The outspoken star of the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green, commented on Monday night on the double standards he believes exist in treating players versus teams, particularly in the trading process.
LeBron James – arguably the most influential player in any team sport – was asked after Green’s comments Tuesday after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James knew his words carried weight and said he wanted to be “strategic” in how his words were conveyed, but he still had a decent piece to say.
“It’s the narrative of what the League always was,” James began.
“From a team perspective, they control the narrative. They control the narrative of how players should be, how they should behave, how they should treat their organization, and when things don’t go the way they want, they have an option to overcome that. ” Narrating that this person or person is a bad fit on the team or has cancer or whatever the case may be. You have always controlled this narrative. ”
James said the players aren’t necessarily looking for change, but they “want people to understand that there are two sides of the coin. It’s not just one-sided.”
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Green said in part of his almost three-minute monologue on Monday: “At some point we as players have to be treated with the same respect and rights that the team can have.
“Because you are the worst person in the world as a player when you want a different situation. But a team can say that it is you. And this man should stay in shape, he should stay professional. And if not, his career is over At some point this league has to protect the players from such embarrassment. “
James was very polite to Green and said of his longtime competitor’s argument for greater equality between players: “I’m right about him. That’s the way the country is, it’s always been. We want to be able to do it.” an opportunity to temporarily create and control our own destiny …
“How do we change that? It’s all about communication. It’s about being respectful, being a great teammate – because at the end of the day your teammates will speak for you. Organizations will try to throw you under the bus, and…” we have it.” Over time, many athletes (organizations) have tried to throw you under the bus. But in the long run, if you talk to a lot of former teammates, a lot of the guys who played the game will. When you talk to these guys, they’ll say, “Man, he’s a damn guy. We loved him in the locker room , he was great. ” I think you just talk to former teammates and they will tell you about him. “
Contributor: Matt Eppers
