Draymond Green’s agent, B.J. Armstrong, staunchly defended his client in an interview with USA Today Sports about backlash from Green’s “unnatural acts,” something stemming from Green kicking James Harden in the face in a Thursday game.
Draymond Green’s agent can’t recall the NBA making any rules that helped the game
“Since I’ve been a part of this league, I can’t recall when they’ve actually made rules that have actually helped to improve the game of basketball,” Draymond Green’s agent B.J. Armstrong said.
“The fact that everyone is trying to cover their positions or justifying why they did what they did, the (league’s perspective) was kind of disappointing from this viewpoint: Since I’ve been a part of this league, I can’t recall when they’ve actually made rules that have actually helped to improve the game of basketball,” Armstrong told USA Today’s Sam Amick.
Green was assessed a flagrant-one after striking Harden in the face in the Warriors’ double-overtime loss to Houston on Friday. Here’s the play.
Armstrong represents players through the Wasserman Media Group, but he previously played 11 seasons in the NBA and won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
The NBA has evolved dramatically from the days when the Bad Boys ruled the paint, hand checking was around freely, and teams focused entire offenses around big, bruising post players. Armstrong said he believes that Green’s play should have been a no-call.
“People flail, people do things, and their bodies respond in certain ways,” Armstrong told Amick. “When I played, I would never, ever try to run Reggie Miller off the line because I knew Reggie. If I ran at him, and I was trying to run him off the line, I was going to get kicked. I knew that, and people around the league knew that. And players always adjust.”
Green tweeted several photos of NBA players from the ’90s, clearly indicating how he’d prefer the game be played and officiated. He also tweeted this, seemingly implying he’s a “marked man” by the NBA now.
After the Warriors played the Suns on Saturday — a game where Green kicked again, though with less-severe results — Green said the rules are being made up by people who don’t understand players’ athleticism.
“A lot of these people that make these rules can’t touch the rim, yet they tell you how when you’re way up in the air which way your body (should go),” Green told reporters.
Kiki VanDeWeghe, executive vice president of basketball operations and a former player, made it clear the league isn’t targeting Green.
“Our rules are for every player,” VanDeWeghe told Amick. “We want each play judged according to the rules, as best possible, and the rules applied fairly across our whole league. That’s very important to us. We don’t make exceptions for players. They are applied to everybody.”
The “unnatural acts” rule was created this summer by the NBA’s competition committee, which includes VanDeWeghe, owners, coaches, and general managers, many of whom have NBA experience.
“There’s a lot of basketball in (that committee),” VanDeWeghe said.
Tom Ziller argues Green can either stop his behavior, or the NBA has to stop it for him.
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