Will Draymond Green get suspended for the headlock? How many games could he miss?
Following a contentious contest on Tuesday night that saw three players ejected in the first quarter, one of them has now been suspended by the NBA.
Though there are differing views on who was at fault in the scuffle that occurred when the Warriors met the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, it stands to reason that Golden State’s veteran did indeed take things to the next level. With that in mind, his suspension seems to make sense.
Warriors vs Timberwolves got ugly
Before we get to the end result, let’s take a quick recap of the events that unfolded on Tuesday night when the Golden State Warriors met the Minnesota Timberwolves. In a game that ended in a tight 104-101 T’Wolves win, the majority of the chatter post game was not about the result of the standard of play between the teams, but rather the fight that occurred early in the first quarter. Things kicked off with Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, both of whom could be seen holding each other’s jerseys, which in turn led to full-on grappling at half-court.
At that point, Wolves center Rudy Gobert grabbed Thompson from behind, a move which Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception to as he proceeded to put Gobert in a headlock. Ultimately, Thompson, McDaniels, and Green were all ejected, but Gobert, apparently deemed a peacemaker did not face any penalty. Needless to say, a number of the Warriors’ players were not in agreement with the referee’s decision where Gobert was concerned, including head coach Steve Kerr, who stated that “Rudy had his hands on Klay’s neck,” an act that he believes precipitated Green’s chokehold. In the wake of Tuesday’s game, many had something to say, not the least of which was Gobert who called out Green’s “clown behavior.” Yet, it was all simply a pretext to what we knew was coming, a suspension.
How long has Draymond Green been suspended?
Given the situation that unfolded and the video evidence that followed, one could say that Golden State’s Draymond Green was fortunate to receive the sanction that he did from the NBA. How much are we talking? According to an NBA announcement on Wednesday, the veteran foward has been suspended for five games, for “escalating an on-court altercation and forcefully grabbing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert around the neck in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner.” Forgive us if we find the NBA’s description of Green’s actions somewhat kind to say the least. Interestingly, it’s worth noting that ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that “the length of [Green’s] suspension is based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
Has the NBA punished anybody else?
Yes they have. For their involvement in the altercation, Thompson, McDaniels and Gobert will all be required to pay a fine of $25,00. Ultimately, this is not a good time for the Warriors to lose Green as they are already missing talisman Stephen Curry, and have lost five of their last six games. Now on a 6-6 record, they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.