Draymond Green will return from suspension when the Golden State Warriors play the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Green was suspended for five games after using a chokehold on Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert during a scuffle in the first minute of a Nov. 14 game. It’s wrong to grab someone around the neck in an NBA game, and anyone who does so faces a more severe punishment, but the league stated in an official release that the duration of this suspension was “based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
The Warriors’ next five games were all at home, and four of them were against teams who did not make the playoffs the previous season. However, the Warriors stink at home, and no matter how janky and gremlin-like Green appears when performing basketball things, he remains a crucial element of all of Golden State’s top lineups. The Warriors have lost four of six games after the chokehold, including the pivotal Timberwolves matchup. The chance to deprive Rudy Gobert’s brain of a few seconds of oxygen, however appealing, is a weak cause to kneecap a Warriors team with genuine championship hopes, especially with the Western Conference looking like it could go 11 deep in playoff contenders.
Green’s inability to recognize blame complicates the question of whether he regrets his actions—if he wishes he had handled the issue differently. It’s a recurring theme in Green’s history of getting in trouble for bizarre goon crap he did in basketball games: My absence affects the team, but it was caused by unfair treatment for regular or even heroic action, therefore there is nothing to regret.
“Anytime there’s a situation and a teammate needs you to come to their defense, I’m gonna come to their defense,” Green said on Sunday, referring to a situation in which a teammate absolutely did not need him to come to their defense, where “come to their defense” should be interpreted to mean grab by the neck someone other than the person fighting my teammate. “I know that I’ll always be there for my teammates.” That’s just who I am. That’s who I am as a teammate and as a friend. If I’m your friend, I’m going to be there for you, right or wrong. If you look to your side, I’ll be right there, if not ahead of you.
Unfortunately, because of his decision to briefly strangle an opponent while his partner was fighting someone else, Green was unable to remain by his teammates’ sides while they battled six basketball teams over the course of 11 nights. Green is aware that this creates some issues. “It’s important for me to be on the court for my teammates.” If I’m not there, our odds of winning drop substantially, therefore I need to get better at, uh, being there as one of the leaders of this group.” This could imply performing fewer chokeholds in the future. “You just have to try different things.” That, for me, is the most important lesson in all of this.
Green’s stance on this is at its funniest when asked if he will change his behavior in the future, since that the league has made it clear that he will be treated differently than other players. “I’m gonna be me, no matter what,” a chuckling Green adds, as if groin kicks and other pro-wrestling actions are vital to his personality. This is followed by a pained and reluctant “but” that produces the word mmmbut. “Mmm, but, in saying that, there’s always a better way to do something.” So, I believe we all agree on figuring out a better approach.
Is Green sorry he put Gobert in a chokehold? “I don’t live my life with regrets,” she says. As I previously stated, I will come to a teammate’s defense whenever I am in a position to do so. That is what a team is: you stick together through good and terrible times. And I take it seriously. I’m proud to be a good teammate. Being a good teammate is number one on my list when I walk in here every day.” Interesting! Carry on.
Green is enjoyable to listen to even when he is at his most cantankerous. Even when he’s being stubborn and elusive, he’s engaging and captivating, and he’ll talk his way into minor intriguing truths simply to keep talking. He mentioned on Sunday his perception—which is likely shared by many professional athletes—that the sports media seems to expect or even want players to “crack” in the face of consequences and criticism, which could explain why Green talks about accountability as if he’s afraid that accepting any will cause his wiener to shrink. But that doesn’t imply he’s incorrect. The reportage of player wrongdoing and the disciplinary procedure for players is always tinged with bloodlust.
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