Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green is receiving counseling but when does he return?
After a long list of disciplinary infractions, the Warriors big man is finally in therapy. The question that needs answering is whether or not it will work.
Bandwagons are always easy to jump on i.e. everybody will look to criticize Draymond Green. On the other hand, one has to call a spade a spade. If one thing is clear, it’s that the behavior of the Warriors star has to change.
Draymond Green is now receiving counseling
According to reports, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has started a counseling program and will be away from the team for at least the next three weeks. As you know by now, Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA after striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a game on December 12th. If you lack context, Green’s punishment may seem harsh, however, those who’ve been following will know all too well that this isn’t the Warriors veteran’s first rodeo. Indeed, Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, said that Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” was considered when handing down the unique punishment.
What exactly did Draymond Green do?’
It was during the third quarter of what turned out to be a 119-116 loss when Green started to battle for position with Nurkić as the ball was about to be in-bounded. Without warning, Green appeared to spin around suddenly and proceeded to swing at Nurkić, hitting the Bosnian directly in his face which in turn resulted in him going to the ground. Officials immediately called a foul on Green and quickly proceeded to upgrade it to a flagrant 2 which resulted in his ejection from the game.
Green was apologetic post-game, but somewhat defensive as well. “I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him,” Green said. “I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him.” Now, it’s important to understand that the incident with Nurkic was Green’s third ejection in 15 games this season. Before this latest incident, the 33-year-old was ejected on November 11th for seemingly shoving Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell into the first row of the crowd. Then, on November 15th, he was given his marching orders for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. He was later suspended for five games as a result of his actions.
What comes next for Draymond Green?
That’s a good question, but what we do know is that as we previously reported, Green will be “required to meet certain league and team conditions.” To date, no details on what those conditions are have been given, but Green himself is reportedly receptive to the process as he would like to get back to playing as soon as possible.
“To me this is about more than basketball, it’s about helping Draymond,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said last week after the suspension was announced. “I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and make a change in his approach, in his life, and that’s not an easy thing to do. That’s not something you say ‘OK, we’ll do five games’ and then he’s gonna be fine. The league did five games after the incident with Rudy [Gobert}. That’s not the answer, to pick a number. The answer is to help Draymond, give him the help he needs. Give him the opportunity to make a change that will not only help him, help our team, but help him for the rest of his life. This is not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life. This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I have known for a decade, who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his love for his teammates, his friends, his family. Trying to help that guy.”
OK, but what does the road to return look like for Draymond Green?
If we take the proposed timeline at face value, Green will miss three weeks i.e., at least 10 games. To that end, the next time we could see him on court is when the Warriors host the New Orleans Pelicans on January 10th. Now, let’s be clear. As much as we want to see the four-time NBA champion back on the court and the Warriors as well - he is their best defender and motivator - the reality is Green’s behavior has been causing issues for quite some time. That’s to say that as much as the Warriors are currently 11th in the Western Conference at 12-14, and two games behind the Phoenix Suns for the final Play-In Tournament spot, this is something that needs to be addressed.
That being said, what happens if it takes too long? That’s not to say there are reports of Green being traded. No. When all is said and done the Warriors have made it clear that they are “committed” to Green. Yet, one has to wonder up to what point the franchise’s patience extends. “I think the bigger impact will be how we do the next 15, 20 games,” Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy said to the media last week. “That’ll probably determine where we go. ...I don’t think I need any more evaluation of Draymond as a player. We need a little more evaluation of this team: the chemistry, the lineups, and all that. I think we’re right there, but at some point, our record is going to have to change. We’re going to have to creep past .500 and start winning some games. And if not, we’ll have to re-evaluate.”