Draymond Green currently leads the NBA with 11 technical fouls, and the do-it-all Golden State Warriors star recently offered up some insight into his frequent battles with the league's referees.
In an interview with The Athletic, Green said that the dynamic between players and officials has grown caustic and problematic.
"It's ruining the game. … It should be one of, if not the main priority, to be solved. It definitely should,” said the two-time NBA champion. “They can get a new crop [of referees], a whole new crop...Too many personal things going on. Too much me against you. It just don't work that way.”
Later in the interview, Green succinctly summed up what he feels is the issue.
"A lot of it is personal," he said.
Green is currently averaging 10.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists for the 32-8, Western Conference leading Warriors, but the team has had plenty of on-court issues with refs. Green's teammate Kevin Durant is currently tied for second in the NBA with eight techs, and the pair have been ejected five times collectively this season. Teammate Shaun Livingston got into an altercation with referee Courtney Kirkland in December 2017 where both parties were suspended.
Even Green's mom used social media to rail against referees following Game 4 of the 2017 finals.
These OFFICIALS HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY PAID! #💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩
The two-time All-Star tied for fourth in techs during the 2016-17 season and third in 2015-16. He was recently tossed from a game agains the Memphis Grizzlies on December 30.
The Draymond ejection via @NBCSWarriors -- a wave, a heave and a quiet walk-off pic.twitter.com/t7x5MBHp2N
In the same article, Durant offered a more measured take on the strained player-ref dynamic.
“I feel like, if I was a ref, and if all year constantly, every game, all game, players from both sides were talking to me, trying to tell me how to do my job, I would feel a certain type of way coming into games, sometimes," he said. “But as players, we just want a nice dialogue. We want to be able to talk it out out there."
Green's Warriors are looking for their third title in four years, and it'll be fascinating to see if the player's bold comments have an impact on officiating down the road.
