Rookie lessons: Green gives Mavs’ rookie an earful
Draymond Green showed Dennis Smith Jr. no sympathy.
Empathy may have been appropriate.
A welcome-to-theleague moment happened in Dallas on Monday night, when the Mavericks’ promising point guard went at the Golden State veteran — and the NBA’S top defensive player — with hopes of dunking on him. Smith got fouled at the rim, both players flashed smiles at one another and Green talked a bit of trash about how the rookie made a lessthan-wise choice.
Green said that “ain’t happening” afterward about Smith’s dunk attempt. “Better check my resume. This ain’t summer league, bro. You aren’t just going to dunk on anybody. Better luck next time.”
Smith, who came into the NBA with a highflying reputation and a reported 48-inch vertical leap, correctly pointed out that Green fouled him and didn’t exactly stop him there.
“I was laughing,” Smith said. “It was funny.”
It is a time-honored tradition in the NBA that rookies get put to the test early and often against veterans — think of it as an approved method of on-court hazing. A week into this season, there’s been some notable such moments like the Greensmith play in Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Patrick Beverley going hard at Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball in the season opener for those clubs.
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