"Definitely took it too far": Steve Kerr admits Draymond Green's 5-game suspension was well deserved
As the dust cleared with cooler heads prevailing after the Golden State Warriors game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, Steve Kerr talked to the media regarding what he thought about what happened between Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert. The incident between both big men has been the lowlight in the celebrated NBA In-Season Tournament that is ongoing till early December.
During the altercation, Steve Kerr was on the court trying to separate players from further hurting themselves. In the midst of it all, the Warriors head coach found himself trying to dismantle Green's chokehold on Gobert.
Recalling what happened, Kerr was asked if Green overreacted after trying to pacify Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels by pulling each other's jerseys:
"He definitely took it too far," said Kerr to the media. "I didn't have a problem with him getting Rudy [Gobert] off Klay [Thompson] because the rule of thumb is you don't put your hand on a player on the other team. You get your own guy."
Steve Kerr was caught off guard by the incident, but after assessing the situation, he believes Rudy Gobert should not have grabbed Klay Thompson. Nonetheless, he still thinks that Draymond Green tried to do too much:
"With that, Rudy was wrong for putting his hands, arms around Klay regardless of his intentions. So I had no problem Draymond getting [Rudy] off but he's got to let go and hung on him for six, seven seconds," Kerr said.
Kerr says Green getting Gobert in a chokehold is detrimental to the NBA's image
The NBA has a worldwide audience and a chunk of that are young people who idolize their basketball heroes. With the rise of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the mid-2010s, many look up and see them as role models.
With the recent actions by Draymond Green against Rudy Gobert, Steve Kerr feels that the league did not have a good image and that the suspension was warranted:
"It was a terrible visual for the league, for Draymond, for everybody. So Draymond was wrong. He knows that. It's a bad look. Five games is deserved and we move forward," said Kerr.
The Golden State Warriors face the Oklahoma City Thunder next for two consecutive games after their brouhaha with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Draymond Green is expected to be back with the team on November 28, against the Sacramento Kings on the road at the Golden 1 Center.