Draymond Green was ejected yet again during another Warriors loss last night, as he whacked Phoenix Suns' forward Jusuf Nurki? in the face for seemingly no reason during an inbound play. While Green — who has now been ejected three times this season — has already offered a half-hearted apology for his most recent violent offense, his coach Steve Kerr needed more time to digest his players' antics.
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BREAKING: Draymond Green has been ejected https://t.co/ZRphQekEPX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 13, 2023
During a postgame press conference Tuesday night — after his Warriors' 119-116 loss against the Suns and fell to 10-13 on the season — Kerr was asked his thoughts on Green's hit on Nurki?. Initially, all Kerr mustered for a response was, "I haven't seen it, I haven't seen a replay. So I have no comment on it."
While it's hard to believe that Kerr hadn't seen a replay, considering that Green's offense must have been showed on the Suns stadium's jumbotron at least a dozen times afterward, props to Kerr for pleading the fifth.
Yet, Kerr had more to say when it came to how Green's ejection swung (pun intended) the game's momentum against Golden State.
"It was a huge swing," Kerr said about losing Green mid-game. "We kinda felt good about having him at the five and spreading the floor ... thought that could really get Steph some space. ... So I felt good about having him out there but lost his poise."
Steve Kerr on losing Draymond Green to an ejection mid-game again pic.twitter.com/z7pwVAn605
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 13, 2023
Kerr went on, noting how unfortunate it is for Green — who recently served a five-game suspension for putting Timberwolves' center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold last month, and who will now likely face another multiple-game suspension because of his actions Tuesday night — to keep missing time while the Warriors keep losing.
"Yeah we need him. We need Draymond," Kerr said postgame. "He knows that. We've talked to him. He's gotta find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates.
While it remains to be seen how many games Green will miss due to this most recent ejection, it's clear that suspensions aren't enough incentive for him to stop displaying violence on the court.
Considering the Warriors' poor form of late, Klay Thompson's continued poor play, and Green's penchant for ridiculously aggressive outbursts, it might be time for the Warriors to move on from the core that won them four NBA championships from 2015-2022. They should keep Steph Curry, of course — but they won't want to waste the second half of Curry's career with players whose best days are behind them.
