While Golden State Warriors fans are happy to have Draymond Green back, a whole lot of other NBA viewers are quite disappointed with how his punishment turned out.
Draymond Green’s Reinstatement
Green has been reinstated by the NBA on Saturday after a little over three weeks of suspension as a result of his hit to the face of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. His history of dirty plays and hurting his opponents played a role in the league’s decision to slap him with an indefinite suspension.
Aside from that, the NBA also explained that by not giving Green an exact amount of games that he’d be suspended, the Warriors forward would have more time to address his issues. The league required the one-time Defensive Player of the Year to undergo counseling and have progress meetings during his suspension.
After a 12-game absence, however, the league confirmed that Green has fulfilled all the requirements of his return and is now eligible to play again for Golden State.
“During the period of his suspension, which began on Dec. 14 and resulted in him missing 12 games, Green completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players. He has engaged in meetings with a counselor and has met jointly on multiple occasions with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors, and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season,” the league statement reads, via Marc J. Spears of ESPN and Andscape.
Green will also have “regular check-ins” with the NBA and the Warriors even after his return, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. This is to ensure that Green stays committed to the progress he has made and that his previous actions won’t happen again.
Golden State Warriors Star’s Return Met Wit Criticisms
Unsurprisingly, many critics and detractors took issue with the rather quick turnaround of Draymond Green’s suspension.
For one, many pointed out that three weeks of counseling aren’t enough to change a person, especially someone like Draymond Green who has such a long history of dirty antics.
“I’m sure that 4 week therapy session has totally made him a whole new person…” an X user sarcastically said while reacting to Charania’s post about Green’s reinstatement. Another user had similar sentiments, saying: “You don’t solve problems with therapy in a short time. This some cap, but aight lol.”
An NBA critic furthered, “Indefinite suspension was a great move by the league because it let them give him a short suspension while making it look like they were dropping the hammer on him.”
Others were also bewildered by the fact that the Warriors vet just got 12 games of suspension for assaulting someone, while Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant got a 25-game suspension for waiving a gun on social media–all in a private setting while having fun in a car.
“The NBA suspended Ja for 25 games but only 12 to Draymond? Pathetic,” another commenter wrote.
A fourth critic added, “Ja suspended 25 for games – went on IG live and did nothing illegal. Draymond suspended 12 games – Physically Assaulted multiple people. NBA clearly had an agenda.”
Moreover, some also questioned the timing of the decision. After all, the Warriors just conveniently got Green back after Chris Paul suffered an injury that needs surgery, which will keep him sidelined for some time.
Green is expected to return to action after a week or less. Sure enough, both fans and haters will have their eyes on his return to the NBA floor.
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