Warriors' Kerr: Draymond Green Suspension a Chance to 'Step Away and Make a Change'
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacted to the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green on Thursday, after the veteran forward flailed at and struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić during Tuesday's game between the teams.
"The suspension makes sense," he told reporters Thursday. "To me, this is about more than basketball. It's about helping Draymond. It's an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life. And that's not an easy thing to do, that's not something you say, 'OK, we're going to do five games.' And then he's going to be fine. ... That's not the answer, to pick a number. The answer is to help Draymond."
"This is not just about an outburst on the court," he added. This is about his life."
In the past two years alone, Green has punched his own teammate at the time, Jordan Poole, in the face; put Rudy Gobert in a full chokehold from behind; and now hit Nurkić in the face, alongside a number of other technical fouls and ejections during that time.
"I want him to finish his career in a dignified manner… he crossed the line," Kerr said of the latest incident. "And he knows that. We want to support him the whole way through"
Green publicly apologized to Nurkić, saying his intent wasn't to hit him in the face.
"I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him," he told reporters after Tuesday's game. "I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him."
But at this point, Green has mostly lost the benefit of the doubt in the court of public opinion.
"What's going on with him? I don't know," Nurkić himself told reporters. "Personally, I feel like that brother needs help. I'm glad he didn't try to choke me. At the same time, it ain't nothing to do with basketball."
Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said earlier on Thursday that Green would have the chance to remain around the team during his suspension:
While he's absent from games, the struggling Warriors (10-13) will have to find a way to regain their mojo. Green has long been an important playmaker on offense and the team's defensive lynchpin, so his absence will absolutely be felt.
"All the pieces fit for a reason," Stephen Curry told reporters on Tuesday regarding Green. "They have for a very long time. When you're missing one, it's tough. ... We need everybody available; that's how we're built. It's no secret to our success."
That blueprint is certainly being tested this season, however.
