Warriors’ Draymond Green must stay true to his word that problem won’t linger

SAN FRANCISCO – Instead of focusing on the first-half performance of Jimmy Butler, the second-half showing of Steph Curry, the overall impact Brandin Podziemski and a long list of players had contributing to a 23-point Warriors win Monday night, all talk has been consumed by Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr’s public heated argument during a third-quarter timeout. The voice that stood out the most following the incident wasn’t Green or Kerr. A dejected Curry spoke to the bigger picture at hand, a problem that can grow if not taken care of immediately. “It’s unfortunate that we’re up here after considering where we’ve been, two-game win streak and protecting our home court, that the vibes of the questions are a little bit more negative than they should be,” Curry said. “I get why you’re asking them.”Curry did not want to answer questions about the incident. He knew he’d have to. Curry was looking at the box score when first asked about it and requested the reporter to repeat the question. “Just having a good conversation,” he sarcastically answered. “That’s kind of for them to talk about, not me,” Curry continued. There lies the problem. Curry was a perfect 6 of 6 from the field and 3 of 3 from 3-point range in the third quarter after missing all six of his threes in the first half to help him get to 26 points while also leading the team with six assists. Butler was aggressively in control in the first half as Curry struggled and efficiently reached 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting with six free throws. Moses Moody gave the Warriors three 20-point scorers in a game where he was 8 of 11 from the field and went 3 of 6 on threes. Off the bench, Podziemski was one of the best players on the floor for either team as a plus-36 that met the eye test. Gary Payton II provided constant energy in 10 minutes, as did Gui Santos in his 10. And then for Green himself, he was mostly solid in his 18 minutes with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists and one turnover. But he also was one of two Warriors (Will Richard) with a negative plus/minus. None of those numbers will be remembered. Him going back and forth at Kerr and eventually deciding on his own to leave the bench and go to the Warriors’ locker room is all that will be remembered. The decision to leave the bench solely was on Green. Once he decided to do so, Kerr wasn’t going to let him play again, beginning at the 8:31 mark of the third quarter. Both of Green and Kerr, as well others who spoke after the game, said the issue won’t linger. “We’re good. We’ll move forward. We’ll be all right,” Green said. History is why Green is confident this won’t spill over to a larger problem.“Because none of the other ones ever have,” Green said. “We still keep winning, so we’ll be all right.” But is this just a blip in the road, or an insight into something bigger? Green was ejected the previous game, a 119-116 win against the Phoenix Suns, for giving a profanity-laced argument at a referee. Moody, 23, was the one trying to hold Green back during his ejection. Moody also was the one physically holding onto Green on the bench Monday night and got in between Green and Kerr before assistant coach Anthony Vereen escorted him down the tunnel. The decision to remove himself from the situation can be taken multiple ways. Some might feel like Green quit on his team out of selfish emotions in the middle of a game while trailing. There also can be some maturity seen in Green feeling like the smartest decision was to cool himself down away from Kerr. “I just felt like it was best for me, and everybody,” Green said. “You stay in a hot situation, there’s no way to stop it. So I just wanted to remove myself.”The basketball of all this also has to be spoken about. The Warriors were a plus-16 after Green’s ejection Saturday night. They were even better without him Monday, outscoring the Magic 54-26 the rest of the game.“It means we’ve got guys on the bench who are dying to play,” Kerr said. “This is the NBA, and all these guys have their careers at stake. They want to win, they want to play. So when their opportunity comes up, they’re ready to play.”Green is turning the ball over more than ever before, and the Warriors still are at their best when he’s at his best – physically and emotionally. On a night where there was so much positive to focus on from a game where the Warriors earned their second straight win to get back to .500 (15-15), and the entire Chase Center crowd sang “Happy Birthday” for Draymond’s son DJ on his ninth birthday, the lasting image can’t be him losing his cool and having to take himself out. Even if this isn’t the last clash between Green and Kerr – and it likely won’t be – the problem can’t become public, and it can’t linger. Not now, not again. These Warriors can’t afford it, and neither can Green.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors’ Draymond Green must stay true to his word that problem won’t linger

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