Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has drawn comparisons to NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley for his unapologetic, unmuted, fiery, trash-talking demeanor.
One problem, the 6-7 Green doesn't see the comparison.
"Hell no," he responded promptly. "I'm the modern-day Draymond Green."
The big reason he doesn't see the comparison?
Barkley filmed a Nike commercial in 1993 where he rejected the notion he was a role model.
"He wasn't my role model," Green said. "I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan...that's what you do, you talk, you talk junk during basketball. That's how I was raised. I was raised in a family like that so I didn't need a Charles Barkley to influence me.
Green credits his parents and his neighborhood for the bulk of his outspoken disposition.
"It was inherited," he says. The only link with Barkley he acknowledged was on the basketball court.
"I was raised by Mary Babers," Green said. "In the Babers' family, that's what you do. You speak your mind. It ain't got nothing to do with Chuck. I wasn't a Charles Barkley fan growing up. No disrespect to Chuck. He's a great player, but as I got older, I watched his game because I knew he was undersized [Barkley was 6-6] and the things that he could do, I tried to add some of that stuff to my game. But nah, he didn't influence me at all."
Green said he considers himself a role model if asked.
"I try to be," he said, followed by a long pause. "But it's not my decision on whether I'm somebody's role model or not, but I try to be the model citizen."
Barkley turned into a commentator for TNT after he retired in 2000 and Green said he has given some thought to broadcasting when he playing career comes to an end, but is giving some thought to coaching.
Playing styles might be similar, but that's where comparisons end.
Bowls don't matter
Remember when LSU and Stanford running backs Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette decided to skip their bowl games and outcry that followed?
Despite the criticism, Fournette (fourth overall to Jacksonville) and McCaffrey (eighth overall to Carolina) proved the bowl games didn't matter when they were taken in the first round of the draft.
Is this a sign of things to come?
Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com, wrote, "As they go through college, they come to understand they are involved in a big business. And sometimes they have to protect themselves to get ahead -- especially when head coaches are doing the same thing themselves, bouncing between programs for millions of dollars.
"After watching Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith -- a projected first-round choice -- severely injure his knee in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl and lose millions of dollars, their decisions were understandable. Neither were scheduled to play in a College Football Playoff game. Neither had anything left to prove. When Michigan tight end Jake Butt got hurt in the bowl game, those decisions were essentially reinforced."
If coaches change jobs before bowl games, what's going to stop a prospect?
Sports on 05/01/2017