Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has begun treatment and is expected to remain out through suspension for at least the next three weeks, league sources said.
The NBA announced an indefinite suspension for Green on Wednesday for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during a game a night earlier. Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and chief of basketball operations, said in a statement that Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” was a factor in the decision.
League sources said Green, 33, was expected to receive counseling and work with the Warriors and the NBA while he was suspended. People around Green and the organization said the four-time NBA champion was understanding and willing to undergo the process necessary to return to the team in a full capacity. Those sources declined to reveal the details of Green’s consultation out of respect for his privacy.
A three-week time frame would mean his suspension would extend for approximately 12 games.
Green’s latest incident, his 20th career ejection, occurred in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game between the Warriors and Suns. Green appeared to be struggling with post positioning against Nurkić near the corner, spun around and nailed Nurkić in the face with a wild right arm. Nurkić fell and remained on the ground for about a minute.
The referees stopped the game for a review, which didn’t take long. Green was ejected and didn’t even contest it. He ran straight to the locker room.
After the match, Green apologized to Nurkić. He said that it wasn’t intentional and that he was trying to sell a foul by waving his arms.
“As you know, I’m not the type to apologize for things I meant to do, but I apologize to Jusuf. Because I wasn’t going to hit him,” Green said. “I sell calls with my arms.”
Green’s suspension is the sixth of his NBA career and second this season. The league also suspended Green for five games in November for his involvement in an altercation against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Green put Rudy Gobert in a headlock. Last season he served two separate one-game suspensions: one for accumulating 16 technical fouls and a second in the playoffs for stomping on Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis.
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Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he thought an indefinite suspension for Green made sense to help the 12th-year veteran make a change.
“For me this is more than just basketball. It’s about helping Draymond,” Kerr said. “I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away and change his approach and his life and that’s not an easy thing to do. It’s not something you say, ‘OK, five games and then he’ll be fine.'”
The Warriors (12-14) are 2-1 after Green’s ejection. They went 2-3 during his previous five-game suspension.
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