will finally break that tie with their east coast arch-rival, the Boston Celtics.

Draymond also knows that the Golden State Warriors will not and cannot afford to discipline him. He knows that the Warriors need him, more than he needs the Warriors. Hence, the Warriors continue to treat Draymond with kid gloves.

That said, this Draymond fiasco will be a difficult one for the Warriors. It will be bad optics if they were to peddle him around, having been a key player that brought them their best years. Hence, by being obnoxious, Draymond is helping that cause.

Aside from that, naughty me suggests that Draymond’s podcast has been raking in lucrative numbers as he gets involved in more controversies on the court. He doesn’t feel the lost money from the fines. Rather, he has discovered a new revenue stream via his podcast. Draymond then will not be cowed by the fines and penalties the NBA is handing him. For so long as his podcast – through his controversial activities – makes up for the losses.

Is Draymond still a boon, or is he now a bane for the Warriors? Coach Steve Kerr, in one of his interviews, highlighted Draymond’s loyalty to the Warriors. And he praised Draymond to high heavens for this. But when push comes to shove, will Draymond really be loyal to the Warriors? Or will he be loyal to himself first? Logical me thinks it’s the latter.

Cover photo courtesy of Boston.com. Other photos courtesy of: the New York Times, NBC Los Angeles, the Salt Lake Tribune, Sportskeeda, Larry Brown Sports, Bleacher Report, TMZ, SB Nation, USA Today, Fox News, Sports Illustrated.