Even from the outside looking in, this much is clear: The Warriors‘ decision to suspend Green was all about Kevin Durant’s impending free agency. Sure, the sight of two All-Stars bickering in front of 19,068 fans at the Staples Center and on live broadcast made for terrible optics, especially for the defending champions. And, sure, the subsequent loss and spillover of the dispute to the locker room compounded the situation and enabled the bad blood to fester. On the other hand, it was nothing they hadn’t already seen from two strong personalities. The only difference was the timing.
Indeed, the Warriors had to send all and sundry — and Durant most of all — the message that they have his back, and that they would do all they can to protect him, even at the expense of another vital cog. Considering that the tiff was borne of a botched play, a simple mea culpa from Green would have sufficed for everybody to move on. Instead, the latter dug in, and, when cornered by teammates after the setback, went so far as to throw verbal jabs that included the word “bit-h.”
As shocking as Green’s outbursts may have sounded to casual observers, however, they were not out of the ordinary for the Warriors. Living on the edge and taking every perceived slight personally are the very reasons he has thrived and exceeded himself on the court. Which was why his employers and teammates hitherto tolerated, and perhaps even encouraged, the perpetuation of his sources of motivation. Those around him realize that all the good comes with all the bad, and act accordingly.
Parenthetically, Green’s latest walk of the fine line could well have been excused as with all the others before it. That the Warriors acted the way they did speaks volumes of their intentions. Nine months from now, Durant will exercise his right to opt out of his contract and welcome the line of suitors on his doorstep, and, this early, they’re already telling him that they plan to be in front and at the top of his mind. And if there are casualties en route, so be it.
No doubt, Durant appreciates the effort. Meanwhile, Green sees the writing on the wall. He, too, will become a free agent some time in the future, and while the Warriors will presumably also want to retain him, they will be guided by his place in the pecking order. He has long known he’s not first; now, as he’s seething through a one-game ban that will cost him a cool six figures in salary, he has to come to terms with the fact that he’s far behind.
True, the season remains the Warriors’ to lose. They’re simply too stacked not to retain the Larry O’Brien Trophy when the battlesmoke clears, the infighting notwithstanding. Then again, they’re after much more than the 2018-19 title. They’re bent on going down as the best of the best of all time, and only with Durant in the fold can they meet their objective. That’s certainly what they’re signifying, and how. And he appreciates it. The question moving forward is how much Green doesn’t.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
