Former long-time member of the Miami Heat Udonis Haslem gave his thoughts on Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and his recent actions this season that has led to his indefinite suspension. Haslem said on his new podcast “The OGs” with Mike Miller that he is “out of pocket” according to the Action Network.
“Draymond, man, you're out of pocket,” Haslem said. “You're out of pocket. I f*** with Draymond, man. There's only so many warriors in this league, guys that are going to take that tech, going to take that foul, and protect their teammates. But we don't start that s***. We don't start it. We ain't bullies. We don't look for it. We don't initiate it. We are guys that prevent it. We are guys that protect our teammates. So, man, I got a lot of respect for Draymond man. But right now, Draymond tripping.”
Haslem was also known for being a tough, physical player on Miami for 20 seasons like Green has been, which has led the two to multiple championships on their respective teams. He cites the incidents where Green put Minnesota Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and the most recent moment of hitting Phoenix Suns' Jusuf Nurkic as him targeting those players.
“People think he's crazy. I think he's smart. Because he knows who he's [messing] with,” Haslem said. “He choked out Gobert, he hit Nurkic. He's [messing with] people who really aren't going to do nothing back.”
Haslem talks about being in Green's position
Haslem retired after the Heat's NBA Finals appearance last season, but won't be away from the organization as he obtained a role in the front office as Vice President of Basketball Development. According to the Heat his responsibilities include “being a resource to the coaching staff, mentoring both HEAT and [Sioux Falls] Skyforce players as well as representing the organization in the community and in business endeavors.”
On the discussion of the controversial Warriors player, he also discusses last season's antics where he punched his own teammate in Jordan Poole, who is now on the Washington Wizards. Putting himself in his shoes, he said he couldn't imagine doing that to a young player like the Heat's Tyler Herro who Haslem got to be with it since his rookie season.
“Jordan Poole? Come on, man, a young fella. At the end of the day, we're here to guide these young fellas in the right direction. They're going to make mistakes, they're going to say crazy s***, but they're young. Can you imagine me swinging on (Tyler) Herro? I'd take a long walk off a short pier. I'd never forgive myself if I swung on Herro.”
Haslem feels players feed off Green's energy
Haslem wasn't always critiquing Green in his podcast as he even acknowledges that his presence and mentality has led to the aforementioned success with the Warriors. He mentioned that other players “feed of” Green's energy.
“So right now Draymond picking and choosing who he [messing] with, and he tripping and he know he out of pocket. Hopefully, he'll tighten that s*** up. And I hear a lot of people talking about accountability, man. And I think it's a double-edged sword because when you got a guy like Draymond, you got to let him run. You got to let him be himself. You feed off that energy, you feed off that competitive nature, so guys like that can fuel you. You know what I'm saying? They can infuse your locker room, but then you got to reel his ass in and slow him down a little bit.”
Beause of the string of incidents involving Green, he is currently on an indefinite suspension, but is also going through counseling that could take three weeks according to Shams Charania. The Warriors are currently 12-14 which puts them at eleventh in the Western Conference before a matchup with the Boston Celtics Tuesday night.
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