Draymond Green shouldn’t have been suspended but it’s the price of a villain
Draymond Green can’t play up the role of a villain and then be surprised when he’s hit with the repercussions of his actions.
Down 2-0 to the Sacramento Kings in their first-round NBA playoff series, the Golden State Warriors are heading into what is likely a must-win scenario in Game 3 on their home floor. However, if the Warriors are going to cling to their playoff lives and try to scrap their way back into this series, they’re going to have to do so without Draymond Green who has officially been suspended one game for his Game 2 antics in which he stepped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest.
It actually sounds a lot worse than it looked in real-time. In fairness to Draymond, Sabonis was holding his leg in a manner that limited where Draymond could land said foot. In an attempt to break free, whether it was a smart decision, Draymond used Sabonis’ chest as a springboard to get down the floor.
In the end, Draymond was hit with a flagrant-2 foul and was ejected with minutes remaining in a close contest in Game 2. A one-game suspension for Game 3 was followed up late Tuesday night.
The argument and discourse surrounding whether it was a fair suspension or not are not important. That doesn’t matter. We can all agree that he probably shouldn’t have been suspended for Game 3 especially considering he was ejected in Game 2.
Draymond Green should not be surprised by the suspension
The bigger issue is that the Warriors or Draymond would come away as surprised considering these are the repercussions for playing up the villain role. And if there’s one thing that Draymond is known for at this point in his career, it’s being the villain.
Draymond can’t be willing to embrace the villain role, do villain-adjacent things, and then be shocked when he is suspended. Let’s be honest, the reason he was suspended was likely because he’s Draymond Green. Any other player, with no history of being such a player, likely gets away with a big fine.
Not Draymond. He’s campaigned his career by being a villain. He’s embraced it. He’s echoed it. It has been part of the success that the Warriors have had over the last eight years. And over the years, Draymond has had his previous issues.
He was suspended in the 2016 NBA Finals for kicking LeBron James in the crotch. Then he was sent away from the team during training camp this season for punching Jordan Poole. And now, once again, he finds himself in another piece of high-level drama.
This is the business of Draymond. Has he been instrumental in the Warriors’ recent success? Absolutely. But you can make the case that he’s cost the Warriors big too. The 2016 NBA Finals was one great example and this year’s series against the Kings may be the next.
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Heading into the offseason, the question is, do the Warriors want to keep gambling in the business of Draymond Green?