The fallout from the Golden State Warriors practice clash between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole seems to be following the team around like a cloud, despite their best efforts to move on from it. Media members keep asking players about the clash and their opinions on it, keeping the story relevant at all times.
The latest player to share his thoughts on the matter is DeMar DeRozan, who was speaking to The Athletic. DeRozan didn’t want to comment, considering the lack of information about the motivations behind the punch. However, he did insist incidents like this can make a team stronger.
“One, we don’t know what happened, what was said. And granted, I’ve been in plenty of gyms, practices, where altercations happened, whether it was two guys or a group of guys. And a lot of times when I’ve been around that, you come back even better. Especially when the guys understand what was at hand. So, for me, I definitely look at it from a different light. That’s what families do. It sucks that everybody puts their opinions on it, but it happens.” (h/t The Athletic)
DeRozan wasn’t a part of the Chicago Bulls when the last time a fight between teammates was widely reported. That took place between Nikola Mirotic and now Bucks player Bobby Portis, with Portis sending Mirotic to the hospital with one punch.
Is This Issue Still Plaguing The Warriors?
The Golden State Warriors dynamic seems relatively unaffected on the court since the clash between Green and Poole. Both players have insisted on putting the incident behind them, with Draymond apologizing and Poole seemingly accepting. The Warriors do have problems on the court, but they do not concern Poole’s relationship with Draymond.
The Warriors are an organization that is bred to win championships. When the time to put all their chips in the middle comes, Draymond will have Poole’s back if it ensures another championship for them, and Poole would likely do the same for Draymond. Whether this fight means that Draymond will not be given a good contract extension by the Warriors remains to be seen.
