First the Spurs cut Danny Green. Then they cut him again. And shortly afterward, head coach Gregg Popovich told the Long Island product what he wasn’t good at.
The tough love may have made his career.
“I appreciated that,” the Spurs shooting guard said. “Honesty is what is going to make you a better player and a better person as well, and be able to get your job done and take care of business the way it should be. I can’t complain.”
Life is good for the former St. Mary’s of Manhasset and North Carolina star these days. After inking a fully guaranteed three-year, $12-million deal with San Antonio in the summer, the 6-foot-6 Green has started every one of the 40-12 Spurs’ games and is averaging 10.1 points per contest.
“For them to trust in me and continue to have me in that starting position says a lot,” the 25-year-old Green said before he scored 14 points in the Spurs’ dominant 111-86 victory over the Nets at Barclays Center.
Green was a big part of the victory, sinking four of San Antonio’s 12 3-pointers.
He is emblematic of the dynamic Spurs. Green isn’t flashy; he was overlooked coming out of North Carolina. Yet he’s also on his way to a productive NBA career. Green is a basketball survivor, a player waived three times. The low point came after the woeful Cavaliers released him following just one mediocre season despite taking him in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft.
“Everybody had doubts,” Green said. “I, for sure, had doubts. … But I looked at it in a positive light and I kept working. I gave it my best shot and luckily I found a home.”
Not only did Popovich speak to Green about what he was missing, he also spoke with North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, who relayed their conversation to Green.
Popovich didn’t see enough intensity in Green, too many lapses of focus. Popovich said it and so did Williams. Compared to a few years ago, Popovich has seen a “mental transformation” in Green.
“He came to camp this year, he was hellbent for leather,” Popovich said.
Green has made the most of his opportunity. He broke into the starting lineup during the second half of last season, helping the Spurs win 50 games and reach the Western Conference finals, and now he is a full-time starter with a multi-year contract on one of the best teams in the NBA.
“[I’m] fortunate to be in this league, fortunate for everything I have and everything I’m doing,” he said.
zbraziller@nypost.com