Are Draymond Green’s antics a source of concern?

Draymond Green has been involved in a lot of controversy recently. Are his antics a source of concern?

Draymond Green has been in the news a lot this summer.

Unfortunately, it’s not for celebrating a title in Las Vegas too hard or showing up under the influence at a championship parade. He’s been on TMZ more than NBA TV. It’s been a rough one thus far.

He’s found himself caught in the middle of several incidents (take a look at all of them here) that have brought a lot of unwanted attention. His actions have definitely raised some eyebrows especially in the Bay Area.

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Should the Warriors be concerned with Green’s recent behavior?

Of course they should. Green is an employee and an investment so obviously the Warriors would prefer that he stays out of the news unless it’s basketball related. No team is pleased with one of their star players getting arrested.

But is there a bigger problem? Should the Warriors be concerned about the long-term?

No.

There is no bigger problem here. Green’s arrest was nothing. It was a minor incident that was only blown out of proportion because he is an NBA All-Star. It was an incident caused and kept alive by a college kid who tried to be the aggressor and, when he was challenged, claimed to be a victim.

Should he know better? Yeah, probably. But still, it wasn’t a real issue.

And Snapchat-gate? Even less of a problem.

Lowell Cohn of the Press Democrat wrote a column in which he argued that Green is “out of control.” He says that the Warriors need to reign him in. That accidentally sending a picture to millions instead of one combined with several isolated incidents point to a larger issue.

I understand the logic–that several small things add up to a big thing and coincidences can become patterns–but I don’t believe it applies here. This isn’t about Cohn’s weird analysis, humor, and circumnavigation of the word “penis.” This is about Green and his social media carelessness.

Here’s my not-so-hot-take: Draymond Green inadvertently posting a picture on his Snapchat story instead of sending it to someone can not possibly be a real problem.

I’m going to assume those that actually think that it is have never used Snapchat. And that they don’t understand that the difference between sending an intimate picture to one individual and having to write an apology for the world is really a game of inches (no pun intended).

There is no bigger issue here. Draymond Green isn’t any less of a leader, a basketball player, or a person.

Sending someone a picture of your privates isn’t a big deal. Most likely, every other guy on that Team USA plane has done it. Green, unfortunately, pressed the wrong button.

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He’s not out of control. His passionate play in the playoffs resulted in a few flagrant fouls. Did he make some poor decisions, like pulling down Michael Beasley at the end of a game? Absolutely. But his incident with LeBron James and subsequent suspension was mishandled by the NBA.

He’s still one of the best players in the league and he’s the Warriors’ leader. He’s their fire. He’s their heartbeat. The fact that he got caught trying to send a picture of his private parts and he defended himself against someone that tried to antagonize him doesn’t change that.

Draymond Green is going to continue to be who he is and that’s what’s best for his career and for the Warriors’ success.