Steve Kerr on Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension: “To me this is
about more than basketball”
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Draymond Green needs time to
heal before return

>Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talks to Golden State
Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) during a break in action against the Los
Angeles Lakers in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball
Western Conference semifinal playoff series at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area
News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 14, 2023 at 6:50 p.m. | UPDATED: December 14, 2023
at 6:50 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/12/14/steve-kerr-on-draymond-greens-indefinite-suspension-to-me-this-is-about-more-than-basketball/

LOS ANGELES — Steve Kerr addressed Draymond Green’s indefinite
suspension with a message of compassion.

Green will miss an undetermined number of games as he works through some
personal issues that are connected to his most recent on-court
outbursts, including hitting Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head on
Tuesday and choking Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert last month.

“To me this is about more than basketball,” Kerr said. “It’s about
helping Draymond. I think it’s an opportunity for Draymond to step away
and to make a change in his approach and his life.

“This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I have known for a
decade, who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his
love for his teammates and family. Trying to help that guy because the
one who choked Rudy, the one who flailed at Jusuf, who punched Jordan
(Poole) last year. That’s the guy who has to change. Everything before
that, what are we really talking about? Throwing a ball, yelling at a
ref. It’s clear he needs the opportunity to change and that’s what an
indefinite suspension gives him the opportunity for.”

Kerr reiterated general manager Mike Dunleavy’s statement that Green
will be allowed to practice with the team during his suspension. There
are no details about the nature of counseling Green will get. Kerr added
that Green “needs a little space” from the organization to sort through
his life.

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“I’m confident he can come out on a better side,” Kerr said. “I know
him, you know him, he’s an incredible human being. He’s a very complex
human being.”

Green hinted at internal tumult after video leaked of him punching Poole
during training camp last year, saying “hurt people hurt people.” Green
wasn’t issued a suspension then, but took time away from the team and
returned for ring night to open the season.

The NBA suspended him for a game in the playoffs last season for
stomping on Domantas Sabonis, saying he received harsher punishment as a
repeat offender. That same rule applied when Green choked Gobert in
November, earning him a five-game suspension.

- Gary Payton II will be re-evaluated for his calf strain in one week,
the Warriors said. Payton injured his calf on Nov. 28 and missed five
games since then, but will resume individual on-court activities this week.