The NBA has come down pretty hard on Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green for his latest incident. Against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, Green hit center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, which resulted in a Flagrant-2 foul being assessed and ejection from the game.
It was the third time that Green has been ejected this season. After the game, he apologized to Nurkic, saying he was just attempting to sell a foul and inadvertently hit him in the face. Given his lengthy list of transgressions, the NBA opted to suspend him indefinitely so that he can seek the help he needs.
This is the second suspension of the season for Green. He had just returned to the court on November 28th after receiving a five-game for his part in an altercation with the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 12th when he put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors Updates
Gobert is familiar with garnering attention from Green in years past. He is regularly on the receiving end of taunts and intimidation tactics. Despite that, Gobert has taken the high road when discussing the recent incident his rival was involved in. Instead of piling on and expressing anger, Gobert expressed concern for Green.
“I have empathy for him,” Gobert told ESPN on Thursday night after his Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks. “You see somebody that’s not well inside and suffering. You take away the game and all that, and you want somebody to be well and be able to do what we do every night and compete and be happy.”
In Gobert’s opinion, the jarring suspension is one that was necessary. Green’s actions are not only jeopardizing his team and their ability to succeed on the court, but he is also putting the safety of other players in danger because of the physical nature of his acts.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors Updates
Gobert agreed the suspension is a necessary step, but was unsure how fair it is because no one knows how long it will be. Green will be suspended indefinitely and has a few things he has to accomplish before the Warriors and NBA deem him ready to return.
“I’m not sure what that really means, so it’s hard to tell,” Gobert said. “I mean, you don’t want someone to get badly hurt. You’ve got to fix that. That’s it.”
Green has no one but himself to blame for how things have transpired. A multi-time offender with a “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” something has to change. With an indefinite suspension, the NBA is hoping he can figure things out and this is the last time action will have to be taken against him.
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