Yardbarker
x
Draymond Green to rejoin Warriors Thursday
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Draymond Green won't be suspended, rejoins Warriors Thursday

What would the Golden State Warriors do in response to Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole? The incident was caught on camera and leaked to TMZ, and the answer is fine Green then let him come back after a week off.

Head coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors' 131-98 win over Portland, "I expect (Green) to play Friday in our last preseason game and on opening night...We feel like this is the best way to move forward."

Kerr said the past week had been full of "discussions with key figures in our organization, including Jordan and Draymond, of course" and called it "an exhaustive process." 

The most important discussion was between Poole and Green, who had a conversation that Kerr claims will "help us move forward."

Green punched Poole after the two exchanged words during practice, though everyone involved said the argument was essentially a normal practice fight, not related to Poole and Green's potential contract extensions. According to Draymond he was simply "dealing with some personal stuff" when he exploded at Poole.

Kerr called the incident "the biggest crisis we've ever had since I started coaching here", and it's certainly the only time a physical altercation between teammates has become public. Most of the crises seem to involve Draymond, from his public argument with Kevin Durant that drew a one-game suspension in 2018, to his locker room tirade during halftime of a game in Oklahoma City in 2016 where he allegedly went after Kerr, to Green's suspension during the 2016 NBA Finals.

There's no clear precedent for dealing with this sort of incident. The Chicago Bulls suspended Bobby Portis for eight games after his punch sent teammate Nikola Mirotic to the hospital in 2017. The difference may be that Mirotic missed seven weeks recovering from the punch, while Poole was putting up shots minutes after the one-sided brawl. Poole scored 25 points in 23 minutes against the Lakers on Sunday night, showing no signs of impairment.

The Warriors didn't disclose the amount of Draymond's fine, though if the team's security with video is any guide, that number should leak shortly.

Ultimately, the only suspension of note was that of Draymond's mother's Twitter account. Mary Babers Green defended her son against the claim he "sucker punched" Poole, arguing, "Dray didn't aggressively go to Poole. His hands were down. Man to Man you go over to talk (to ask what's up, what you say)! Got shoved and reacted.. End of story." After a day of backlash, Babers Green chose to deactivate her account on Tuesday. She was not fined by Twitter.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.