Enough is enough. NBA should suspend Draymond Green for rest of November after chokehold
Draymond Green’s antics already bordered on WWE theatrics – the way he trash talks with opponents and riles the opposing crowd into more jeers for him.
Draymond Green, the perfect heel, the ultimate Warrior.
It was only a matter of time, it seemed, before he crossed from Royal Rumble to UFC.
That happened Tuesday when an altercation that started between Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels roped in the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert and Green who put Gobert in a chokehold and dragged him away.
In a pool report following the game, which Minnesota won 104-101, NBA referee Tyler Ford called Green’s actions on Gobert a headlock. He could’ve easily called it a chokehold.
A suspension is coming for Green. Even in an altercation, Green’s conduct has no place in the league. The only question: how long is the suspension? One game? Three games? Five games? Ten games?
That’s up to NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars who oversees league discipline. Last spring in the playoffs, the NBA suspended Green for one game against Sacramento for “stepping on the chest” of Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
The league has walked a tightrope with Green, recognizing the fire with which he plays and the unsportsmanlike activities he has committed.
In announcing Green’s punishment for a playoff game in April, the league noted, “The suspension was based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
In a follow-up conversation with USA TODAY Sports, Dumars said, ““It was a dangerous and unnecessary act. The second thing was conduct detrimental (to the league). And the third thing was repeat offender. And that's how we got to a suspension. It was a totality of all of those three things.”
Green checks all three boxes in his latest nonsense. Dangerous and unnecessary. Conduct detrimental to the league. Repeat offender.
That calls for a multi-game suspension. A stronger message is required. It needs pain and discomfort for Green and the Warriors who are struggling at 6-6 with four consecutive losses and without Steph Curry (sidelined with an injury) in a Western Conference that is better and deeper this season than it was last season.
The Warriors thrive on Green’s presence though it’s worth noting the Warriors have been better defensively with Green off the court than on. They are minus-18 with Green on the court and plus-44 with him on the bench in his nine games this season, according to nba.com/stats.
The league will take into account Green’s history, and it also should take into account his dislike of Gobert. Not all players get along but the Gobert-Green feud has played out over social media. The dislike was prominent when Green made fun of Gobert for crying over a 2019 All-Star snub.
It continued when Gobert posted on X “Insecurity is always loud,” after video of Green punching then-teammate Jordan Poole was leaked. When Gobert got into it with teammate Kyle Anderson last season, Green posted on X, “Insecurity is always loud.”
During an in-game interview with Green at the 2022 All-Star Game, the TNT NBA crew mentioned Green’s name with Gobert’s name. Green interrupted and said, “You keep mentioning me in the same sentence as him, we’re not alike.”
In a chance to go straight for Gobert, Green did. The dislike became too personal.
A three-game suspension should be the minimum. Five games might be the sweet spot that pacifies several sides, but a two-week suspension through the rest of November that covers seven Warriors games is the message Dumars and the league need to deliver.
Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on X @JeffZillgitt