The Golden State Warriors didn’t have one of their most important players on the court, and that obviously took a big toll on their record. Their defense takes a huge hit without Draymond Green, who was out serving a five-game suspension.
Green got Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, being ejected just 100 seconds into a game. Gobert, who was doing the same to Klay Thompson, didn’t face any sort of discipline over his actions.
Notably, this isn’t the first time that Green has been tangled up in these kinds of situations, which is probably why the league — again — decided to make an example out of him and handed him that five-game suspension on top of the ejection.
The four-time NBA champion knows he’s on a short leash and has a history of controversial moves and plays. Even so, and even if his team needs him on the floor, he’s just not going to change his ways.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Green Has No Regrets
Green has already made it loud and clear that he doesn’t care about the pundits, naysayers, and even Warriors fans who want him to tone it down. All he cares about is what his teammates and loved ones think, and he’ll never apologize for defending a teammate:
“I don’t live my life with regrets,” Green said. “I’ll come to a teammate’s defense any time that I’m in a position to come to a teammate’s defense. What matters to me is how the people that I care about feel, first and foremost. How are the people that I care about affected? How are the people I care about; what do they have to deal with? That’s it for me.”
It’s more than clear that Green would’ve done it all over again if he had the chance to do it. That’s just the kind of player he is, and the Warriors have lived and died by him multiple times:
Draymond Green
“Things can be interpreted how people want to interpret them,” he said. “I’m not here to judge people’s interpretations or try to change them. They are what they are. I know that for me, I am always going to be there for my teammates. That’s who I am. That’s who I am as a teammate; that’s who I am as a friend. Right, wrong, or indifferent, look to your side, and I’ll be there — or even in front of you.“
He Thinks He’s Being Scapegoated
Even so, the league has now suspended him and sanctioned him for his repeated involvement in scuffles. That’s why he believes he’s being scapegoated and whatever he did in the past shouldn’t count anymore:
“To continue mentioning, ‘Oh, well, he did this in the past,’ I paid for those,” Green said. “I got suspended in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. You can’t keep suspending me for those actions.”
see also
Stephen Curry says Draymond Green won"t fix the Warriors
It’s a fact that he has a shorter leash than any other player in the league. But that’s also why he should know better and not get himself in a position to be suspended in the first place.
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