Draymond Green has become the hateful media that once attacked the Warriors

The hypocrisy is stark, Draymond
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors | David Berding/GettyImages

When you talk as much as Draymond Green does, you're going to say things that get others riled up. Yet what Green did last season was cross the line and become the very hater that once attacked the Golden State Warriors.

Netflix is back with Season 2 of their hit NBA documentary Starting 5, which follows five NBA stars through an entire season. This edition spent time with Kevin Durant, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Haliburton and last year's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the young Oklahoma City Thunder were among the favorites to win the title last season, and they followed up the hype by winning a league-best 68 games and ultimately the championship. Not since the 2015 Warriors has a team broken onto the stage and looked set up for years of dominating.

That 2015 team was doubted along the way, of course. "Jump shooting teams don't win titles" many former players said. Stephen Curry was too soft, too nice, too light-skinned to win a title. You can't claim a ring with a point guard as your best player. The Warriors were too small. On and on and on.

The commentary was spiteful and out of touch at the time. There has never been just one way to win a title. The Triangle domination of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers gave way to the flowing offenses and dominant defenses of the San Antonio Spurs. LeBron James and the Miami Heat spaced the floor and played hyper-aggressive defense. The Boston Celtics won with star power; the Detroit Pistons won with parity.

The Warriors proved everyone wrong by winning in 2015, then proceeded to make five-straight NBA Finals and ultimately winning four titles in eight years. Curry is viewed as one of the 12-greatest players in NBA history at worst. Draymond defined a generation of defenders. And everyone who said they couldn't win looked mighty foolish.

Draymond Green became just another hater

Perhaps Green of all people should have known not to force his brand of winning onto other teams, but he couldn't help himself. For all that Draymond has tried to invent himself as "new media" by building a media presence while still playing, he tends to sound just like the rest of the former players talking about the game of basketball, and he never sounds more out of touch than when critiquing the new generation of NBA stars.

In the Starting 5 documentary, Green is quoted off of his podcast that the Thunder are not a serious championship contender -- this coming early last season, before they ripped off their dominant season. He said that the Thunder's "bromance" shows that they don't understand the moment. He tries to apply a backhanded compliment, that their talent level means they are ready to win now, but does so by adding a barrier for them to clear. Not only do they need to win, but they need to do so his way -- with an edge, with a bite, without outward displays of affection for one another.

Draymond would rather be feared than loved. He would rather be cursed than embraced. He usually directs that to his opponents, but occasionally he unleashes it on his teammates. Just ask Kevin Durant or Jordan Poole how that feels. His edge has allowed him to overcome his disadvantages and become an all-time defender and four-time champion.

It's also not the only way to win at basketball. The Thunder forged a bond not dissimilar to that between Green, Curry and Klay Thompson, but then they invited the entire roster into the community. They praised one another after games, played jokes and pranked sideline reporters. They had fun, and in the process they won a title. When the ball was tipped they locked in and had the edge necessary to win.

Draymond wanted the Thunder to match his vision of winning basketball. They didn't, and that was ok. And it made him look archaic on the Netflix screen. Draymond's playing career is waning, and his media career is ascending. It's probably time he finds a way to open his horizons before that passes him by as well.

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