In pro-basketball, rivalries and drama always add intrigue to a game, series, or championship. Some guys rise up and meet expectations, whereas others fall short, and flat on their faces. That was the basis of a new feud brewing between Draymond Green and retired legend Kenyon Martin, who called the Warriors icon a “fake tough guy.”
Advertisement
Martin claimed that Green does things in games that are dirty to people he knows won’t reciprocate. “Ain’t nobody hit Draymond in his sh** yet,” said the former No. 1 pick.
Green responded by calling Martin an underachiever, a guy who had very high expectations but fell short in every category. Now Kenyon is going after Dray’s old teammate, Nick Young. On the latest edition of Gil’s Arena, Martin and Rasad McCants were mocking Young for winning a ring with the 2018 Warriors. They bashed Young for barely playing a part in the team’s triumph. Green, however, came to his rescue.
According to the four-time NBA champ, Young was integral to the Dubs’ 2018 postseason run. Green went on a rant in his podcast about why Martin and McCants were wrong because they never understood what it actually takes to win a ring.
“I know you guys don’t understand what it means to win an NBA Championship, and because of that you guys attack Nick Young because you all don’t know what it takes,” started Green.
“To win an NBA championship, you have your guys who has to deliver on a roster. And for us at times that was me, Steph, and Klay. We had to deliver. We had to.”
“Your job as a role player throughout an NBA Championship run, it’s easier said than done, but the concept is simple. Your job is to swing one series. What I mean by that, you be the piece in one series that swings the series,” explained Green.
It’s a good breakdown, one that is right on the money. You never know who is going to step up in key moments. For the 96 Bulls it was Steve Kerr. For the 2000 Lakers it was Robert Horry. Green said that Young was vital to Golden State getting past the red-hot Houston Rockets in the Conference Finals thanks to his defense on James Harden in Games 6 and 7.
“He swung the series for us. Job done. When you talk about winning a championship, he swung the series. That’s his job as a role player.”
“So when you guys try to say his championship don’t matter, he just got a ring. No he didn’t. What he did was swing a series, but because you guys never won a championship, you don’t quite understand that concept.”
Green took another shot at Martin’s underachievements in his own NBA career. “It’s what the New Jersey Nets needed Kenyon Martin to do. They needed you to swing the series. But you couldn’t swing the series so you all lost. Y’all got smacked.”
Martin will probably not lose any sleep over Green’s insults. Green on the other hand has proven that he lets talk rile him up. Unfortunately, that means that some poor soul on the Warriors schedule may be on the receiving end of a classic Dray elbow.
And while Nick Young may not be remembered in the same light as Steph Curry or Klay Thompson, he is a champion. His contributions meant something, even if it was just to his teammate. That is the nature of winning.
