In an elimination game of the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers called upon their veteran big man Tristan Thompson, who had t played a single regular season game. It was more of a morale-boosting introduction to the Lakers rotation, which indeed helped them stay in the game for long stretches.
Draymond Green recently talked about Thompson and how a veteran presence not just helps teams in winning, but keeps the youngsters in check. Unfortunately for him, the NBA community was not in the mood to let him off the hook for his infamous veteran behavior.
Before the Lakers got eliminated from the Conference Finals, Green, and the Warriors suffered their first loss against the LeBron James team in the Playoffs since 2016. Tristan Thompson was a massive part of the Cavalier’s side.
Thompson and Green went at each other often during the Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry. They even fought each other outside the court. Despite all that, however, Draymond used Tristan as an example of how the teams must not move on from veteran roles in teams. However, it did t quite pan out for him the way he was hoping it would.
Fan Mocks Draymond Green as He Addressed Tristan Thompson S Veteran Presence
In a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors forward addressed the growing issue of the lack of veterans in NBA teams and its repercussions.
That is actually a huge problem in the NBA. It s why we see a lot of things we see as far as off-court issues, Green hinted towards the Ja Moranttrouble that the Grizzlies are dealing with having a lack of veterans in their squad. Because there s no veterans showing these dudes how to move, showing them the way.
"It's why we see a lot of the things we see in terms of off-court issues: there's no veterans showing these guys the way"
—@Money23Green speaks on the "veteran problem" affecting today's NBA pic.twitter.com/a6de76TKQD
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) May 23, 2023
However, fans thought the 4x champ should t be the one to discuss this as he punched his own younger teammate (Jordan Poole).
He might have a point, but he s not the guy I wanna hear that from. The dude s a veteran who knocked out his teammate before the season even started and admitted that that ruined their championship hopes, the fan said.
"It's why we see a lot of the things we see in terms of off-court issues: there's no veterans showing these guys the way"
—@Money23Green speaks on the "veteran problem" affecting today's NBA pic.twitter.com/a6de76TKQD
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) May 23, 2023
Green, being the banter-lover he is, did not hold back and responded to the fan s tweet.
Unfortunately, there s nothing you can do to not hear me say it well you can choose not to listen, responded Green.
Unfortunately there’s nothing you can do to not hear me say it… well you can choose not to listen 🤷🏿♂️
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) May 23, 2023
Despite his controversy with Jordan Poole, it is hard to deny Green s words on veteran presence. At the end of the day, the average age of NBA players is lower than it has ever been before. With things coming into their hands so quickly, it is easy for these young, talented players to fly off the handle too easily. Just think about Ja Morant s gun situation.
If young teams like the Grizzlies had more of a veteran presence, a lot of controversy, and even people s careers could be saved. The only hope now is that franchises listen to these words and act accordingly.
Veterans like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and DeMarcus Cousins should be on a team
Irrespective of their ages, there is no way that over 400 players are better than Carmelo Anthony or Dwight Howard, who we saw play last season. DeMarcus Cousins might have become a bit slow but is still an ideal big man for the NBA. In fact, if he gets going, he can wreak havoc for even the best defenders in the NBA.
Melo had to retire because none of the 30 teams would have him and Howard has gone to Taiwan to continue his basketball journey. And of course, Isaiah Thomas has been talking about blackballing for a long-time.
Even when we forget what they have to offer on the court, they can be a big influence on the youngsters of the team on how to manage their behavior in their professional and personal lives. It s time to reassess every veteran who has been trying but doesn t have a job in the NBA.
