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With questions surrounding the potential length of Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green's indefinite suspension for swinging at Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić on Tuesday night, NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars explained the decision Thursday.
Dumars, who appeared on ESPN's "First Take" to discuss the suspension, has plenty of experience discussing Green's issues.
"You wanna see guys grow and you wanna do what's best for them," Dumars said. "Clearly something is going on. Clearly, he's crossed a line and we need to deal with it."
Green will be required to satisfy undisclosed league and team conditions before he returns to the court, the league said when announcing terms of the punishment Wednesday. The NBA cited Green's "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts," language it has used about the 33-year-old since he was issued a one-game suspension during a playoff series with the Sacramento Kings last season. This is his second suspension of the current campaign.
Dumars rebuffed attempts to confirm a minimum amount of games Green will miss, emphasizing the priority on Green's well-being.
"The reason we don't have a number is because the help that he needs to get, getting himself better, is what's most important," he said.
Former Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, who played alongside Green for almost a decade, took over as executive director of the NBA players’ union last month. In his new role, Iguodala was "exceptional" in helping to "craft" the suspension, Dumars said.
In addition to Iguodala's support, Dumars listed Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy as proponents of the idea.
"There's been no pushback," Dumars added. "Everybody is on board with, 'You know what, this is the right thing to do to help him get better.'"
Hours after Dumars' TV appearance, the Warriors added Green into the apparent concord.
“We understand there’s a punishment that will take place but this is also about helping somebody," Dunleavy said, via ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "They 100% agreed. So did Draymond.”
Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić, Steve Kerr say Draymond Green needs help
Green's most recent incident occurred in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 119-116 loss to the Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Struggling with Nurkić on an inbounds play, Green suddenly spun around and swung. He hit Nurkić directly in the face with his right hand, sending him down to the court.
Green was assessed a foul, which was upgraded to a flagrant 2. He was ejected from the game as a result, marking his third ejection of the season. Green apologized for hitting Nurkić, asserting the strike was an accident caused by an attempt to sell a call.
"What’s going on with him, I don’t know," Nurkić said after the game. "Personally, I feel like that brother needs help. I’m glad he didn’t try to choke me. ... That had nothing to do with basketball. I’m just out there trying to play basketball."
Nurkić was referencing Green's second ejection this season, which saw him place Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert in chokehold last month. Green was issued a five-game suspension for the bizarre assault.
When Kevin Durant was asked about Green’s most recent flagrant 2, he echoed Nurkić's concerns.
“That was insane to see. Glad Nurk is all right. Never seen that before in a basketball court in an NBA game," he said. "I hope Draymond gets the help he needs. It’s been incident after incident.”
Kerr spoke Thursday and agreed with the decision.
Dumars and the league didn't miss Durant and Nurkić's comments.
"When we see guys say stuff like that ... yeah, we see it," Dumars said Thursday. "You look at it and it kind of confirms what we're saying internally anyway. But it doesn't sway any part of the decision. It's just another factor that we look at."
Green acknowledged he had "room to grow" after his incident with Gobert. Under the league's current ruling, it appears he'll be required to do so.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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