San Francisco – Draymond Green took an indefinite leave from the team after his altercation with teammate Jordan Poole last Wednesday. Tonight, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the media after Golden State’s 131-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Kerr said Green will rejoin the team for practice this Thursday and play Friday night in the teams preseason finale.
“Green has been fined but he will not be suspended,” Kerr said. “It’s been an exhausting process, we feel like this is the best way, after assessing everything for us to move forward. This is the biggest crisis that we’ve ever had since I’ve been a head coach here.”
Green has been suspended in the past for his aggressive behavior. But his attack on Jordan Poole has set him further apart from his teammates and the organization. After TMZ leaked a video showing the altercation, the Warriors thought it would be best that he take more time away from the team until they sort things out.
“There has been a lot of discussions behind the scenes and Jordan has obviously been involved in this,” explained Kerr. “The players have had meetings, Steph [Curry] has been working like crazy to try and figure out the best way to move forward. Draymond and Jordan got together and had a great discussion that I think will help us move forward.”
Green has had a number of incidents with the team and this recent situation is the most severe. His floor presence is needed as Green’s leadership helps structure the teams defense. But the trust has been broken and with the number of new young guys Green will have to win their trust back as well as his teammates and the organization.
“Trust is a huge part of this,” said Kerr. “We’ve got all these young guys who don’t know him, Draymond will have to build relationships with them. And that’s a big part of this process. I’m going to pay close attention to our young players and how they look at Draymond because it’s a crucial part for this team this year and going forward.”
Photo by Warriors/Twitter
