Five, 10, 15, or 20 games — no matter how long Draymond Green’s upcoming suspension is, it’ll be justified.
For the second time in less than a month, Green was ejected for on-court pugilism Tuesday.
In November, Green put Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in an impressive headlock, resulting in a five-game suspension. At least that came amid a fracas.
Tuesday, Green punched Suns center Jusuf Nurkić amid some routine jostling in the post.
He wasn’t coming to the aid of his teammate. He wasn’t countering another dirty play.
Green’s spinning hook punch was dumb, churlish, and exceptionally unnecessary. It was a cheap shot — indefensible, even for those like me who have gone to bat for Green time and time again.
Green claimed he was merely trying to “sell” a foul. He blamed instant replay for how it looked. He agreed with the ejection, but claimed it wasn’t his intention to hit Nurkić.
He said he isn’t sure the hit is worthy of a suspension.
All of it is worthy of an eye roll.
Green can claim “bad luck,” but there’s no way not to see what Green did as acting out — a moment of frustration turning into a moment of violence.
“What’s going on with him, I don’t know… That brother [needs] help,” Nurkić said. “I’m glad he didn’t try to choke me… That had nothing to do with basketball.”
“Hopefully, what [he’s] got in his life, it [gets] better.”
It’s all so ridiculous, we’re only left to wonder if something larger is at play.
Does Green even want to be out on the floor?
The forward’s frustration boiling over has been the only memorable part of his season. It might be the only memorable aspect of his past two seasons.
And looking back on Green’s 40-minute mea culpa to the media following the punch of teammate Jordan Poole last October, so much of it now rings hollow.
“Hurt people hurt people,” Green said in October of 2022. “I am a very flawed human being… I personally know those flaws better than anyone. The work that I’ve done to correct those flaws has been tremendous, and yet there’s still a very long way to go. That’s a constant work in progress. I’m a constant work in process.”
Where’s the progress? All we’ve seen are more outbursts. Each sadder than the last.
This is a depressing final chapter of a once-great basketball story.
Yes, I know Green signed a four-year, $100 million deal with the Warriors this past offseason. But that deal already looks outlandish.
What reason do we have to believe Green will be able to make it through those four seasons, given how he’s started this new term? How can you imagine a winning future when this is the Green that’s along for the ride?
I have defended Green time and time again because he is someone who plays with an edge, and doing that will always leave him liable to spill over to the side of acceptability.
But Green was also a basketball savant and one of the greatest defenders ever. The benefit of Green outweighed the detriment for years. Four banners in the Chase Center rafters can attest to that.
That Green seems so far away.
These days, instead of on-court smarts, Green is providing the Warriors moments of madness.
And those provide anything but a positive impact.
There’s no question that Green has lost a step (or two), but projecting that insecurity into these outbursts aids no one.
Cleaning up for Green has become a full-time job in the Warriors’ organization this season. Going to bat for him after another indefensible action is an exceptional drain on time and energy.
When asked how the Warriors can help Green keep his cool in the future, Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t have an answer.
“We’ll keep working,” he said.
Sounds exhausting.
Green’s outbursts not only tarnish his reputation — whatever’s left of it — but also the Warriors’ reputation.
They actively hurt the Warriors’ chances of winning in the here and now, too.
The sub-.500 Dubs are not in a position where they can afford to lose anything, much less Green — even if he is a diminished version of himself.
“We need him, we need Draymond. He has to find a way to keep his poise,” Kerr said.
Tuesday, the Dubs were in a one-point game in the early third quarter when Green decided to take a swing on Nurkić. From then on, the Warriors fell behind by 13 before making the game close in garbage time.
Green, like it or not, worthy or not, is a team leader. When he lost his cool, the Warriors lost their focus. It took the game being effectively over for them to find it again.
That part I can understand. What I don’t understand is Green’s rationale.
And now the Dubs will have to figure out how to win without Green, again.
The NBA will surely make an example out of Green — the poster child for dirty play who’s on an absolute heater right now. They’ve promised as much the last time he was suspended.
When this most recent suspension drops, Green will likely go over $3 million in career fines to the NBA. I wonder if they’ll send him a commemorative plaque.
With Tuesday’s loss, the Warriors are 2.5 games out of the final play-in tournament seed. Indeed, the Warriors have been a tough watch this season.
And for the next few weeks, Green will, once again, be sitting on the couch like the rest of us, taking it all in.
