NBA insider Chris Haynes claims Draymond Green apologized to Warriors’ teammates following suspension: “That wasn’t the right time”
Draymond Green is currently serving a five-game suspension because of his actions in the Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves matchup that took place two weeks ago. The incident that led to Green's sanction took place within two minutes after tip-off, before either team had put up a point on the scoreboard.
The scuffle started when Jaden McDaniels of the Timberwolves and the Warriors' Klay Thompson grabbed each other's jerseys. This led to some pushing and pulling between the two, which caused the other players on the court to intervene.
The first player to get there was center Rudy Gobert, who tried to restrain Thompson by holding him. However, the situation escalated further when Draymond Green suddenly placed Gobert in a chokehold, perhaps in an effort to protect his teammate.
In the aftermath of the scuffle, both McDaniels and Thompson were ejected but the most serious sanction of all was placed on Draymond Green. He was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and received a five-game suspension.
NBA Insider Chris Haynes was able to speak to Green concerning the suspension and according to Haynes, this is what he had to say.
"He actually apologized to his teammates for that," Haynes said in reference to Green. "He doesn't regret anything... He doesn't regret his past actions, he learns from them and he moves on but he said that was a situation where he had to apologize to his teammates... He said that was not the right time to be doing an action like that."
It is worth noting that this was not the first time that Green had been suspended and past actions contributed to the length of his most recent suspension. However, this came at a terrible time since the Warriors had been struggling to win consistently.
Also read: "Can't keep suspending me": Draymond Green defiantly reacts to NBA punishing him for past behavior.
How did the Warriors fare in Draymond Green's five-game absence?
The Golden State Warriors had a hot start to the season, going 6-2 in their first eight games. However, they dropped six games afterward, culminating in the game where Green was suspended.
In their first game without Draymond Green, they lost to the OKC Thunder 128-109. They had a chance for revenge as they faced the young Thunder squad in back-to-back games but they would again fall 130-123.
They got back in the win column in their next game, beating the Houston Rockets 121-116 but they failed to secure back-to-back wins as they lost to the Phoenix Suns in their next outing.
The last team they faced before Green's return would be the struggling San Antonio Spurs squad. They were able to capitalize on San Antonio's inexperience and lack of top-tier talent, beating them 118-112.
In Green's first game back after his suspension, the Warriors faced the Sacramento Kings. The game came down to the wire but Steph Curry missed a potential game-winner and the Warriors lost 124-123.