The NBA appears to have taken a somewhat unusual approach in determining the length of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green’s latest suspension.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. told reporters on Thursday that the team and league worked together on the decision to suspend Green indefinitely for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. Dunleavy said that all parties involved were focused not just on punishment, but “about helping somebody,” acknowledging that Green’s on-court actions have become a real issue that needs correcting.
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“We understand there’s a punishment that will take place but this is also about helping somebody,” Dunleavy said. “They 100 percent agreed. So did Draymond.”
Obviously, the circumstances surrounding the Green suspension are unusual, particularly because of how the Warriors forward simply has not learned his lesson from previous discipline. He served a five-game suspension earlier in the season for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, then lost his cool with officials in his very first game back. That about sums it up, and explains why both the league and the Warriors themselves wanted to make sure they got through to Green this time.
The NBA said Green would have to comply with certain requirements before being reinstated by the league. It remains to be seen what those are, but we can safely assume he will be out for quite a while.
