Draymond Green has never been one to shy away from a fight, and he’s picking one again thanks to some comments he made on a recent episode of his podcast. Draymond was speaking on what he saw as an unjustified lack of respect coming from the older generation of NBA players toward his generation, and everyone seems to have something to say about this take.
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According to Draymond, the older generation demands respect, but they don’t give it. “These eras don’t respect us… I don’t think that respect is passed down to us from the other generations, but I think people are quick to say, ‘Oh, you gotta respect them because they came before. I don’t agree with that.'”
Marcus Morris is one of the closest things we have to a bridge between generations. He began his career in 2011 but was still in the NBA last year. Among current players, he’s thought of as an old head, while guys from the 90s would still see him as part of the newer generation.
Morris appeared on Get Up today to discuss Draymond’s comments, and though he said that Draymond could speak for himself and his team, the older generation does have a point about the conditions today’s players get to enjoy.
“I think when the older guys are speaking on that, they’re speaking about being present for 82 games, putting your body on the line, earning your money. A lot of these guys in the NBA [today] don’t, so I don’t fully agree with what Draymond said.”
Draymond was battling back against the notion that someone like his teammate Steph Curry couldn’t have thrived playing in the older era. Sticking up for his teammate is admirable, but Draymond has to recognize that the disrespect goes both ways and his generation regularly disrespects the older guys too.
LeBron James said last week on The Pat McAfee Show that Giannis Antetokounmpo would score 250 points if he played back in the day. You can argue the truth of that statement, but it feels pretty disrespectful. Lakers head coach JJ Redick, once said that Bob Cousy “was being guarded by plumbers and firemen,” which Lakers legend Jerry West shot back at.
Both generations need to recognize each others’ greatness. Today’s players are more athletic and skilled than those of yesteryear, but they also wouldn’t have the advantages in training and medicine if they existed decades ago. If old guys like Oscar Robertson or Larry Bird had load management and private planes, who knows how much longer their careers could have been?
Today’s NBA wouldn’t be possible without the older generation paving the way. LeBron and Giannis would have been hammered any time they drove to the basket, but does that mean they would have been any less great in an older era? No, they would have adjusted because that’s what superstar talents do.
Greatness transcends any era. It’s foolish to think that older players couldn’t have thrived under today’s conditions, or that today’s players wouldn’t have been able to succeed if they took a time machine to the past. To ignore either half of the argument is foolish and immature.
