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Warriors' Draymond Green on Dillon Brooks' Suspension: 'I Think It's Legit'
May 5, 2022
Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green believes the NBA's decision to suspend Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks for Game 3 of their second-round series was the right call.
Green said of Brooks' suspension on his podcast:
"I think it's legit. You get thrown out for a Flagrant 2 and, as I've said, clearly intent doesn't matter anymore. Whether he was intentional or not doesn't really matter to me. But the reality is, Gary Payton II is out for an extended period of time. It was a nasty fall, defenseless player, I get it. ... I respect the accountability from the NBA."
Brooks was ejected from Tuesday's Game 2 for a flagrant foul on Payton, who suffered a fractured elbow on the play. When Payton was driving to the basket early in the first quarter, Brooks hit him in the head from behind while he was in the air.
Payton hit the court hard and was in an immense amount of pain before exiting.
Payton is expected to miss at least one month because of the injury, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk). It's possible he returns this season if the Warriors reach the NBA Finals.
After Game 2, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called Brooks' flagrant foul on Payton "dirty."
"There is a code," Kerr said, as transcribed by Youngmisuk. "This code that players follow where you never put a guy's season [or] career in jeopardy by taking somebody out in midair and clubbing him across the head, ultimately fracturing Gary's elbow ... He broke the code. Dillon Brooks broke the code."
Payton had been a solid depth contributor for the Warriors this season. The 29-year-old put together his best year in the NBA, averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game during the regular season.
Through seven playoff games, Payton was averaging 6.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
As for Brooks, he has also had a significant impact for his team this year, finishing the regular season as Memphis' second-leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points in 32 games. Through eight playoff games, he is averaging 13.4 points.
The Warriors and Grizzlies are set to meet in Game 3 on Saturday, allowing both teams to make the necessary adjustments following the losses of Payton and Brooks, respectively.