Terrail Easley

In the wake of the latest melodrama within House Warriors, thoughts and concerns echo between the walls amongst Golden State civilians. What’s most valuable: passion and leadership or the elite performance of, say, arguably, the best player in our current world? In the famous words of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of these players was told to “know their role and shut their mouth” and it wasn’t towards Kevin Durant. 

It wouldn’t take the savviest Warriors fan to make that assumption. If having the loyalist in Draymond Green shushed and suspended left a bad taste in your mouth, it’s at least proof that the truth wasn't meant to be conveniently antiseptic. Tolerance is running thin. While KD will be great anywhere he decides, the same isn’t true for Draymond and his antics. 

Draymond’s suspension was an interesting one. Him quarreling with the refs, or getting suspended by the league isn’t abnormal. It coming from the Warriors’ front office for an emotional exchange of words was the telling part. There was no consequence when he assaulted Steve Kerr in the locker room after being criticized about his shot selection. As appreciated as Steve is being an outspoken member of society and NBA coach, apparently, he doesn’t have that type of affect. 

The only alternative that stands out is the unconcealed favoritism for Kevin Durant. When did NBA franchises start punishing players for emotional, non-physical, altercations? It wasn’t a thing during the unapologetic 90’s era, of course. Most crucially, it came after players became executives, which in a sense converted league executives into inmates to their free-will. I applaud the ability to take control of your own destiny as an athlete, while getting your ass kissed at the same time. For others, it can be a rude awakening to learn that you might not be as much of a priority as you thought.

It’s obvious that Draymond was seen as jeopardizing the future revenue and success of the Warriors franchise. That’s what got him into trouble above all. Never mind that number 23 is the bone back of the original team that sent the NBA world into a frenzy–deemed an undersized forward since his Michigan State days. He sat at home crossing his fingers for an opportunity before getting draft at the dismal end of the second round to become, by definition, a true Warrior.

Needless to say, it was an ill-advised decision for Dray to question KD’s commitment right before his contract is up after this season, especially after botching a clutch moment, going borderline J.R. Smith. That infamous play was merely when the emotions surfaced publicly, not where things might’ve started. After the incident, they'd suffer a losing streak, which is still uncharacteristic despite Steph Curry’s absence. Oh yeah, and after his 1-game suspension, Draymond suffers a mysterious toe injury? Something isn’t right behind the scenes. 

We’ve all had mixed feelings about acquiring KD, but for the most part was happy to have him. He’s quite unpredictable with the media and iterations. It’s hard to forget how he ghosted Westbrook and the Thunder to join a 73-9 Warriors team after almost beating them–up 3 to 1 in the Western Conference Finals. KD is also good friends with and during the off-season practices with the pioneer of this “super team“ era in Lebron James; however, just a few days ago was accused of “hating” on Lebron calling his circumference “toxic”. He doesn't sound like the most trustworthy of millionaire assets, right? 

What Draymond was wrong for, he was right on the money about. However, as Stephen A. Smith brought up, KD took less money to maintain the depth of the team, which allowed the Shaun Livingston’s and Iggy’s to live. Winning back-to-back championships fulfilled the meaning of that gesture.

In a frustrated and gentrified Bay, it would be an interesting poll to determine how much Draymond’s loyalty means versus the protection of KD. For the organization, having KD translates into filling the seats at the new Chase Center Arena in San Francisco and infinite marketing interest. My guess would be loyalty over money from the Town (Oakland) and the reverse from the City (San Francisco). 

Ultimately, I believe Kevin Durant will venture off to newer pastures. The Warriors will then be forced to prove that they never needed KD in the first place. That’s my prediction. Even with the short attention span that social media perpetuates, this saga will never fizzle out. It will continue to be an evolving Netflix series. Stay tuned for the season finale.