NBA Exec Raises Draymond Green Concerns on Warriors’ Title Chances

The Golden State Warriors‘ small-ball game has revolutionized the NBA thanks to winning four championships over the last decade without a star center.

But as their dynasty is on its last legs, the Warriors are hoping to give Stephen Curry and Draymond Green a shot at a fifth ring by swinging a trade for Jimmy Butler.

With Butler on board, the Warriors are making a remarkable run from 11th to a potential top-six finish that will grant them an automatic playoff berth.

However, an Eastern Conference executive isn’t entirely sold on the Warriors as a title contender. He raised troubling concerns about Green and the Golden State Warriors’ prospect of coming out from a stacked Western Conference in an interview with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps.

“There’s always time for small ball but their championship teams had positional size,” the Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “When they won [titles] they had Andrew Bogut, Kevon Looney, Klay [Thompson] and [Kevin] Durant. The ‘death lineup’ with the small ball only played a handful of minutes. I don’t know if this way they’re playing, so small, works. I’ll be impressed if they can run the table this way.

“To ask Draymond at his age to [play more at center] is a lot. I won’t be surprised if they go back to Looney more.”

The 35-year-old Green isn’t a fan of playing center. But he doesn’t have a choice.

“I knew it would come down to this,” Green said of playing center. “But I just didn’t have much interest in doing it for 82 games. Because it’s a lot. To anchor a defense. To play the five, you’re in every action. People downhill at you. It’s a different responsibility on the body. … But if you can’t do it for 29 games, it’s over, champ.”

Draymond Green Complains About Team’s ‘Lack of Grit’

Green shared his frustration after their costly 114-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday on Harrison Barnes’ three-pointer at the buzzer.

“[We] Couldn’t get a stop,” Green told reporters after the loss. “Couldn’t get into nothing good offensively. Couldn’t get a stop.”

Green failed to protect the rim in two of the Spurs’ final three possessions as forward Keldon Johnson scored against him, setting up Barnes’ heroics.

“We know what we’re supposed to do,” Green said. “We’re not children. We’re adults. Champions. We know what it takes. No need to beat a dead horse. We messed around with the game and we lost. That’s how it goes.”

Green blamed their overall lack of physical toughness which led to the slip-up against the Spurs.

“There was a lack of grit,” Green told reporters. “Sometimes it doesn’t take focus. Sometimes it takes grit.”

West Exec Fears Warriors

Fortunately for the Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 141-125 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday has pushed them back into the top six and regained control of their destiny.

All the Warriors need to do to clinch the sixth seed is to win their last two games — against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

The Warriors could potentially grab a higher seeding if the Clippers both lost their last two games.

If the Warriors reach the playoffs, a rival executive fears for his team and the rest of the Western Conference.

“I would not want to play them in any round,” the Western Conference executive told ESPN.