These Warriors players are two different types of asshole

Draymond Green and Chris Paul sharing the court for the Golden State Warriors seems like a match made in hell.

Both players are physical defensive irritants who have used their respective knowledge of the game to get away with more than they probably should on the floor and berate officials, sometimes at the expense of remaining in the game. They’re also very good at basketball — or at least have been very good, as age has caught up to them both — with one player being a cornerstone to a dynasty and the other being arguably the greatest traditional point guard in recent memory. Speaking at the Warriors’ media day Monday, Green knew what word people had in mind when thinking about the two of them.

“If you’ve ever watched Chris compete, he’s kind of an asshole,” Green said. “You may say the same thing about me, and that’s OK. But he’s also one of the most competitive guys that I’ve played against over my 11 years in this league. I’m also an extremely competitive guy, and I’m not backing down from anyone. He’s not backing down from anyone.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone to disagree with that sentiment, especially if they, or their team, have faced either one of those guys. However, over the past 365 days, Green’s actions that wander into “asshole” territory have been a lot more serious than what Paul has done throughout the entirety of his career to earn that moniker.

The veteran forward is about to cross the one-year anniversary of when he punched then-teammate Jordan Poole in the face during practice and knocked the young guard to the floor. In the time since, Green has offered little in terms of an apology. The closest thing was an absurd television segment starring himself where he explained how he overcame punching his own teammate in the face. Poole was not involved. In fact, Green has most recently addressed this topic by insinuating Poole crossed a line that sent the 33-year-old over the edge, though he provided no specific details.

Paul, to the best of the public’s knowledge, has not assaulted any of his teammates, let alone embarked on a media tour rehashing the incident in an attempt to place some blame on his victim. The veteran guard’s history of “asshole” behavior may be long, storied and even once problematic, but it’s never risen to what Green did. This is to say what makes Paul an “asshole” is quite different from what makes Green one.

Green is an asshole — a much bigger one than Paul has ever been — but he’s Golden State’s asshole. The Warriors have shown time after time that they’re willing to put up with all of the technicals, suspensions and, yes, even teammate attacks because of all he’s done to help bring four championships to the franchise. The question now becomes how far the organization will go to defend, or support, Paul.

Outside of The Punch, there are similarities in the type of asshole Paul and Green can be on the court. Does Paul’s pedigree give him the leeway to, say, get ejected for bumping an official without causing any problems behind the scenes? Are the Warriors prepared for double the on-court antics that will almost certainly make them the scorn of officials everywhere? Steph Curry certainly hopes so.

“If those two guys can focus that energy on the court when it comes to games, doing exactly that, making everybody hate them and making us love them, I know they can keep each other accountable to that energy, as well,” Curry said Monday. “That’s going to make a huge difference and give them an edge and give us an edge.”

That’s a pretty big if between the hellish pair giving the Warriors an edge and putting the team close to it.