Draymond begins counseling amid suspension

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is expected to miss at least the next three weeks after beginning counseling during his suspension from the NBA, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

"League sources said the 33-year-old was expected to receive counseling and work with the Warriors and NBA while suspended," Charania reported. "People around Green and the organization said the four-time NBA champion has been understanding and prepared to undergo the process required to return to the team in a full capacity. Those sources would not reveal the specifics of Green's counseling out of respect for his privacy."

The four-time All-Star initially received an indefinite suspension for striking center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during a 119-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 12. Nurkić was guarding Green on an inbounds play when Green spun around and hit him with his right arm.
 

Referees reviewed the play and handed the 6'6" forward a flagrant-2 foul, resulting in his ejection.

"I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn't intend to hit him," he said in his postgame press conference. "I sell calls with my arms ... so I was selling the call ... and I swung and unfortunately I hit him."

The nature of Green's suspension spoke to how this wasn't the first case of his getting excessively physical on the court. The NBA cited a "repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts" in its announcement of the suspension.

In November, he received a five-game ban after placing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock during a confrontation between Warriors and Wolves players.

After that incident, Green alluded to discussions he had with Warriors officials and said he didn't intend to alter his general approach.

"The consensus amongst all of us is that I'm going to be me no matter what. That's not going to change," he told reporters. "But in saying that, there's always a better way that something can be done. So it's figuring out a better way. That's the consensus among all of us."

The narrative became much different in the wake of the most recent suspension.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Green was expected to convene with his agent, Rich Paul, and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. "to start discussing a path of counseling and help for Green to move forward."

"The league didn't want to put a specific number on the suspension, but allow Green to take the time he might need to deal with challenges he's facing," Wojnarowski wrote.

An indefinite suspension wasn't exactly dropping the hammer on Green, because what qualifies as "indefinite" can vary widely. But settling on such a nebulous time frame did seem to signal a level of exasperation from the league office.

ESPN's Kendra Andrews cited a source in November who said "the Warriors lost leverage on disciplining him after failing to hold him accountable for punching (Jordan) Poole." The team refrained from suspending him in that instance and settled on a fine.

Questions about Green's long-term future may continue to linger.

In her report, Andrews wrote "the Warriors can tolerate Green, who signed a four-year, $100 million extension this summer, because he remains a vital part of the team—especially on defense." She went on to report "that tolerance could run out" if his performance begins to fall off.

The strike on Nurkić led people to wonder even more whether this was the beginning of the end for such a successful partnership.