Draymond Green Slams NBA’s Double Standards over Players’ Treatment in Viral Video Rant
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Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green lambasted the NBA for not holding teams and players to the same standards in the wake of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ decision to sit Andre Drummond in the lead up the trade deadline.
The interview rant has since gone viral on social media, with two clips on Twitter together having been viewed over a million times.
On Monday, ESPN reported Drummond would be inactive for the foreseeable future as the Cavs look to trade the two-time All Star before the March 25 deadline. Cleveland is looking to make Jarett Allen its franchise center, but does not want to limit Drummond’s minutes as it makes the transition.
Speaking after the Warriors’ 129-98 win over the Cavs on Monday night, however, Green was scathing of Cleveland’s handling of the situation and of the NBA for allowing it to happen.
“I would like to talk about something that’s really bothering me,” he said in the post-game press conference, as he began a lengthy rant that spanned over two minutes.
“It’s the treatment of players in this league. To watch Andre Drummond before the game, sit on the sideline, and go back and then come out in street clothes because the team is going to trade him is b******t.”
Green then pointed out the different responses that met Cleveland’s decision and James Harden’s trade request in January highlighted the double standards in the NBA.
The latter was heavily criticized by fans, sections of the media and even some of his former teammates for the way he forced his way out of the Houston Rockets.
In November, Harden opted not to become the first player in NBA history to earn $50 million a year, turning down the Rockets’ offer to sign the maximum allowable extension that would have paid him $103 million over two years.
He subsequently held out of the beginning of training camp and made clear to the Rockets that he wanted to be traded and in January he publicly chastised the team for not being good enough following a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Green acknowledged Harden could have handled his exit from Houston differently, but questioned why the Cavs’ decision to sit a two-time All Star did not warrant a similar uproar.
“When James Harden asked for a trade and essentially dogged it. […] No one’s going to fight that he dogged his last days in Houston, but he was castrated for wanting to go to a different team,” he continued.
“Everybody destroyed that man. Yet a team can come out and say, ‘Oh we want to trade a guy,’ and then that guy has to go sit. And if he doesn’t stay professional, then he’s a cancer, and he’s not good in someone’s locker room, and he’s the issue.
“We’ve seen situations of Harrison Barnes getting pulled off the bench, DeMarcus Cousins finding out that he’s traded in an interview after the All-Star game. And we continue to let this happen. I got fined for stating my opinion of what I thought should happen with another player, but teams can come out and continue to say, ‘Oh, we’re trading you guys, so we’re not playing you.'”
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff acknowledged Drummond’s situation was a “difficult position” that was “not easy to navigate” but defended the franchise’s stance.
While Drummond hasn’t played for two games, Cleveland is yet to receive any concrete offer and Green, who finished with six points, eight rebounds and 16 assists on Monday night, called for the NBA to protect players.
“At some point, as players, we need to be treated with the same respect and the same rights as a team has,” the three-time NBA champion added.
“As a player, you’re the worst person in the world when you want a different situation. But a team can say they’re trading you and that man has to stay in shape, he has to stay professional and, if not, his career is on the line.
“At some point, this league has to protect the players from embarrassment like that. We talk all this stuff about you can’t do this, you can’t say that publicly, if you say that you’ll get fined.
“Anthony Davis got fined, I think, $100,000 for demanding a trade publicly. But you can say Andre Drummond is getting traded publicly and we’re looking to trade him publicly and he’s to stay professional?”
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