Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green claims he and his team’s head coach, Steve Kerr, cried to each other following his most recent suspension.
“Coach Kerr came to visit me after shoot-around and we sat in the yard, he cried, I cried,” the former champion said in a video posted Monday to his YouTube channel.
The NBA suspended Green indefinitely in December after he struck another player in the face.
“I want you to end this the right way,” Green said Kerr told him at the time.
Green’s suspension was his second of the season and whopping sixth of his career.
Sorry, Dray, I ain’t buying it. I am a big believer in redemption and in second chances but Green has had a second and a third and many more chances on top of it. (Draymond Green Suspended After Slamming The Ball Into Russell Westbrook’s Head)
To his credit, Green showed more contrition in this video than in any of his past “apologies,” admitting, “I let the Warriors organization down, I let the NBA down. My family, my self, my partners.”
But, see, Draymond, that’s the problem; we’ve heard and seen this before. One of the first videos that comes up when you type “Draymond Green” into YouTube is a fourteen-minute compilation of him starting fights and taunting other players.
This has been an oft-repeated pattern and if nobody else will say it, I will: Draymond Green is a danger to his fellow NBA players. He consistently crosses the line of physical play into downright violent behavior. I don’t care how many tears he cried, I don’t care how heavyhanded the apology is — he should not be allowed back on an NBA court.
The league, however, disagrees with me. The NBA reinstated Green from his indefinite suspension Saturday, claiming he “demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players.” The league also says he has been engaging in counseling sessions, which will continue throughout the season.
The veteran forward, signed to a $100 million contract in June, missed 12 games total from the suspension. The missed games cost him a little more than $1.9 million in lost wages, according to NBA.com.
Green did not play during the sputtering Warriors’ 133-118 point loss Sunday to the Toronto Raptors but he was present on the team’s bench. All signs point to the violent veteran suiting up Wednesday when his Warriors take on the New Orleans Pelicans at home. My advice to the Pelicans? Wear a cup.