SAN FRANCISCO – There was a lot to talk about during Draymond Green’s 20-minute press conference at the Chase Center podium on Sunday. They were his first comments since he was suspended five games for his involvement in a skirmish with the Minnesota Timberwolves that involved a chokehold on Warriors star center Rudy Gobert.
Everything Green said was his own truth. They were his words, his reasoning and he sticks to them. In general, two points stood out, showing the uncomfortable truth of what Green sees compared to the reality he faces.
The starting point is the screenshot that has been popping up all over social media. Green’s right bicep pressed on Gobert’s neck, the 7-foot-tall man made an unforgettable face, as if a 12-foot-tall man had grabbed him and would never let him go. Did Green really need to have a chokehold on Gobert? Probably not. Was there another way to get Gobert off Klay Thompson and actually help de-escalate the situation? Probably.
Gobert also broke an unwritten but well-known rule when it comes to sports fights like the one the Warriors and Timberwolves found themselves in before either team had even scored a point. He didn’t get his own teammate to stop – instead, Gobert grabbed Thompson. As Thompson’s teammate, paired with the one who grabbed the Warriors guard, Green saw red.
“Any time there’s a situation and a teammate needs you to defend them, I’ll come to their defense,” Green said. “And that’s exactly what it is, especially someone I’ve been playing with for 12 years. This is more than a teammate, this is a brother.
Numerous current and former NBA players have actually defended Green’s actions, at least when it comes to that part of the situation.
“In Draymond’s defense at this moment, if I’m Draymond and I’m watching what’s going on, the basic rule is, if two players come into play, check your teammate,” Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George said on his podcast . “Podcast P with Paul George.” “Go grab your teammate, don’t grab my teammate.”
Patrick Beverley, who spent the 2021-22 NBA season in Minnesota, chastised Timberwolves All-Stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns for standing idly by and not standing by their teammates.
“KAT is fake as hell,” Beverley said on “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone.” “KAT fraud, man, straight up. And [Anthony Edwards] was there again. …I see KAT making a dirty face, but then you don’t do shit! Choke Draymond back! Now if I’m Draymond, I’m like, “Yeah, I suffocated them and their buddies didn’t do anything.” If we play in the playoffs, KAT, I’m not worried about you, you didn’t even help your buddy .’ KAT, fuck it. I taught you better.”
The players know that, as much frustration as Green brings, he is the type of teammate you want going into battle. That doesn’t mean he’s blameless. However, every athlete wants to have someone on their team who has them in the locker room and who they know will stand up for them and take on an army when needed.
This is Draymond.
Then there are the implications that a 32-year-old in his 12th NBA season must understand. Green has held out too long, and even his coach Steve Kerr, who originally defended his player’s actions in getting Gobert away from Thompson, agrees. Things were looking bad for the league, as Kerr said. And history is not on Green’s side, which brings us to his other point.
“To continue to say, ‘Oh, what he did in the past…’ I paid for that,” Green said. “I was suspended for Game 5 of the Finals. So you cannot continue to suspend me for these actions.”
In Green’s two previous suspensions, last season in the first round of the NBA playoffs and what happened nearly two weeks ago on Nov. 14, the NBA mentioned that history played a role in its decision. Green is right. He served his time. Was there a more effective suspension than the one he served in the 2016 NBA Finals, which ultimately resulted in the Warriors blowing a three-games-to-one lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers?
What the NBA is trying to decide now is: Has Green learned his lesson?
Ideally, each season would come with a clean slate and a fresh start. This also applies to Green. But that is not reality and it is not human nature. Fans don’t forget, opposing teams don’t forget, referees don’t forget and neither do those in power who can issue bans.
It’s hard to argue against standing up for a teammate in a heated atmosphere, just as it’s hard to argue that Green was completely right in his approach. It’s hard to argue that issues years in the past should stay with Green forever, just as it’s hard that this shouldn’t serve as a reminder that that’s how life works – on and off the court.
There is a lot of truth in Green’s reasoning, in his actions and in his identity as a teammate and person. There is also a critical turning point for Green and the Warriors, who have gradually lost their holding power over the years. Only he can decide whether everything fails or whether he can turn disadvantage into strength starting Tuesday in Sacramento and find another way to prove the doubters wrong.
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