Draymond Green is all for co-existing with Jordan Poole, but the veteran is “not sure” about the possibility of the two being friends again.
It’s been an eventful few days in the Golden State Warriors camp, if it was the altercation between the two players that did the initial rounds, the leaked video of Green throwing a punch at Poole just escalated the issue further.
The aftermath saw the 32-year-old taking some time off the team and the management imposing an undisclosed fine.
Speaking to the media for the first time after his return to the fold ahead of their preseason skirmish against the Denver Nuggets, Green said he was ready to put the past behind him and focus on the season ahead.
Per a TMZ report, the forward said he spent time with his kids during the time off and had “long days” after the murky incident during practice. But what was interesting was his thought on his relationship with Poole going forward.
“I’m not sure. As I said before, that’s not up to me. Nor do I think there’s much relevance.”
“Quite frankly, we both know how to play basketball and that is the most important for us. We’re paid to do a job and we’re gonna come and do that job to the best of our ability. We wanna continue to win so we gonna do what we have to do to win.”
According to the outlet, the beef between the two players started in the parking lot and eventually came to a head during the practice session. While Poole reportedly called several fouls, Green was said to have repeatedly used an expletive.
Draymond Green Intends To Keep It Professional Over The Course Of The Season
While addressing the media, Green made it clear that both he and Poole will keep it professional and focus on the larger picture — winning another championship. The side heads in as defending champions, and irrespective of the other factors off the hardwood, he was solely focused on the task at hand.
Both Green and Poole were instrumental in the Warriors’ title run. While the former played 46 games and averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, while the young gun notched up 18.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.4 rebounds from 76 games.
“As far as us moving forward, Jordan’s a professional, I’m a professional. We have a job to do. We both have experienced a lot of winning over the course of our lives and we know what that takes. So we’re going to just that, what it takes to win.”
From his statement, it’s clear that Green and the rest of the team are looking at the larger picture, and the two will hopefully reconcile over the course of the season. It all remains to be seen when they take the court on Opening Night (October 18) against the Los Angeles Lakers.
