Rolando del Bosque | ESPN DigitalNov 22, 2023, 08:00 ETReading: 4 min.
Adrian Wojnarowski reveals how the NBA decided to suspend Draymond Green
Wojnarowski explains the process by which Green received a five-game suspension.
The expulsion of Draymond Green for subduing Rudy Gobert, and the criticism he received, reminded us of another NBA ‘villain’, Dennis Rodman. How similar are they?
Draymond Green’s reaction during the game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves caused a scandal in the NBA due to the violence with which the veteran forward acted and which generated a fine and a five-game suspension.
After many criticisms and comments against him, D-Green recalled another ‘villain’ of the NBA, the legend of the Chicago Bulls, Dennis Rodman, who during his active career in the league distinguished himself as a tough player, energetic and who fought for each ball as if it were the last, something similar to what Green does on the court every night, who, however, this time went a little overboard…
There are few personalities in the Association who have been lucky enough to be close to both, this is the case of the current Warriors cocah, Steve Kerr, who now coaches D-Green and shared the court with Rodman from 1995 to 1998 when both They were part of Michael Jordan’s Bulls roster.
Like Rodman, a Hall of Famer and winner of the NBA’s Best Defensive Award in his career, Green has been the heart of Golden State’s defense and has made the list of candidates for Defensive Player of the Year (2020- twenty-one); just some of the many facts by which they are usually compared.
“Rodman is the only guy I’ve seen who can dominate a game without scoring at all and Draymond is similar to Dennis defensively, in that he can control a game just by outsmarting everyone and defending the five,” Kerr said in the Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks program.
According to Kerr, the difference between Rodman and Green is that his player is better offensively than the Bulls’ player was.
“Draymond is much better than Rodman offensively, simply because he handles the ball a lot and is a good passer and runs the team for us, and his pick-and-roll game with Steph is unique,” he added.
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However, a point in which there is no degree of comparison if we talk about basketball and not about character on the court, is the rebounding ability of Dennis, who is the best rebounder in the history of the NBA with seven seasons in which he never he averaged less than 14.9 boards per game.
Sticking with the numbers, Rodman never dished out more than 3.1 assists per game during a full season, and only finished one season with a double-digit scoring average. Green also had a bad season, 2020-21, during which he only scored 7.0 points per game, when he shot 27% from 3-point range (the second-lowest mark of his career). However, Green also finished with a career-high 8.9 assists per game, which ranks fourth in the NBA.
Like Rodman and his collaboration to the Bulls’ championships, Draymond’s ability as an elite passer played a key role in Steph Curry winning the second scoring title of his career and finishing as a finalist for NBA MVP in the 2020-21.
Now, what is Rodman remembered for and what will Green be remembered for in the NBA?
Rodman, the basketball player, not the one in the news off the court, will be remembered as that tireless, relentless player, owner of an elite basketball IQ, who ran off the Delta Center court with his arms high, after having logged 39 minutes in the Bulls’ victory in Game 6 of the NBA Finals over the Utah Jazz, the last title of the ‘Jordan Era’.
Despite coming off the bench, Rodman, 37, was Karl Malone’s primary defender and led the playoffs in rebounding. At the time, Rodman was considered an outlier, because what other forward could have 20 rebounds and defend both point guards and centers? At that time, Rodman seemed ahead of his time, a great defender capable of changing any confrontation, a great player who could lead the counterattack; an intuitive passer and blocker.
In that sense, Rodman was a kind of Draymond Green before Draymond Green appeared, who, like Rodman, has a great ability to enrage his rivals.
2023-11-22 06:29:09
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