Getty Jordan Poole and Draymond Green celebrate a play during a win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Golden State Warriors saw a heated moment between teammates during a timeout in Wednesday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the team’s top brass doesn’t seem too concerned about the drama.
Cameras caught an argument between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole on the bench during a break in play during the third quarter. The spat grew so heated that other teammates had to step in to get between the two, but they eventually smoothed it over and went back to work in dispatching the Timberwolves. A day after the incident, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Bob Myers both spoke out, downplaying the situation and saying it was already behind the team.
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Kerr Not Worried
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Kerr was asked about the argument and whether it was still a concern for him and the team. The Warriors coach said that the pair hashed things out pretty quickly afterward and that he didn’t mind seeing such a passionate response from the veteran Green.
“One of the things we love about Draymond is his energy, his passion and we all know that sometimes it bubbles over,” Kerr said. “The great thing with Dray is he’s always about the team and always circling back. His loyalty and his passion always lands in the right spot.”
Steve Kerr says Draymond and JP hashed out the problems from a heated argument caught on-camera last night
Myers went a step further, saying it was actually “healthy” for players to get into it sometimes, likening it to a spat between family members.
“Teams need that, I know that if you don’t know a team and you just see that, you might say ‘What’s the deal with that,’ ” Myers said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “You gotta understand within any group or family, that is important, that kind of tension, that kind of passion and competitiveness, players getting on each other. In a weird way, I’m not trying to brush it over, it is important to have. I walked into the locker room and they were talking to each other and Draymond was explaining what he was upset about, and Jordan was like ‘OK, I got it.’ ”
Warriors Rolling
The in-game tiff between Green and Poole came during what has otherwise been a harmonious season for the Warriors. The team has surged out to a league-best 10-1 record, getting important contributions from the top of the rotation to the bottom. As Benyam Kidane of The Sporting News noted, Golden State ranked third in the league in bench scoring through the first nine games of the season.
“Their clever off-season additions in Nemanja Bjielica, Otto Porter and returning franchise legend Andre Iguodala have underscored the bench renaissance, with the trio providing a strong mix of scoring, floor spacing and playmaking — mainly from Iguodala, who dished out a season-high 10 assists in their 126-85 win over the New Orleans Pelicans,” Kidane noted.
What a gift that would be!
Klay Thompson reportedly could return to the Warriors before Christmas 👏
There is more help on the way for the Warriors. Second-year center James Wiseman, out since April after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, could be ready to return in the coming weeks. Klay Thompson, who missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, is also due to return sometime before the end of December.
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