Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has begun counseling and is expected to remain on the sidelines through suspension for at least the next three weeks, league sources said.
The NBA announced an indefinite suspension for Green Wednesday for strike Phoenix Suns centre Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a game one night earlier. Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations, said in a statement that Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike conduct” was a factor in the decision.
League sources said Green, 33, is expected to receive counseling and work with the Warriors and NBA while suspended. People around Green and the organization said the four-time NBA champion was understanding and willing to undergo the process necessary to return to the team in a full capacity. These sources did not want to reveal the details of Green’s counseling out of respect for his privacy.
A three-week time frame would mean his suspension spans around 12 games.
Green’s latest incident – his 20th career ejection – occurred in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Warriors and Suns. Green appeared to struggle for post position against Nurkić near the corner, swung around and nailed Nurkić in the face with a wild right arm. Nurkić fell and stayed for about a minute.
Officials stopped the game for a review, which didn’t take long. Green was ejected and didn’t even contest it. He ran straight to the dressing room.
After the game, Green apologized to Nurkić. He said it was unintentional and he was trying to sell a mistake by waving his arms.
“As you know, I am not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I am apologizing to Jusuf. Because I wasn’t going to hit him,” Green said. “I sell phone calls with my arms.”
Green’s suspension is the sixth of his NBA career and his second this season. The league also suspended Green for five games in November for his involvement in an altercation against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Green put Rudy Gobert in a head move. He served two separate one-game suspensions last season — once for accumulating 16 technical fouls, and a second in the playoffs for acting out Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis.
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Warriors’ coach, Steve Kerr, said he thought an indefinite suspension for Green made sense to help the 12th-year veteran make a change.
“For me, it’s about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond,” Kerr said. “I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and make a change in his approach and his life and that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s not something you say, ‘OK, five games and then he’s going to be fine’.”
The Warriors (12-14) are 2-1 since Green’s shootout. They went 2-3 during his earlier five-game suspension.
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(Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
