Danny Green is currently the starting shooting guard for the San Antonio Spurs, but there was a time when his future was uncertain. Now inked to a three-year $12 million contract, the 2010-2011 season seems like a distant memory when Green was cut by the Cleveland Cavaliers and had no job in the NBA.
Green gives us a brief account on what he was going through during that time.
“Once you’re out of the league, it’s very hard to get back in, especially as a young guy with no real resume,” Green said. “You don’t really understand the business side of the game until you’re in it. You don’t know how wild it can get, how it can change and how ugly it can get.” (LIPulse.com)
Green was inexperienced and raw at the level he was during his brief stint with the Cavaliers. He was basically an unknown to the professional basketball world and, as we know, college skills aren't guaranteed to translate to the pro level.
He's come a long way from three years ago and it's helped that he's had some veteran help on the Spurs along the way.
There's one message Green has for his supporters that will raise their hopes come playoff time.
“I’m able to live more comfortably, but I still approach the game the same way because you never know who’s trying to take your job,” Green said.
While Green is locked up for a few more years, he's not guaranteed time on the court or another similar contract in the future. As Spurs fans know, head coach Gregg Popovich isn't shy about sitting players who don't contribute and he doesn't put much thought on their contract if they're not being beneficial to the team. It seems Green is going to be ready to compete on a regular basis and will look to fix his mistakes.
This is something Spurs fans are eager to see from him, especially from his lack of contribution late in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
