Warriors' Green: Finals loss will 'never wear off'
NEW YORK — It’s been just over seven days since Game 7 and Draymond Green is still reeling from the NBA Finals loss to Cleveland.
“That will never wear off,” Green said even as he was proud to be introduced with the rest of the 2016 USA Men’s Basketball Olympic squad at a youth clinic in Harlem. “We had an opportunity to win a championship. That never goes away. (But) you got to move on.”
One person who might help Green and the Golden State Warriors move on is Kevin Durant. The league’s most sought-after free agent will meet with six teams, including the Warriors.
The idea of the 73-win Warriors potentially adding a superstar scoring machine like Durant has the league buzzing ahead of free agency, which opens on July 1.
“I don’t know,” Green said when asked how much better the Warriors can be with his new Olympic teammate. “There’s different dynamics to everything. At the end of the day, there is nothing set in stone. I don’t worry about things I can’t control.”
“This is a business,” Green added. “I’ve always been taught that you are either getting better or you are getting worse. Teams are always trying to look ahead at what’s next.”
While Carmelo Anthony has already told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein that he’s recruiting Durant to the Knicks, Green said he will try to woo Durant if asked by the Warriors.
Golden State’s Green, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes are all on Team USA along with Durant.
Also on the Olympic roster is Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving. Green said “it’s not weird at all” playing alongside Irving despite losing to the Cavs’ point guard in the seven-game Finals.
“Of course it is (still fresh),” Green said of the championship defeat. “But that don’t mean I am coming into this like, ‘Oh man, I am mad at Kyrie.’ Number one, they beat us, so you respect that. Number two, we are here for this. It is not about anybody’s personal feelings. It is about representing the country.”
Green will do that alongside Durant. Could the two be teammates beyond this summer? That remains to be seen.
“I am not talking about that right now,” Durant said of the teams he plans to meet with. “It’s USA Basketball, I don’t want to take my focus off that or be a distraction. When I know, you guys will know what I do.”
“The best thing about all of us, none of the guys here have put any type of pressure,” Durant added. “It has been cool.”
