Draymond Green’s wild chokehold on Rudy Gobert took the internet by storm this week and also resulted in a five-game suspension for the 4x NBA champion. For some, Dray’s latest actions are in line with his history as an enforcer for the Warriors, but others (like Metta World Peace) were caught off guard by the whole ordeal and are still wondering about where it all went wrong.
“Well, I want to talk to Draymond to make sure he’s ok,” said Metta. “He’s an energized player. This is something that I didn’t expect from Draymond. If you look at my career and you look at Draymond’s career, he’s got four rings, and he was always able to keep his energy under wraps. This [incident] is really surprising to me.”
Draymond alleges that his chokehold was in response to Rudy Gobert putting his hands on Klay Thompson, but video evidence shows that Gobert was just trying to break up a scuffle between Thompson and Jaden McDaniels. Regardless of the reasoning, Draymond crossed the line with his actions on Rudy, and even Warriors coach Steve Kerr came out after the game to condemn Dray’s behavior.
Dray’s Rap Sheet Is Undeniable
Any other player might have only received a one or two-game suspension for the scuffle vs. Minnesota, but the NBA has made it known that Green’s previous record of incidents was taken into account for his punishment. Unfortunately for Dray, his track record really isn’t good when it comes to crossing the line.
Dating back to the height of the Warriors’ dynasty, Dray was renowned for his wild “swing kicks” that hit opposing players in the groin on multiple different occasions. In 2016, he got himself suspended in the Finals for accumulating too many technical fouls throughout the season. Most famously, he punched and knocked out his own teammate, Jordan Poole, in a pre-season scuffle that leaked to the public. Between these isolated events and Draymond’s short temper on the court, it makes sense why the NBA is done taking it easy on the 4x All-Star. At this point, even the Warriors seem over his antics and everyone can agree that his latest suspension is well-deserved.
The End Of An Era In San Francisco
At 6-7 on the season, the Warriors have looking shockingly mediocre. Despite getting rid of Jordan Poole, and preaching positive locker-room vibes all summer, the Warriors are struggling to separate themselves as a contender in the West this season. Klay Thompson, who is having the worst season of his career, is a huge reason for the slide but Draymond’s antics are doing little to help the situation. In what many fans are seeing as a resistance against his own decline, Dray has been acting up more than ever before in his 12th NBA season.
And yet, even with everything going on, the Warriors are still a threat to win with Stephen Curry on the team. At full strength, Steph is still among the top three players in the game, and his performance this season is almost single-handedly keeping the Warriors alive. Currently, with Steph set to miss some time, these next few games will be a big test for Golden State and for Klay Thomson in particular, who is expected to bounce back into form any day now.
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