Reports: Warriors not suspending Draymond Green indicative of Warriors’ plan to bestow championship ring to him on opening night
Some fans are irate following the Golden State Warriors' decision not to suspend Draymond Green. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the organization did not want to deny Green the opportunity of seeing the Warriors' 2022-23 championship banner hoisted.
Green was involved in a nasty fight with Jordan Poole during practice. The altercation ended with Green punching Poole in the face.
Several former players and pundits have dismissed the action, calling it a "normal occurrence" in the league. Many have cited examples of Michael Jordan getting physical with teammates, saying it is nothing new.
Nonetheless, the Warriors decided to handle the situation internally. Green was slapped with a fine, although the amount remains undisclosed.
On ESPN's "SportsCenter," Woj attempted to give an insight into the thought process of the franchise. He explained that if it was any other time during the season, Green would have likely been suspended.
But because of the ring presentation and hanging of the banner, the decision was different.
"I’m told that the Warriors put significant weight on the fact that opening night is also ring night and the hanging of the Warriors 2022 championship banner. And they simply weren’t gonna measure that as a one-out-of-82-game suspension, that if this incident had landed in the middle of the regular season, there’d probably be a suspension.
"If the Warriors weren’t defending champions and were just playing an ordinary opening night, there might very well be a suspension.
"But simply, Golden State did not want to punish Draymond Green in a way that he will miss opening night where he'd get his fourth ring with the Warriors and see his fourth banner during his tenure with Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, brought to the rafters."
Wojupdate https://t.co/qJ5gcMddMn
The Warriors won their seventh championship last season, their fourth in the last eight years. On Tuesday, the players will be presented with their championship rings before they begin their season against the LA Lakers.
Jordan Poole reportedly did not want Draymond Green suspended
While the decision was in the hands of the franchise, it was reported that they consulted with Poole on what steps to take. NBA analyst Marc J. Spears reported that Poole did not believe Green had to be suspended.
"They had Poole and Draymond speak in front of the team a couple of days ago, and Poole didn't think it was necessary that Draymond get a suspension," Spears said on 'NBA Today.' "It was put in front of the players whether they thought that Draymond deserved the suspension.
"What I was told is that the players weren't comfortable levying that on one of their own teammates. So, they wanted management to make that decision. And with that in mind, with what Poole and the teammates thought, the ownership and the front office decided that Green would not be suspended, that there would be an undisclosed fine."
Green has apologized for his actions and taken some time away from the team. However, coach Steve Kerr expects him to play in their final preseason game against the Denver Nuggets and the season opener.