Draymond Green Suspended Indefinitely
Basketball fans, analysts, and players are in a state of shock today after the league announced Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension. The announcement comes after Draymond endangered the safety and wellness of two other players on separate occasions this season. The effects of his suspension extends far beyond the court, raising questions about team dynamics, league policies, and the future of one of the league’s most influential players.
Draymond has been ejected three times this season.
Taunting in transition
A lot of fans think that Draymond’s ejection in the Warriors game against the Cavaliers on November 11 was overkill. Draymond had been going back and forth with Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell. On one play Draymond drew a foul on Mitchell as he was advancing the ball. It was a total heat check and wasn’t necessary. Dray was just trying to get into Donovan Mitchell’s head. The next play Draympond continued to push Mitchell’s button by pushing him out of bounds even though neither of them had possession of the ball. Mitchell retaliated by going up to Draymond while he was inbounding and pushing him back.
It took a while for the refs to come to a conclusion on the replay, but when they did, no one in Golden State was happy. The refs had taken into account Green’s actions on the previous play and decided to toss him. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was frustrated after the game stating, “I had never heard this rule, but apparently you can retroactively call a technical from two plays before upon review.”
Don’t try this at home
Draymond’s second ejection of the 2023–24 season happened early in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The altercation started when Klay Thompson and Jackson McDaniels got tied up away from the ball in transition. Rudy Gobert came across the court to recover his teammate and ended up grabbing Klay Thompson around the shoulders. Dray claimed that he saw Rudy’s arms around Klay’s neck. So, he jumped into action and locked Gobert in a chokehold.
Draymond says that he was just trying to protect Klay. Fans of the league say that Draymond has been wanting smoke with Gobert for a while and he finally got an opportunity to show his teeth. Look at this man’s face! He’s grimacing like a feral rottweiler. He can try to justify his actions all he wants, but under no circumstances is a headlock not malicious. The incident resulted in Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Jackson McDaniels being ejected from the game.
Windmills in the valley
Draymond’s latest ejection is a result of him punching Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic in the side of the head while boxing out on defense. This seems to be the league’s last straw as it led to Draymond’s indefinite suspension.
The punch heard around the league
Not to bring up old stuff, but if we’re going down the list of Draymond’s offenses we have to mention the time he chin checked his own teammate. During a team practice in October 2022, Green got into an argument with his then teammate, Jordan Poole, which resulted in him blatantly punching Poole in the face. There are a lot of rumors surrounding what led up to the punch heard around the league, but neither party has confirmed what was said.
In a press conference, Draymond Green uncharacteristically took accountability for his actions stating,”I needed to have a better feel for myself and where my wicks end was.” His statement elaborated on an admission that he had been having a rough time personally and it affected his mood on the court. After the incident with Poole, Draymond volunteered to take some time away from the team. There was no further punishment from the Warriors end or the league (that we know of).
Is the NBA done with Draymond’s antics for good?
I think the Golden State Warriors are too emotionally attached to do anything about Draymond Green. He was drafted to the team in 2012 and has been an integral part of the modern day championship teams. Both the Warriors offense and defense runs through Draymond. Without him on the court, or the team, the Warriors pace and defensive play rank at the bottom of the league.
Even in the games that Draymond was available this season, the Warriors have not been looking like themselves. Needless to say, Steve Kerr is going to need to do some extremely good coaching or his job will be on the line. If everything is left up to the Warriors, Draymond is not going anywhere. They might have a friendly intervention with him, but they will not do anything drastic. The league on the other hand definitely has less patience for his outbursts of anger at this point.
Justice for Nurkic came so swiftly it wouldn’t surprise me if the decision was predetermined. With 19 career ejections, the most of any player in the league, Draymond has an extensive history of dirty plays. My question is, did Draymond and the league already have an understanding that the next time he was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct he would suffer a greater sentence?
A commentator on NBA today said that he doesn’t think any other player has been given an indefinite suspension. Jamal Crawford went on to say that he was nervous when he first heard the words indefinite suspension. But, when he thought about it some more he realized that the league didn’t put a timeline on Draymond’s return because they most likely want to make sure that Draymond as a person, not just a player, is well enough to return.
I think it’s great if the league wants to focus on Draymond’s wellness overall. Especially since he has admitted that his personal problems are a root cause of his flagrancies. They should provide him with all of the resources he needs to address his issues. At the same time, Adam Silver and whoever else needs to keep in mind that they have a responsibility to the fans and the organization as a whole.
We don’t want kids or casual fans to think that this is the way basketball should be played. Just like players’ actions off the court, what they do on the court is a representation of the values of the league. This indefinite suspension is a great way to bring attention to Draymond’s wrongdoings. It lets him and everyone else know, hey we love you but we can’t have you disrespecting the league and endangering other players. If he truly loves the game and has any sense left, he’ll come to realize that he’s hurting himself more than anything.
Conclusion
Draymond’s history proves that he is a Hall of Fame player whose talents are often overshadowed by his actions in the heat of the moment. We know that he is passionate about the game and thinks highly of his brothers and teammates, but he has put the Warriors in a tough spot right before the trade deadline. His absence leaves a gaping hole in the Warriors lineup that the front office has to strategize on how to fill. At the same time, this situation presents a well needed opportunity for the Warriors to rediscover their identity.
Overall, I don’t think Draymond is going anywhere. This suspension gives us the chance to talk about what we expect from our star athletes — responsibility, accountability, and fair competition. The league is doing right by Draymond by forcing him to take the time he needs. The ball now rests in Draymond’s court as we wait to see how his actions affect the success of his team and the future of the league.
