Draymond Green harshly assesses relationship between players, refs

“I think the relationship between players and referees sucks,” Green said, via radio.com. “We see that on a nightly basis. So, I don’t think that’s any surprise to anybody.”

Green has been saddled throughout his career with the reputation of being confrontational with officials, and the case can be made that the unflattering notoriety is merited. After all, Green has been on the receiving end of 100 technical fouls during his nine-year NBA career and is known for committing questionable acts on the court over the years.

The Warriors star has suggested in the past that he’s a marked man of sorts and is often targeted by refs because of it. Earlier this season, Green found himself ensnared in controversy when the NBA opted to rescind one of two technical fouls assessed on him in a game against the New York Knicks in January that led to an ejection.

Earlier this season, Green opened up about how late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant once advised him on how to go about shedding the “dirty” label that fairly or unfairly seems to precede him even before stepping on the court.

Green added in his interview Wednesday that the deteriorating player-official relationship needs to be addressed.

“The relationship between the referees and the players is really bad,” Green added. “I have my thoughts on how it can be rectified. … [it’s] not in a good place right now. Just my opinion.”

Green of course is an incredibly emotional player who believes his passion motivates his teammates. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Green “ties it all together” for the team with qualities and contributions that often don’t show up on the stat sheet, so there appears to be some in-team consensus on that notion.

Green obviously is not averse to speaking his opinion even if it ruffles some feathers along the way, so the outspoken star candidly offering his unflattering perspective of the relationship between NBA players and league referees does not necessarily come as a shock.