Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been suspended five games by the NBA after he was ejected on Tuesday night for choking Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Green came to the defense of his teammates, such as Warriors guard Klay Thompson, but clearly took matters too far.
Gobert mentioned after the game that Green's actions were predictable, given Steph Curry's absence. This is just the latest in a long history of unceremonious ejections for Green, a player who wears his heart on his sleeve and oftens tests the limits of the league's officiating crew. Gobert felt fortunate that Green was unable to get much of a grip around his neck.
"He's grabbing me, he's grabbing me, he's grabbing me," Gobert recalled, per The Athletic. "(But) the choke wasn't good enough. Yeah, it wasn't enough for me to really have to (go to sleep). But he tried. He tried really hard, but it wasn't good enough to where I felt like I was really in danger of falling asleep or something like that."
Draymond Green's suspension could have been much worse
Green's suspension could have been worse -- some thought double digits -- given his long history with Gobert and the ferocity in which he ran towards the Timberwolves players. While Warriors coach Steve Kerr and even his own teammates to some extent defended Green, most around the league knew some form of punishment was coming. Five games -- especially at this point in the regular season -- shouldn't come back to haunt the Warriors.
When will Draymond Green come back from suspension?
Green will miss the next five games for Golden State, including two games against the Thunder and separate matchups vs the Rockets, Suns and Spurs. Green should return from his suspension for an in-season tournament game against the Sacramenton Kings.
