Draymond Green has received a significant amount of criticism for walking back to the locker room following a heat argument with Steve Kerr during the Golden State Warriors' win over the Orlando Magic on Monday, Dec. 22. The veteran forward eventually came back to the bench in street clothes and wasn't seen for the majority of the second half.
During a recent episode of the "No Fouls Given" podcast, former NBA champion Paul Pierce shared his thoughts on Green's decision to remove himself from the situation.
"You don't walk out on your team," Pierce said. "Also, no matter how emotional you are, you're a leader, Dre. You're not a leader. You're the leader. Through good, through bad, you stay right there. You control it because as a leader, you have to go through it. Like, 'no, let me sit through it.' You can't lose it because everybody looks up to you. Your team follows your (expletive), everything you do, bro. Like, I get it when you were young, but right now... That shouldn't be happening. I'm telling you. The older you get, these organizations don't put up with that (expletive). When you start with your production, it's not on the same level as (what it used to be). I don't want to see that. I want to see him retire as a Golden State Warrior."
Green and Kerr have since cleared the air. There's a good chance he will be back in the team's rotation for Golden State's Christmas Day game against the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, the more of these incidents that Green is part of, the more his role within the team will become a talking point.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Paul Pierce sends message to Warriors' Draymond Green