Draymond Green has never liked being compared to Rudy Gobert.
The fact that Gobert is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year to Draymond’s one DPOY still has to bug him. When the Warriors and Timberwolves played recently at Chase Center, the sparks were flying in the frontcourt between the two firebrands.
So, when Gobert was caught on camera punching his teammate Kyle Anderson during the regular season finale on Sunday, you know Draymond had to chime in. Draymond mocked Gobert’s “Insecurity is always loud” tweet from October, after Draymond punched Jordan Poole. Then he discussed Gobert’s punch on his latest episode of ‘The Draymond Green Show’ which was published Monday.
“Let’s get into that,” Draymond said, “As far as the tap on the chest goes – quite frankly there are just some words that, as men, you just don’t say to men. So when I saw the choice word – which was the ‘b*tch’ word, Kyle Anderson using toward Rudy Gobert – you do have to be ready with what comes with that. You’re not just allowed to disrespect guys and say what you wanna say.”
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Anderson called a Gobert a 'b*tch’ before the big fella took a swing in the team huddle.
Draymond said that Anderson just vocalized how a lot of people feel about Gobert, getting in another dig at the Minnesota forward.
“Kyle Anderson uttered some words to Rudy Gobert that a lot of people think,” Green said. “He said it. He said what a lot of people think. I personally think Rudy Gobert is a little on the softer side, myself."
But Draymond did say the punch changed his perspective on Gobert, who has been suspended for Tuesday’s play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers game as a result.
“He gained a little respect from me because he stood up for himself,” Green said. “I’ve never seen the guy stand up for himself. I didn’t really know he was capable of standing up for himself and he stood up for himself a bit.”
Green also hinted that he understands where Gobert is coming from. The Warriors season started off in a funk before a players’ only meeting in November helped bring the locker room back together, but the punch reverberated throughout the organization. Not to mention, Draymond's punch was delivered to Poole's head and Gobert punched Anderson in the chest.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t really work,” Green said. “Take it from me, I know how that goes. Is it the wrong decision morally? That’s for you to decide, it depends on what your morals are. But in a team setting, playing with a team, it’s the wrong decision.”
Related
