Draymond Green dismissed the necessity to rebuild trust within the Golden State Warriors following his altercation last week with team-mate Jordan Poole.
Green returned to practice on Thursday and will play in the Warriors' preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday after stepping away following last Wednesday's incident where he punched Poole.
Team-mate Kevon Looney has spoken about Green needing to regain the group's trust, while head coach Steve Kerr has danced around the subject publicly, but the Warriors power forward was dismissive on Thursday.
"Everyone says, build trust as a team," Green said. "I don't really quite understand what's trust? Is it trust that you're going to make the right play?
"I always make the right play to be the best of my ability, so what is that? We do have to make sure we're together, make sure we're doing the necessary things that it takes to win a championship and have everyone's back.
"I think there's so many different things when I hear the word trust, that I'm not always certain that that is the most fitting word for what people are trying to say.
"I think it always sounds good. Everyone kind of has this idea of what that means. But yet what does that truly mean?"
Green insisted that he and Poole would be professional enough to maintain a working relationship at the Warriors this season.
"Jordan is a professional, and I'm a professional," Green said. "We have a job to do. We both have experienced a lot of winning over the course of our lives and we know what that takes, and so we want to do just that. What it takes to win. And I think that's the most important thing."
Four-time NBA champion Green was in a combative mood, adding that he did not care about how people perceived him.
And Green, 32, spoke about his desire to win another NBA title this season with the defending champions.
"I'm going to prove a lot of people wrong this year," Green said. "I've been proving people wrong my whole life, so there's some added motivation.
"Not quite proving people wrong because the same people that are talking now are the same people who have been talking forever, and they've been wrong the entire time.
"They just give new hot takes about how, 'You can't do it this time', but never acknowledge the million times that they said I couldn't do it and were wrong. I'm not quite motivated by those people.
"But there are definitely some motivations that have been sparked by some people and I'm going to use that, and I'm going to do exactly what I do when I’m motivated. In a major way."
Green was a key part of Golden State's title-winning 2021-22 side, averaging 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 7.0 assists per game and having a big impact defensively.
The Warriors are due to open their 2022-23 NBA campaign on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center.
Williamson out for Pelicans’ do-or-die play-in tournament game due to hamstring injury
The New Orleans Pelicans will be without injured leading scorer Zion Williamson when they host the Sacramento Kings in Friday’s Western Conference play-in tournament elimination game.
Williamson starred in his NBA postseason debut Tuesday, scoring 40 points while adding 11 rebounds and five assists in over 36 minutes of action against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The two-time All-Star, though, missed the final three minutes of New Orleans’ 110-106 loss after injuring his left hamstring.
Williamson tied the game at 95 with 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter on a driving layup, but he left shortly after and headed to the Pelicans’ locker room.
His huge performance caught the attention of Lakers superstar LeBron James.
“He's a generational player, a generational talent. He's going to continue to get better and better,” James said. “Tonight was just a small microcosm of how great he can be, his ability to get downhill, finish vs. smalls, finish vs. bigs, taller guys, shorter guys, doesn't matter.
“One thing about him, he's not afraid to compete. So, that's a great thing. He's a star.”
Williamson missed plenty of time due to various injuries in his first four seasons after New Orleans selected him No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he was healthy throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
Williamson appeared in a career-high 70 contests and led the Pelicans with 22.9 points per game while averaging 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
The winner of Friday’s matchup between New Orleans and Sacramento will capture the No. 8 seed in the West and move on to play the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
Stephen Curry included in star-studded USA basketball squad for Paris Olympics
Stephen Curry is set to make his Olympic debut for the United States at the age of 36 after being named in the 12-strong men’s basketball squad for Paris on Wednesday.
The Golden State Warriors guard joins three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James in an experienced squad named by national team managing director Grant Hill.
Durant, 35, helped Team USA to gold at each of the last three Olympics, while Los Angeles Lakers forward James, 39, will make his first appearance since London 2012, having also won gold in Beijing in 2008 and bronze in Athens in 2004.
Besides the Phoenix Suns’ Durant, four other members of the Tokyo squad return with Miami Heat centre Bam Adebayo, Phoenix guard Devin Booker, guard Jrue Holiday and forward Jayson Tatum – both of the Boston Celtics – included.
Los Angeles Lakers centre Anthony Davis will, like James, make his first Olympic appearance since London 2012.
Making their debuts on the biggest international stage alongside Curry will be Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Anthony Edwards, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player.
The United States have won gold at each of the last four Olympics and 16 in all, but finished a disappointing fourth at last year’s World Cup.
Curry’s Golden State coach Steve Kerr will lead the team in Paris.
The United States are due to start a training camp in Las Vegas on July 6 before a series of exhibition games that includes tilts against South Sudan and Germany on July 20 and 22 in London. Their opening game in Paris will be against Serbia on July 28.
Lakers must play 'mistake-free basketball' against Nuggets, warns James
LeBron James has warned the Los Angeles Lakers must play "mistake-free basketball" if they are to overcome the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 on Tuesday, meaning they progress to the first round of the playoffs.
A series against the reigning NBA champions awaits, starting on Saturday.
And James, who finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, knows the Lakers will have to deliver a near-perfect performance.
"It's the defending champion," James said.
"They know what it takes. They know how to win. They've been extremely dominant on their home floor over the last few years.
"They've got an MVP on their team. They've got a closer on their team. They've got high-level players, high-IQ players, and they've got a hell of a coach.
"So, we have to play mistake-free basketball. Make it tough on them. They're going to try to make it tough on us, obviously.
"But if we can play as great of a game as we can play, and they're going to play as great of a game as they play, it's going come down to one or two possessions. We'll see who executes then."
It was put to Lakers coach Darvin Ham that there had been reports the Lakers might throw their game against the Pelicans in order to go up against either the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors in the other play-in game.
The Kings ultimately won, and will now face the Pelicans, with the prize a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Western Conference's No.1 seed.
"There was a report of what?" an incredulous Ham said. "Insane asylum sources say?"
The Lakers reached the Conference Finals last year, and Anthony Davis is confident Los Angeles are coming into their best form at the opportune moment.
"I think we're clicking at the right time," Davis said.
"Guys are playing well. Guys are very confident. Guys are feeling good. And we're going to need it, especially against Denver."
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