Draymond Green: One title not enough

ByEthan Sherwood Strauss ESPN logo
Thursday, July 9, 2015

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green dismissed comments by Kyrie Irving that the Cavaliers would have won the NBA title if Cleveland's players had been healthy, saying "Larry O'Brien resides in Oakland, California."

"If I was 6-foot-11, I think that I could be like Anthony Davis. But I'm not, and I'm not like Anthony Davis," Green added.

Green was speaking at a Thursday news conference commemorating his new five-year, $82 million contract with the Warriors. One question pertained to Irving's recent statement on Shaquille O'Neal's The Big Podcast With Shaq, in which Irving said, "I felt like we would have definitely won an NBA championship if everyone was healthy."

"We all got our 'ifs' in life," Green said. "If this would have happened, I would be doing this. If that would have happened, I would be doing that. But if 'if' was a fifth, we all would be drunk."

Green thanked his family, friends and the franchise on the team's practice court, which was lined with about 150 young campers and front-office employees. His mother wiped away tears while sitting in the front row with Green's girlfriend, best friend and agent.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers called re-signing Green the team's top priority this offseason. He counts the versatile forward as a core part of the franchise's long-term future alongside MVP Stephen Curry and All-Star guard Klay Thompson.

"Draymond, through his entire life, whatever situation he's been confronted by, he's won," Myers said. "It doesn't matter where he was or what position he played. His teams won. And that's not a coincidence. We want to have as many of those guys as we can."

As for his motivation now that he netted a deal worth more than $16 million per year, Green said his goals remain the same and that he stayed with the Warriors due to how well the organization is run.

"I don't necessarily feel this deal validates me because I don't play basketball for money," he said, adding, "We won one championship, but that's not enough for me.That's my goal. That's what drives me and is going to continue to drive me. The contract's not going to change that."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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