In a new podcast episode posted Thursday morning, Draymond Green took ownership of his latest on-court outburst, which earned him an ejection than four minutes into a game the prior night against the Orlando Magic.
“Just can’t do it,” Green said on his show. “Regardless of what was said — I’m not going to get into what was said, because that’s irrelevant. To Steph’s point, I have to be on the floor. Whatever that means, you just have to do that. I’m not overreacting to this because of everything that happened in the beginning of the season. I feel like since I’ve returned, everything’s heading in the right direction. Hit a little bump in the road, get over it and keep going.”
Despite losing Green and already missing Jonathan Kuminga due to knee tendinitis, the Warriors rallied to a 101-93 victory. Andrew Wiggins stepped up to deliver 13 points in the fourth quarter and several complementary players — Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody — elevated their games.
Green was arguing with Ray Acosta after a foul call that gave Palo Banchero an and-1. Green wasn’t whistled for the foul and wasn’t directly involved in the play, but berated Acosta in what the crew chief later termed a “long diatribe” that included “egregious profane language.”
When Green was thrown out of the game, Steph Curry keeled over in exasperation. At his locker postgame, the superstar point guard reiterated the need for Green to keep his composure and stay on the court.
“It just can’t happen,” Green echoed. “I said what I said, I deserved to get kicked out at that point. If I’m all the way honest with y’all, I was trying to turn my body, angle toward the bench, and I said what I said a little too soon before angling my body to the bench. It just can’t happen. We need to win games. Like I said: not going to overreact. Like ‘aw, man.’ Stuff as never as good as it seems, it’s never as bad as it seems. I know where I am, I understand what I’m doing moving forward and my position. Just making sure that that’s the exception, and not the rule.”
Green’s Wednesday ejection was his first since returning from his indefinite suspension in mid-January. His erratic on-court behavior — including putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock and striking Jusuf Nurkic — has cost him 21 full games in a season in which Golden State is fighting for the 10th seed. He leads the league with four total ejections.
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The sentiment of needing to move on is something Green shares with Curry and his teammates. It’s really the only option available; Green is too valuable — he needs to do whatever he can to avoid putting himself in positions that risk his availability.
“That’s what we expect from him,” Curry said. “Like I said, we need him out there. Whatever needs to happen for him to be in a space where he can be productive and be in the right mind for us on the court, that’s what has to happen.”
Green recorded his podcast during the Warriors’ off day in Charlotte. Golden State visits the Hornets on Friday night for the fourth game of a five-city trip.