Getty Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green reacts after colliding with Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.
The NBA league office has officially rendered judgment on Draymond Green in the wake of the Golden State Warriors star’s run-in with Sacramento Kings pivot Domantas Sabonis on Monday night. While opinions on the hoops blogosphere have varied about what the appropriate response is, Green ultimately received a one-game suspension for stomping on his counterpart.
Under normal circumstances, a one-game suspension might not seem so bad for such an incident. In this case, though, the suddenly shorthanded Warriors find themselves in real danger of going down 0-3 in their first-round series with Sacto.
On Wednesday, Warriors president Bob Myers fielded questions about the incident and the resulting suspension for the first time. And while he hinted at the organization having major problems with Green’s punishment, he noted that there’s “no appellate court” and that once disciplinary action has been taken, “it’s over.”
Regardless of how the Dubs or their fans feel about the Game 2 fallout, NBA executive VP Joe Dumars clearly feels as though the league’s hand was forced in this instance.
League VP Joe Dumars Addresses ‘Excessive’ Actions of Warriors’ Draymond Green
Once part of the notorious “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons of the 1980s and early ’90s, Dumars now has the unenviable task of enacting disciplinary measures in these situations. And, as he sees it, a line was crossed by Green during Game 2. Dumars further cited Green’s years-long history of issues as having played a factor in his punishment.
“Here’s what it came down to: excessive and over-the-top actions, conduct detrimental and a repeat offender,” Dumars told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension.”
Even if Green had no previous incidents on file, however, Dumars stressed that the league would have done its due diligence.
“It may have been [different with a first-time offender], but the act itself still would have been looked at in a serious way — stomping on a guy’s chest. On the back end of this act, you add repeat offender and that’s how you end up getting to a suspension.”
On the ramifications of Green missing Game 3 on Thursday night, Dumars fully understands the gravity of the situation for the Warriors. But, in the end, he maintains that final judgment should be made based on the incident itself and the people involved.
“You know what the situation is, but you have to set that aside and look at the facts in front of you… Repeat offender weighs as heavy as anything.”
Green is averaging 6.0 points, 8.0 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in the Warriors-Kings series so far.
Domantas Sabonis Is Questionable for Game 3
While Green’s Game 3 fate has been determined, it’s not yet known whether Sabonis will be hitting the court with his teammates at Chase Center on Thursday. X-rays revealed that the three-time All-Star suffered a contusion of the sternum as a result of Green stepping on his chest.
As announced by Kings PR, he’ll be listed as questionable to appear in the game.
Over the first two games of the series against the Warriors, Sabonis has averaged 18.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per outing while connecting on 44.8% of his field-goal attempts.