Draymond Green made his first public comments about his recent suspension on Sunday, and the Golden State Warriors forward is not happy with one aspect of his punishment.
Green suggested it was unfair that the NBA is punishing him more harshly in light of his previous offenses, which was part of the reason he got a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during an on-court scuffle.
The NBA had said the length of the suspension was partly because of Green’s status as a repeat offender.
Green is alluding to his suspension for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, which is viewed as part of the reason the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to rally back from a 3-1 deficit.
He did admit, however, that he has no choice but to account for that going forward.
The NBA will always take previous discipline into account, whether it is Green or anyone else. This is not new, and it is odd that Green would complain about it. The point, from the league’s perspective, is that if Green is not fixing his behavior despite previous punishments, then the sanctions need to be harsher.
Green’s own coach strongly condemned the actions that led to the suspension. If that is not enough to send a message, it is not clear what will.
More must-reads: