The Warriors may be out of the NBA playoffs right now, but longtime basketball veteran Draymond Green isn’t giving up hope of future success. While he recognizes the glory days are gone, he’s not going to sit around and let others dismiss his remaining years in San Francisco.
So when ESPN’s Charles Barkley told Green to his face that the Dubs were done with winning, he felt compelled to respond with fire and fury. In fact, in a moment that went viral online, Green even threw shade at Chuck’s Rockets days as the ultimate example of what not to follow to end his career.
Charles Barkley: “It’s over for the Warriors. No disrespect. It ends for every old team. You had your run, you get old, you let Klay go. You and Steph are on the backside of y’all’s careers. It just passed you by. Y’all had one of the greatest runs ever. You think you’re gonna get healthier for next year? You’re just gonna get older. If you want to compete, you’ll have to leave there; if Steph wants to compete, he has to leave there. Sports are for young people. You hope to have a great, long career, but nobody wins when they’re 37-38. It always ends.”
Draymond Green: “I think the goal is just to not look like you in a Houston Rockets uniform. Did you see it? I saw it. But when you win championships, the goal will always be to reach that level. Can we get to that level? To your point, Jimmy’s gonna miss a lot of next year. Moses is gonna miss a lot of next year. That’s $74 million of the $160 million payroll. So it’s going to be tough, but make no mistake about it: the goal will always be to compete at a championship level. But as you get older, you have to redefine success.”
It’s no secret that the Warriors are in decline. It’s been four years since their last title win (2022), and they couldn’t even make the playoffs this year after a loss to the Suns in the play-in tournament. Now, with all of their stars on the wrong side of 30, the Warriors are a team of has-beens rather than the dominant force they used to be in their prime. It’s gotten to a point where not even Green or Kerr are safe, as rumors fly rampant about their potential departures.
For Green, however, it brings some consolation to know that he’s not alone with his decline. It’s something that every star experiences, including Barkley, who had a less-than-graceful ending. During his final two seasons in Houston, the 11x All-Star averaged just 15.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 47.8% shooting and 19.6% shooting from three. He played just 62 games combined.
It was a sharp decline for Barkley, and the perfect fuel for Green’s jokes. What Draymond might not realize, however, is that Barkley’s worst stretch is still better than anything he has put up in a single season. Of course, what ultimately sets Draymond apart from Barkley is his championship track record. With four titles to his name, Green has already experienced the height of basketball success, and it’s something he’ll never let anyone forget.
