Tuesday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves featured a chaotic brawl that resulted in three ejections just two minutes into the game. And to nobody’s surprise, Warriors star forward Draymond Green was at the center of the altercation.
The incident occurred after Warriors star Klay Thompson and Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels got tied up which turned into a shoving match. Players from both sides then came into the fray to break up with situation.
Green then came into the picture, putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock and dragging him to the other side of the court.
The Warriors and Timberwolves got chippy just two minutes into their in-season tournament game 😳
Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels were all ejected. pic.twitter.com/m7UvULewa2
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 15, 2023
This resulted in Green’s ejection from the game along with both Thompson and McDaniels. And it became a talking point on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, where former NBA center Kendrick Perkins criticized Green for his latest on-court altercation.
“It don’t lie, we all saw the film,” said Perkins. “We all saw what happened. When I saw that, I saw bad intentions from Draymond Green. I see a guy that can completely keep doing the same thing towards his behavior on how he is coming at guys in certain situations on the floor.”
"I saw bad intentions from Draymond Green… Adam Silver has to set an example and make a statement when it comes down to Draymond Green. And I'm looking at 5 to 10 games."- Kendrick Perkins pic.twitter.com/Quk7Imu1Uj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 16, 2023
Green went on to acknowledge his obvious skills on the court, but also called for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to “make a statement” when it comes to disciplining Green.
“We know that Draymond Green is a Hall of Famer,” Perkins added. “We know that he is a leader. But we also know that he is a veteran. Other guys around the league look up to him as a veteran. With that being said, Adam Silver has to set an example and make a statement when it comes down to Draymond Green. I’m looking at five to ten games.”
This plea from Perkins for a five to ten-game suspension for Green came before any official disciplinary actions came down from Adam Silver. Shortly after this quote from Perkins, he received his wish, as Green was handed a five-game suspension from the NBA.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski spoke about the decision from the NBA later on NBA Countdown.
Adrian Wojnarowski expands on his report that the NBA has suspended Draymond Green for 5 games.
That’s followed by reaction to the decision from Zach Lowe, Michael Wilbon, and Kendrick Perkins. https://t.co/HE5sLFNxnh pic.twitter.com/EAOmHOlin1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 16, 2023
Green’s actions were obviously far over the line, so the suspension certainly makes sense considering the NBA dealt with an image issue for years after violent altercations in the past like the “Malice in the Palace”.
