Don't say Draymond Green didn't warn us.
I'm not talking about his proclivity for being ejected, his latest coming after a swinging backhand punch on Jusuf Nurkic, which was the 19th ejection of his career and earned him an indefinite suspension on Wednesday night.
You don't have to pay keen attention to the NBA to know this is nothing new for Green. He has a reputation that's well-earned for his on-court behavior, from kicking people in the private parts to stomping on Domantas Sabonis in April.
No one is caught off guard that Green once again lost control and wound up costing his team his services with an ejection.
Instead, you shouldn't view Green's ejection and upcoming suspension as the root cause of the Warriors' problem with Green.
It's a symptom.
This summer, Green took a victory lap. After Jordan Poole was traded and the Warriors gave Green a four-year, $100 million extension, he had this to say regarding the infamous incident in last year's training camp where Green decked Poole on camera:
"I don't just hit people. … Dialogue of course happens over time and you usually ain't just triggered by something that fast. … We know stuff you don't say amongst men."
Draymond speaks on the Jordan Poole incident 👀
(via @PatBevPod) pic.twitter.com/0ZsVuuRTSz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 19, 2023
What caught me about this is that Green won. The Warriors traded Poole — who has been awful for the Wizards — and gave Green a massive new deal. He won that battle. The talk going into this season was how trading Poole would fix the locker room uneasiness that supposedly sank the Warriors last year. Green said as much.
So why is he taking this shot on Poole on his way out? Why not just maintain "I've got to bet better?"
Then there's this from Bay Area reporter Monte Poole about Green's relationship with Jonathan Kuminga:
"[Draymond Green & Jonathan Kuminga's non-relationship] is a problem and it can only be fixed by Draymond. The new contract implies the Warriors believe he can fix it, but around the league there are a lot of people saying 'I don't know.'"
Monte Poole on @SteinyGuru957.
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 20, 2023
The entire relationship certainly seems not great.
So then you have not only the Warriors' on-court struggles this year, in which for the first time, the Warriors are losing the minutes Steph Curry and Draymond Green share the floor. For all the talk Green did about how everything was fixed and he wasn't the real problem, he hasn't been the solution, either.
This brings us to his suspensions this season and his response to them.
Here's what Green said after he hit Jusuf Nurkic:
"I didn't intend to hit him."
Green claims Nurkic was pulling his hip, and he swung around and didn't intend to hit him.
Let's not even argue the merits of Green's case here because it's beside the point. As it was with the incident earlier this season with Rudy Gobert and even the stomp on Sabonis, Green continues to maintain his innocence, or at least a lack of intent. (By the way, all three of the players he's picked up ejections for actions against lately are European players.)
Green's behavior isn't just indicative of a player sliding over the razor's edge of competitiveness, which has always kept him sharp but occasionally (like the 2016 Finals when he was suspended for a crucial Game 5 after hitting LeBron James in the bathing suit area) cuts both him and the team. It's indicative of Green sliding further and further on that edge and denying it.
Winning isn't just a cure-all; it's an armor that protects you from criticism. The flagrant fouls, the tirades, the conflict with Kevin Durant and Poole — all of it is part of the package deal with Green that's always been worth it for what he provides.
But when you're not winning, that conversation starts to shift. The value proposition and the cost-benefit calculation starts to turn. And that amps up the pressure, which in turn makes the player all the more defensive.
ESPN reports the league is pursuing a course of counseling for Green before legislating a number of games for his suspension.
Draymond Green, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., and Green’s agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports are expected to meet Thursday to start discussing a path of counseling and help for Green to move forward, sources said. The league didn’t want to put a specific number on the suspension,… https://t.co/OJNpoHtpNs
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 14, 2023
The NBA is speaking plainly here, telling Green that not only has he violated their policies, but that he's also out of control.
Green has been indicating this for some time because to be in control means understanding when you're wrong and genuinely absorbing a change in behavior.
I often think about a conversation on the difference between regret vs. remorse.
Regret is personal: you wish you could have done things differently for how things turned out for you. Remorse is feeling responsibility for the harm caused and pain or discomfort over the harm done to others.
Draymond Green has a lot of regret about his actions, but it's pretty clear he has very little remorse. That isn't subtle. Green has let us know that for a long time.
The question is whether the NBA can actually guide him toward the requisite remorse to instill change, or if Green's success has built an armor too tough to overcome.
If the Warriors and Green can't find a way to change his heart, they at least have to change the behavior. But for one of the fiercest competitors the game has seen, it may be too late. Age has caught the Warriors, and we may simply be seeing the last gnashing of teeth from a lion in winter.
