Less than three weeks after returning to the court from a 5-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold, Draymond Green was ejected again last week, this time for swinging his arm wildly and hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face while, in his words, trying to sell a foul call.
It was the latest instance of Green crossing the line on the court, with a seemingly increased frequency in those kinds of acts over the last couple of years, headlined with his practice punch of Jordan Poole and stomping Domantas Sabonis in the chest in last year’s playoffs. After the 5-game suspension failed to have the intended effect, the league met with the Warriors, Green, and Green’s representatives to figure out what a long-term solution could be. They landed on an indefinite suspension, with Green needing to go to counseling to work on his impulse control and anger management before he could return to the court.
While there’s no official timetable, Shams Charania offered some insight into the minimum of how long Green will be out, noting he’s expected to miss at least three weeks (which would be 12 games) and has started counseling.
The question for the league is what will they need to see from Green to prove he’s ready to return to the floor. This isn’t an issue that can be proven as resolved, so it comes down to what Green says and, one would think, an understanding that any further antics would lead to yet another significant suspension. In the meantime, the Warriors will need to navigate an extended period without their longtime defensive anchor, as they try to claw their way back into playoff contention in the West after a rough start to the season.