Draymond Green had a special guest on “The Draymond Green Show” this week, as he was joined by Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, a one-time NBA champion as a player with the Boston Celtics (1985-86) and a one-time championship as a coach with the Dallas Mavericks (2010-11).
During the appearance, Carlisle spoke about how all-time NBA players would dominate regardless of the era that they played in. In doing so, Carlisle gave Green a lofty comparison, saying, “Greatness is going to be great regardless of the era. You are going to try to tell me that (Bill) Russell wouldn’t be great in this era? Russell, the guy who threw up before every game because he couldn’t stomach the idea of losing? And he had such an impact on winning; can you imagine having that guy leading your team? That was the early version of Draymond Green.”
Although Green is known as a four-time NBA champion and one of the stronger defensive players of his generation, the comparison from Carlisle seemed to wreak a false equivalence.
While it was a different era, Russell won 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons to go along with 11 All-NBA selections, five MVP awards and five rebounding titles. Throughout his career, Russell averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Blocks and steals weren’t recorded while Russell played in the NBA.
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Pacers coach compares Draymond Green to former five-time NBA MVP
Reporting by Mack Baltes, Warriors Wire / Warriors Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mack Baltes, Warriors Wire | USA TODAY Network
