Former Warriors GM Bob Myers explains how to deal with Draymond Green

Even if it doesn’t always reflect on the stat sheet, the Golden State Warriors need Draymond Green on the court. His impact goes beyond measure, and — contrary to what his haters argue — he’s one of the most intelligent players in NBA history.

That’s why the front office and the coaching staff should also make sure to hold him accountable when he fails to live up to their standards. He knows he’s often made an example of, yet he continues to let his character get the best of him.

Green got himself ejected one minute into a crucial game in which Stephen Curry wasn’t even going to play. That ejection led to a five-game suspension, all while his team was going through a six-game drought.

That’s why former Warriors GM Bob Myers gave his successor, Mike Dunleavy Jr., a bit of advice, talking about his experience dealing with Green in the past and how to better appease the former Defensive Player of the Year.

Draymond Green

Myers Talks About Dealing With Draymond Green

“If that’s me, I’m saying, ‘That’s it, you’ve made your mistake in Game 10, so now you can’t make any more,’” Myers told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “I would assume he’d look me in the eye and say, ‘Yeah, OK.’ Kind of used up your mulligan early. So now we’ve gotta get through the rest of the 18 holes. And I think he would agree, he would say, ‘You’re right, it’s not good for the team, it’s not good for (me).’ I don’t think he’d push back on that.”

Myers believes the front office should call him out and hold him accountable. He’s an emotional and passionate player, and his temper often gets in the way of his good sense, and that’s something the Warriors simply cannot afford anymore.

He Knows Draymond Will Listen

Even so, Myers knows Green isn’t the stubborn person his detractors think he is. He claimed that Green will actually listen to what everybody has to say and will own his mistakes if he has to:

“The best thing about Draymond and the thing people may not know, at least my relationship with Draymond, he will listen,” Myers said. “He does listen. If I ever felt like he wasn’t listening, I wouldn’t waste my time. But he will listen. I think that’s the misconception with Draymond — (that) he doesn’t listen to what anybody says, just does what he wants. I think he listens, but he still makes mistakes. And so if I ever felt like in my relationship with him he stopped listening or I wasn’t getting through or he felt like he knew everything, then I would have said years ago, ‘It’s not worth my time, he’s not going to listen to me, he’s not going to listen to anybody.’”

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Stephen Curry reveals ambitious plans for life after retirement

The Warriors are going through a terrible patch right now, and not having their defensive anchor and elite playmaking forward there is not going to do them any favors. He’s a 12-year veteran and should know better than that by now.