Things were just fine for the Warriors heading into the 2022-23 NBA season. The team came from a long-awaited championship, the spirits were high and there was excitement about challenging for a back-to-back title. Until Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole.
The incident ocurred at practice put the team in shambles, as one of its veteran players suddenly had an unacceptable behavior with one of the youngest members of the roster. Green apologized for his actions, but the incident still made a lot of noise.
Golden State ultimately decided to fine but not suspend Green, and now things look cooler after a turbulent week. According to Steve Kerr, there's a player who deserves credit for keeping the team together.
Steve Kerr praises Kevon Looney for his role on the Draymond Green situation
“Loon is incredible,” Kerr said about Kevon Looney, via Heavy.com. “This guy has so much wisdom. He’s so quiet that if you don’t pay attention, you may not realize it. He has become the moral compass of our team. He’s a special human being. Special. And he was a key instrument in everything that we’ve had going the last week to try to get things back on track. I’ll ride with Loon forever. This is a special man.”
Kerr also noted the altercation was the toughest situation he's had to deal with during his time at the helm of the Dubs, which is why he appreciates Looney's role in the past week. Now it's time to turn the page together.
"This is the biggest crisis that we've had since I've been the coach here," Kerr said, via ESPN. "It's really serious stuff. We're not perfect. ... But we're going to lean on the experience that we have together and trust that this is the best decision for our team. We have a lot of work to do. All of us."
