Draymond Green is the brash mouth of the Golden State Warriors, and he’s been especially loud in these playoffs. Whether it’s his rough treatment of officials or his candid (and so far fulfilled) predictions of victory, Green has made a case for himself as Golden State’s frontman (with Steph Curry as the lead guitarist with mystique).
Because of Green’s magnetic confidence (and because he’s really damn good at basketball), Kobe Bryant has taken a shine to Dray — and he recently told the San Francisco Chronicle why:
“Draymond is a rare breed in this day and age,” Bryant said. “He’s a competitor, and he’s not afraid to show he’s a competitor. He’s not afraid to address certain issues with teammates and with (opponents) that may seem uncomfortable. He’s a challenger.”
Yep, that checks out. Without playing or preparing for NBA games to distract him, Kobe’s apparently had some time to kill, and mentoring Green appears to be one of his hobbies. And wouldn’t you know it, Kobe told the Chron that he advised Green not to worry about being nice:
“[How to have] perspective of what people (outside the team) might say about you, in terms of having a bad reputation, or you’re a dirty player… You can be a nice guy (to the outside world), but if you lose a championship, you’re a loser.
[…]
“You have to have some guys on the team that are hitting those buttons every day in practice. You’re creating that tension, you’re creating competitive nastiness in practice. You have to have that in order to build up that internal fortitude.”
It sure sounds like Kobe is just telling Green to be more like Kobe with his teammates, and we hope Draymond doesn’t listen too closely, lest he risk altering what seems to be historically good chemistry in the Dubs’ locker room.
(Via SF Chronicle)
