When it rains, it pours for the Golden State Warriors. They needed an almost-perfect team effort to keep up with the Phoenix Suns, and that was far from the case. Instead, Draymond Green was ejected for the third time this season.
The former Defensive Player of the Year was called for a flagrant 2 foul with eight minutes still left in the third quarter. He swung and hit Suns’ big man Jusuf Nurkic in the head while guarding him, so it was an easy call for the referees this time.
Needless to say, the Warriors had a tough time hanging on on defense without their most versatile defender on the court, so it was far from a surprise to see them lose by three points.
Fans on social media were quick to take multiple shots at Green, as this isn’t the first time he’s been tangled up in something like this. Nonetheless, the Michigan State product claims he didn’t mean to hurt Nurkic.
Draymond Green before a game with the Golden State Warriors.
Green Claims He Didn’t Want To Hit Nurkic
“I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him,” Green said following the loss. “I sell calls with my arms, so I was selling the call, and I swung and unfortunately, I hit him.”
This makes perfect sense. Green swung his arms wildly and Nurkic got the worst part of it. You could see Green regretted it right away. Then again, it was a textbook flagrant 2 foul, and given his reputation, it was hard to think it wasn’t on purpose at first glance.
Green, however, states that he would never back down or show an ounce of remorse for something he meant to do. Instead, he apologized to his colleague for the hard hit:
“Like I said, if I intended to do that, then I would feel awful about not being there [on the court],” Green explained. “But my intentions were just to sell the foul. You guys have known me long enough. If I intended to do something, I am not apologizing. But I did make contact with him, so I do apologize. It’s a hard hit.”
Draymond Green
Steve Kerr Says Warriors Are Treading Water
The Warriors’ starting lineup has struggled all year long, yet Steve Kerr has been unwilling or unable to make adjustments. He continues to stand by his championship core, but he finally admitted that the second unit has been bailing them out:
“It seems like every game our bench has to come in and rescue the game,” Kerr said. “Our starting group hasn’t been able to put it together. That’s why we are treading water.”
Ironically, the second unit was their main issue last season, but the tables have turned now. Outside of Stephen Curry, the Warriors haven’t gotten steady production from any of their starters, and it’s time to make a change:
“I’ve been really patient in trying to get everybody organized, into groups and give guys freedom and space, but tonight did not feel like the night to have a lot of patience,” Kerr said. “We needed some urgency.”
see also
Steph Curry calls out Warriors" starting lineup
The Warriors are now 10-13 and will likely be without Green for a while as he serves another suspension. But their issues go beyond their record, and they need to take a deep look in the mirror to turn things around for good.
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