Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green finds himself in another on-court controversy, this time for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on the head in the third quarter of their game Tuesday, December 12, held at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The fiery power forward was promptly ejected from the game after being assessed by the officials with a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2. The Dubs went on to narrowly lose the game, 119-116, dropping to 10-13 for the season, holding the 11th place in the Western Conference.
Green claimed that he intended to sell the call to the officials.
"[Nurkic] was pulling my hip, and I was swinging away to sell the call and made contact with him. As you know, I'm not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf. I didn't intend to hit him," the four-time All-NBA Defensive First Team said after the game.
League insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the NBA intends to suspend Green again this season. At the same time, analyst Stephen A. Smith predicted that the four-time NBA champion would face a suspension of at least ten games.
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3 Reasons the NBA Should Slap Draymond Green with Long Suspension:
1. Draymond Green is a repeat offender.
Just this season, Green has already been ejected three times. His first ejection occurred on November 11 against the Cleveland Cavaliers after an altercation with Donovan Mitchell, leading to his second technical foul.
His second ejection, more severe, occurred just a few days later, on November 14, after putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock early in the game. The 33-year-old received a five-game suspension for the incident.
Aside from his third ejection of the season on Tuesday night, Green has a long history of being overly physical against opponents throughout his career.
2. There is no place for such actions in the NBA.
The actions of the four-time NBA All-Star have no place in the league or any competition.
Green's earlier five-game suspension has been ineffective, as he has shown little remorse and repeated similar actions more egregiously, blatantly disrespecting Commissioner Adam Silver, the league as a whole, and its fans.
Given the presence of many young viewers, such behavior sets a poor example that should not be emulated.
3. Draymond Green's strike is dangerous.
Green's unsportsmanlike strike could cause serious harm and injury to Nurkic. The 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year directly hit the European big man's face with force, posing the risk of a black eye or even a concussion.
In a non-basketball context, such an action could lead to legal consequences, and Green might have already faced arrest by the police.
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