According to Jay Williams, Draymond Green’s antics aren’t just ruining his own reputation. Williams thinks they’re hurting Steph Curry’s legacy too.
Green was ejected less than four minutes into the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Orlando Magic Wednesday night. And Curry appeared distraught after Green received his second technical foul for berating referee Ray Acosta after a foul was called on Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins. But according to Williams, “high-level” people want to see Curry do a better job of controlling Green.
Jay Williams says “high level” NBA people are questioning Steph Curry’s leadership.
“Draymond Green is diminishing the ultimate legacy of how people are looking at the leadership of Stephen Curry. That’s what’s happening right now.” pic.twitter.com/gw9EAS15Na
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 28, 2024
“I’m getting texts from people that I really value their decisions,” Williams said Thursday morning on ESPN’s First Take. “High level people. And what these texts are reading is, ‘Well, how about the leadership of Stephen Curry?’ That’s where these conversations are going.”
Molly Qerim asked for clarification on whether these “high level” people were calling Curry out to which Williams promptly said, “Yes…for him not controlling Draymond.”
Williams made it clear that he doesn’t believe Curry should be blamed for Green’s tendency to garner controversy, ejections, and suspensions. But with other people starting to fault Curry for not “controlling” Green, Williams surmised that it’s beginning to tarnish the two-time NBA MVP’s legacy.
“Draymond Green is diminishing the ultimate legacy of how people are looking at the leadership of Stephen Curry,” Williams said. “That’s what’s happening right now…I disagree with them, let me state that for the record. Because I know him, I know how things have been addressed internally multiple times. But what happens is, perception is reality for a lot of people.
“A lot of people aren’t familiar with things that are happening behind closed doors. So, there’s a tendency when you hear them talk about it, people just keep tiptoeing around it instead of calling Draymond Green out publicly…That’s what’s happening. Even if it is a smaller niche of people. These are high-level people now that are starting to look at it that way.”
After the Warriors won without their polarizing forward, Curry noted the team can’t afford those “self-inflicted wounds” from Green, which can certainly be perceived as a public call out. Maybe Curry should have pulled Green away from Acosta before the techs started being called, but Steve Kerr’s leadership should come into question then too.
When the Warriors were winning championships, Green’s polarity was more often perceived as passion that fuels the team than it was destructive behavior. That was even true as it caused him to miss Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Green’s behavior may be getting old, and might be damaging his own reputation and media prospects. But “high-level” NBA people blaming Curry seems like a reach. And if Green’s antics are diminishing Curry’s legacy, then Michael Jordan similarly deserves a red mark on his career for Dennis Rodman’s technical fouls.
