Rival player calls out Warriors over Draymond Green punishment
May 26, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half during game five of the 2022 western conference finals at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
One rival NBA player seems to think that the Golden State Warriors gave Draymond Green a cupcake punishment.
The Warriors revealed this week that Green has officially been fined over his sucker punch of teammate Jordan Poole but will not be suspended. Green is also expected to be in the lineup for Golden State’s season opener on Oct. 18.
Milwaukee Bucks big Bobby Portis made his thoughts clear about Green’s punishment. “It’s cool when they do it, it’s a problem when I do it!” Portis tweeted shortly after the news broke.
It’s cool when they do it, it’s a problem when I do it!
— Bobby BP Portis (@BPortistime) October 12, 2022
Portis is referring to the time that he punched his teammate Nikola Mirotic when they were on the Chicago Bulls and got an eight-game suspension. The Green-Poole incident has drawn comparisons to the Portis-Mirotic incident, but Portis has fired back that he was acting in self-defense.
As previously tweeted in my last tweet, I got 8 games for defending myself. It’s a lot different IMO. Stop dragging my name in this. https://t.co/cTmugHvsqC pic.twitter.com/psyWioFDr1
— Bobby BP Portis (@BPortistime) October 7, 2022
There are also a couple of other distinctions between the two incidents. For one, Green’s punch was caught on video (which you can view here). But on the other hand, Green is far more valuable to the Warriors than Portis was to the Bulls (who traded him a little over a year after the Mirotic incident). Additionally, Portis landed Mirotic in the hospital because of his punch.
Regardless though, Golden State’s decision not to suspend Green does feel pretty soft. The ex-Defensive Player of the Year got plenty of condemnation from around the league for the punch, so this decision by the Warriors to effectively start their season business as usual with Green on the floor is sure to be an unpopular one.