Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green’s recent actions have left the NBA community divided. Some think, that the punishment is too harsh considering the league used to be more physical back in the day, whereas some believe there is no room for such violence in the sport. Retired NBA forward Kenyon Martin also expressed his take On Gil’s Arena podcast, which is different from most of them, as he believes the Warriors star continues to get away with violent conduct because of no retaliation.
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While Martin claimed to love Green for his game, he believes the 4x NBA champ has got away with his actions. He also called out NBA players for letting the Warriors star continue punching, choking, and kicking them without any resistance or rebuttal.
“Ain’t nobody punched him in his s**t, dog. There’s been no consequence from the team, or the other 400-something guys in the league. Every time he’s done something, there’s been no reaction to where somebody be like, ‘Damn, you see what they did to Draymond? Draymond did this and somebody punched the s**t out of him.”
This is Green’s second stint on the sidelines this season for violent conduct. He served a five-game suspension for choking Rudy Gobert during a skirmish that ensued in the Warriors’ In-Season Tournament loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This incident led to the second of Green’s three ejections this season.
The first came on November 11th when the Warriors forward was ejected against the Cleveland Cavaliers for committing two technical fouls. Green received his second technical for getting into a squabble with Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who was upset about the veteran forward shoving him unprovoked on the play before.
But things went from bad to worse against the Suns, when Green received an indefinite suspension for slapping Jusuf Nurkic. Despite getting involved in multiple incidents, Green hasn’t faced retaliation as Martin revealed. Perhaps, due to the strict rules of the NBA these days, other players are not very sure if giving the veteran a taste of his own medicine will be worth it.
Draymond Green and Steve Kerr react to indefinite suspension
Draymond Green spoke to reporters after his ejection from the game against the Suns for punching Jusuf Nurkic. The Warriors star apologized to the Suns center, but also seemed to blame him for the incident:
“I’m not one to apologize for things I meant to do. But I do apologize to Jusuf. Even though I didn’t intend to hit him, I sell calls with my arms. I don’t fall to sell a call. I’m not a flopper. I was just selling the call because he was grabbing and pulling my hip. So, I spun away. And, unfortunately, I hit him. So, I apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr feigned ignorance in the aftermath of Draymond Green’s ejection against the Suns, claiming he did not see what transpired. However, the veteran coach changed his tune and said the Warriors star needs to reflect upon his actions. Following the Warriors’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last week, Kerr was asked about Green’s indefinite suspension. He said:
“To me, this is about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond. I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach and his life and that’s not an easy thing to do. That’s not something you say, ‘OK, five games and then he’s going to be fine.’”
The Warriors have gone 7-8 in Green’s absence and are 11th in the Western Conference standings. It’s unclear when the Warriors will have their veteran forward back in the lineup. However, given his track record of violence, the league should prioritize safeguarding other players and keep him out until he’s no longer a threat to others.
