Warriors' Draymond Green Says Some NBA Teams Have 'Some Idiots'
Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green said Friday the Dubs are fortunate not to have any idiots on their roster heading into the 2019-20 NBA season.
Wes Goldberg of the Mercury News provided the first training-camp comments from Green, who explained not all teams are so lucky.
"You can teach some things about basketball, but you can't really teach IQ," he said. "This seems to be a pretty smart team. There's not really any idiots. You know, some teams, you got some idiots."
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Those smarts will come in handy as Green and fellow Warriors cornerstone Stephen Curry get the team's new-look roster up to speed. Kevin Durant left in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets, and Klay Thompson could miss the entire season because of a torn ACL suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals.
"You're used to a certain thing for so long, and then it's not that. It's different. The normal reads you'd make that are kind of second nature, you got to make sure they're there. It's a lot more making sure everybody is on the same page," Green said. "Everybody isn't on the same page; it's just to be expected. So just getting everybody there. That's the difference."
D'Angelo Russell, who Golden State acquired as part of a sign-and-trade swap involving Durant, headlines the group of new Dubs.
A return to form by Green, who posted a five-year low in player efficiency rating (12.9) last season, may be the biggest factor in the team remaining a championship contender, though.
The NBA doesn't feature a clear favorite like the Warriors were in recent years, but they continue to reside in the more formidable Western Conference, which is led by LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers and Kawhi Leonard's Los Angeles Clippers.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Golden State with the third-best odds in the West at +400. They trail only the Lakers (+185) and Clippers (+225) while landing slightly above the Houston Rockets (+450).
The Warriors, apparently sans "idiots," will kick off the preseason Saturday night against the Lakers.
