Draymond still fired up by perceived disrespect for Warriors' D

Draymond Green has been carrying a chip on his shoulder ever since the Golden State Warriors traded away Andrew Bogut in the offseason. Critics, he believes, have little faith in the Dubs' interior defense with their longtime rim protector gone.

While the sample size since Bogut's departure is small, reality suggests otherwise.

Eighteen games into the season, the Warriors rank eighth league-wide in defensive rating, only 0.6 points per 100 possessions off last year's mark, set by a 73-9 team. Additionally, they are second in blocks per game, helped along by Green's four swats in Monday's win over the Atlanta Hawks.

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Still, afterward, he was making it about disrespect.

"The world says we traded our defense away when we got KD (Kevin Durant)," Green said, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.

"I disagree ... I think our defense actually has the upside to be better with the length and everything that we have, the speed, the athleticism," he said. "That pissed me off more than anything, that it's kind of like, 'Yeah, their defense is going to suck now.' I take that personally. So that pushes me more than anything else."

Green said essentially the same thing after a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers four weeks ago, although those comments came after Damian Lillard suggested that Golden State wouldn't be the same without Bogut.

Whatever Green chooses to use for motivation is fine, but the fact is the Warriors' defense is just as tough - albeit less traditional - without a true center like Bogut.

Green has demonstrated positionless versatility in this area for four seasons now, and the addition of Durant - and his length - is another game-changer, as evidenced by KD's career-high six blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.