Draymond Green Doesn't Respect Kelly Olynyk, Calls Him A 'Dirty Player'
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Draymond Green habitually crosses the line on the floor, so one could consider him an aficionado on dirty play in the NBA.
The Warriors forward put that vast knowledge of clean vs. dirty to use on Monday morning during his "Dray Day" podcast (at the 11:30 mark), calling Boston's Kelly Olynyk "a dirty player."
Olynyk has been in the spotlight since his Game 3 altercation with Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre, who charged at Olynyk after being on the receiving end of a hard screen. Oubre knocked Olynyk down as the C's forward pleaded his case with the official, and was kicked out of the game and suspended for Sunday night's Game 4 because of his actions.
"He's dirty. Dirty player. I don't respect guys like that," Green said of Olynyk. "I know he's not like the greatest basketball player of all-time, so maybe you feel like you have to do that. It's just dirty. I don't respect that. He's dirty."
Green said there is a big difference from toeing the line and using veteran tricks to get an advantage and playing dirty. His co-host, Bay Area columnist Marcus Thompson, brought up the incident between Olynyk and Cleveland forward Kevin Love two years ago, when Olynyk yanked Love's shoulder and ended his postseason.
"Veteran tricks are grabbing an arm so a guy can't get there to block the shot, or passing the ball and cutting someone off so they can't contest. You're not doing anything to hurt anyone, but this dude is out there trying to hurt people," said Green. "It's a big difference between knowing all the tricks because knowing all the tricks ain't doing stuff to hurt people. Like, come on, he really yanked this dude's shoulder out of place. I don't roll with that man, dude dirty."
In addition to calling Olynyk "dirty," Green also accused him of flopping when Oubre charged at him. He added that it was "ridiculous" that Oubre was suspended for the incident.
Olynyk was suspended for a game for that 2015 incident with Love, which resulted in a dislocated shoulder for the Cleveland forward.
Green is no saint, and has had some problems keeping his feet to himself. He managed to avoid suspension during last year's Western Conference Finals after kicking Oklahoma City's Steven Adams in the groin (he was hit with a $25,000 fine), but he wasn't so lucky in the ensuing NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Green was suspended for Game 5 of that series after he took a few swipes at LeBron James after the two became tangled on the floor. The Cavaliers, who were in a 3-1 series hole, won Game 5 and ended up winning the series in seven games.
Green knows a thing or two about being a dirty player and toeing the line, so it should mean something when he throws out the "dirty player" label at Kelly Olynyk. But he may also want to brush up on the old idiom about people who live in glass houses.