SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors ahead Draymond Green has an idea as to how repair the tanking epidemic that has engulfed the NBA this season.
Over the course of a postgame dialog that began when Green was requested about his emotions on the Warriors’ upcoming Play-In sport look, the topic turned to the tanking downside that has engulfed the league for months. Green, one of the most outspoken participant voices in the NBA, was requested if he thought there was any resolution to the downside.
The 36-year-old considered the query for just a few moments after which answered.
“I think I get fined when I do wrong,” Green mentioned after a 110-105 win over the Sacramento Kings. “Just fine the hell out of people. We love taking money from players, keep fining the teams. I’ve seen two fines. And we all know everybody tanking. But you’ve seen two fines.”
Green was referring to the Utah Jazz’s $500,000 fine for “conduct detrimental to the league,” after they eliminated a number of of their finest gamers down the stretch of two video games in February. The league also fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy in a sport towards the Jazz on Feb. 3. Green believes the league ought to do a greater job of fining groups when tanking seems.
“If it was players (the league) would have snatched that money in a heartbeat,” Green continued. “Why isn’t it the same? Everybody love money. The punishment for players is always, let’s take the money. Well, now it becomes time to punish teams and all of a sudden nobody don’t know what to do. Why not? We know exactly what to do when somebody gets a technical foul. Or suspended for a game. We know exactly what to do.”
The topic of tanking has dominated the second half of the season, particularly as groups put together to make picks from a a lot lauded class of 2026 prospects. Green’s reply on the situation continued as he thought extra about his idea.
“All of a sudden we got team issues, we don’t know what to do,” Green mentioned. “What happened to the whole take the money stuff? Everybody else trying to reach a quota too. But when it comes to player discipline, we want to snatch the money as fast as we can. When it comes to team discipline and we see 12 teams tanking, we’ve seen two fines. If my math serves me correctly, that’s ten that ain’t been fined. Just some quick math. It could be wrong so don’t judge me if it’s wrong.
“But we don’t keep that same energy when it comes to teams, when it comes to officials, when it comes to everybody but players, we don’t keep that same energy. But this is a players’ league.”
Green’s feedback got here after he’d supplied a powerful opinion about the Play-In Tournament.
“I think it worked initially, and now to have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working,” Green mentioned. “So we could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th, it ain’t working. It worked for a little bit, but if you can be stuck in 10th and lose the last 15 games of your season, and you can be stuck in 10th, it ain’t working.”
The Warriors, who’re tenth in the Western Conference with a 37-42 document, have identified they’re headed to the Play-In for weeks. All of the groups behind them in the Western Conference standings are both unhealthy or have been tanking, and in some circumstances, each.
“I think the Play-In was made for teams to not tank,” Green mentioned. “I think that’s the part that everyone forgets. The Play-In came about to make teams like maybe through 12 or 13th keep going. They ain’t keep going. They kinda slowed down, and then they hit the brakes.”
To emphasize his level, Green recalled a sequence late in Tuesday’s win over the Kings.
“I saw a team tonight foul Seth Curry with three minutes to go in a game for no reason,” Green mentioned. “In the penalty. (The Play-In) ain’t working. But we’re gonna make the (postseason) so it works, I guess.”
Green and the Warriors have been resigned to their basketball destiny for a while, which Green acknowledged doesn’t excite him a lot given their continued appearances in the Play-In video games.
“It’s not exciting,” Green mentioned. “It’s not. But I’m a competitor, so going into the game I’m going to do all I can to win, but it’s not that exciting.”
After profitable 4 NBA championships throughout his profession, Green mentioned the idea of getting revved up for a Play-In sport simply doesn’t have the identical enchantment — even when profitable two would earn the Warriors one other entrance into the playoffs.
“You go on the road in a game that you need to win I think, as a competitor, you’re going to rise to the challenge,” Green mentioned. “But I’m not going to sleep (Wednesday) night like, man, we got this Play-In next week, I got to get my rest. Nah, it ain’t that exciting.”
