No more Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston. In addition, the Golden State Warriors will not be seeing Klay Thompson in action until next year but Draymond Green is firm on his conviction that the team, which figured in five successive championship showdowns, will reach the NBA Finals again. He has his reasons, and it's hard to argue with them.
First off, Green boasts of a ball club with gem written all over it. The Warrior claimed the GSW roster is packed with smart players, live everyone is gold.
"This seems to be a pretty smart team. There's not really any idiots. You know, some teams, you got some idiots," Bleacher Report quoted Green as saying.
"You can teach some things about basketball, but you can't really teach IQ," added the All-Star.
Certainly, a gold find for the Warriors is D'Angelo Russell, who the team gained when KD decided to relocate to New York. The Brooklyn Nets had to include Russell on the deal that cemented Durant's exit from the Bay Area.
Now Russell will banner the Warriors newcomers, and according to Green not one can be called an idiot.
Surely, the same applies to Marquese Chriss, whose three years at the NBA saw him in three different teams, and the latest is the Warriors. Chriss played when the Warriors bowed against the Lakers but Green took notice of the young player's potential.
Green said Chriss made impressions during the training camp and it showed in the game against the Lakers, where the latter did great.
"He's been on a couple teams, and everybody has kind of written him off. But he's been amazing in camp, and to me, it look like he's figuring it out," NBC Sports reported Green as saying.
As mentioned, the Warrior veteran has valid points to declare his team is a strong title contender and his most solid argument is this - who plays right now with the team.
When asked the teams' chances of competing with the Lakers and Clippers at the Western Conference, if he sees them making the Finals, Green answered with a question.
"Is Steph Curry on our team? Klay? Yup ... Don't count them out just yet," Green was reported by Fadeaway World as saying.
It's true the Warriors did many great things with Curry, Thompson, and Green doing most of the heavy lifting. However, the West now is where the Lakers are with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as insurance the team will win a championship.
Then the Clippers are there, recently reinforced by the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. These two teams are grim reminders to the Warriors that it is a different setting now. Still, Draymond Green pays no mind.
