After the NBA announced late on Tuesday night that Warriors forward Draymond Green would be suspended for Game 3 against Sacramento for stepping on Domantas Sabonis in Game 2, NBA vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has done the media rounds on Wednesday to explain the thinking behind the controversial decision.
Speaking to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Dumars stressed that league officials spent much of Tuesday deliberating their response, noting that it was “not some snap-of-the-finger decision.” In a phone interview with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Dumars said there were three primary factors that went into the ruling to suspend Green for one game.
“Here’s what it came down to: Excessive and over-the-top actions, conduct detrimental (to the league), and a repeat offender,” Dumars said. “That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension.”
As Dumars notes – and as the NBA mentioned in its initial announcement – the league weighed Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts in its decision. He has racked up 162 career technical fouls, 17 ejections, and now four suspensions, per Wojnarowski. Asked if someone with a cleaner record might have received a lesser punishment, Dumars didn’t offer a definitive answer.
“It may have been, but the act itself still would have been looked at in a serious way — stomping on a guy’s chest,” he told ESPN. “On the back end of this act, you add repeat offender and that’s how you end up getting to a suspension.”
During the moments when the play was being reviewed on the court in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game, Green responded to the vitriol he was receiving from fans in Sacramento by standing on a chair, egging them on, and taunting them back. Although that wasn’t a primary reason for the suspension, Dumars acknowledged to both Reynolds and Wojnarowski that it was a factor, referring to Green’s behavior as “not helpful.”
“The stuff that happened afterward, that doesn’t help the situation,” Dumars told The Associated Press. “But if it was just that alone, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I focused on the act itself, the fact that it’s a repeat offense, those were the two main things.”
Within an hour of the NBA’s announcement on Tuesday night, the Kings made an announcement of their own, issuing a press release to say that Sabonis had been diagnosed with a sternum contusion and would be listed as questionable for Game 3 (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento).
The league was aware of that diagnosis before announcing Green’s suspension, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Sabonis’ injury wasn’t a major factor in the decision, though Dumars did tell Wojnarowski that “you don’t ignore that.”
As for why Sabonis didn’t face any additional penalty of his own for grabbing Green’s leg just before being stepped on, Dumars said the NBA determined that the game’s referees made the correct ruling on the court and felt that no further punishment was warranted for the Kings center.
“Sabonis was penalized in the game with a technical foul and Golden State gets the free throw,” Dumars told ESPN. “It wasn’t like (Sabonis) didn’t get off without any punishment, but we didn’t think that rose to the level of excessive and over-the-top, conduct detrimental and repeat offender. That’s why you separate those two and deal with one act on the court — and then another act.”
Why is the NBA not suspended Sabonis too. Sabonis caused the altercation of pulling Green’s leg. Sabonis was also flopping on the floor. Sabonis has done the flop numerous times during the seroies. Sabonis also on video trying to pull down Thompson by back of his shirt a plyer getting back from being injured.
Give it a rest ARC.
you should watch JJ Reddick talk about how the Refs are calling the game in Kings favor. Seriously game 1 if a flagrant was called on Kings for under cutting Curry that would have been 3 FT and 2 for the Flagrant. With GSW getting the ball.
Dude…I could care less if Green got suspended or not, but you comparing grabbing someone’s leg while laying on your back to stomping on a man’s chest is kinda odd.
What about him pulling down Thompson in the back a player that lost years to leg injuries? Sabonis is a dirty player. He should be suspended too. No double standards.,
Let’s stick to you saying Sabonis should be suspended for “flopping on the floor” and “pulling Green’s leg” during the play in question.
It’s an extremely odd take.
Sycophant “mister i dont care if draymond green is suspended” putting awful lot of time into these comments stfu
tball- If you think someone can’t argue a valid point without having a stake in it, then you are a weird person. He probably put two total minutes into those comments. Weirdo.
“putting awful lot of time into these comments”
It takes me about 20 seconds to write a comment.
How long does it take you?
He grabs leg.
Dray falls forwards and while looking up has foot on sabonis.
Dray reacts akwardly and starts to fall forwards.
Rather than step across or trip while moving all his weight on sabonis he does a weird hop that lets him avoid transferring more weight than he has to while also falling towards that forward foot, but because his foot raised momentarily it looks like a stomp in 1/15th slo mo.
Dray made himself look bad by trying to avoid causing a worse injury.
The entire sequence took something like 1.8 sec which is far too quick for any of it to be intentional.
This is insane. Its insane he was ejected. Him taunting the crowd back when they are screaming at him personally is exactly the sort of drama the NBA wants FFS!
I would protest the initial decision and try to force a replay of the final 7 min with every team lawyer and expert in tow!
Sabonis was covering up so he wouldn’t get kicked in the face. Sabonis isn’t the most flexible person, his arms had to go somewhere and Draymond’s legs just happened to be there.
He was only on the ground because he was flopping for a foul!
Now that is one lame excuse. Wouldn’t you cover up your face not grab a leg and twist it? Why was he screaming out in pain before hitting the floor without Green’s foot?
ARC- Why didn’t the NBA suspend Sabonis? Try reading. It’s in the article.
If they reviewed the play properly how they could not see Sobanis first grabbing Thompson shirt then hitting the ground flopping before grabbing Green’s leg. Just watch the King’s fans get mad when the Refs in game 3 start calling all the holds and pushing Kings are doing. Sobanis antics may back fire whgen they start calling all the fouls they have not been calling. Ask JJ reddick about that.
The right call by the NBA. Yes Draymond Green has been instrumental in the 4 championships of recent years, but I’m also tired of defending him every year.
Tha Warriors are constantly making adjustments as a result of his stupid decisions and emotional crap, and I have utter disappointment with a man who cannot control his emotions on the basketball court. With this absence, as before, he hurts his team when they need him most.
Thanks and goodbye. Best of luck to you next year Dray.
Gary I think if Dray didn’t hype the crowd afterwards there would be no susp
Dom prolly deserved the stomp tbh but what happened after was re-donk-U-lus.
Why are people simping for a player who has kicked half the league in the groin? Lol
What year was that again? Get over it already!
Hilarious that a guy that was on the “bad boys” deem this suspension worthy
His job now is a little different than his job then.
Not to mention the league is a lot different now.
Idk if it’s “hilarious.” Bill Cosby, George Carlos — they were hilarious. At no point reading Dumars did I even chuckle. Humor is subjective I guess.
George Carlos lmao.
He was on the team but he left the bad boy antics to Mahorn, Salley and Lambeer.
D’uh … he was with the Kings last year as an exec ;)
The cops should have been called after that stunt Draymond pulled. Trying to kill someone is a crime. This isn’t kickboxing, this is basketball. Draymond never faces any consequences for his actions. Kicked Lebron in the nuts, punched Poole in the face, tried to crush Sabonis’s ribs. This guy is one of the heads of the players union meanwhile he should be in jail. Is this who they want negiotiating for them, a thug? “The players lose again” was what he said after the last CBA negotiations, meanwhile hes making 28 million this year and Ben Simmons makes 40 million per year for doing nothing. Guys like Draymond ruin the league
Take it down a notch or two Chief
It has to be sarcasm.
Going from calling the cops to pointing out that they make too much money …
At least I hope.
Stop acting like slo mo is reality scrub. Watch it in real time 10 times in a row and tell me he meant to do anything but get up and run down the floor 5 on 4 while one players on the deck!
Warriors can blame their first round sweep, and exit from the playoffs on Draymond Green.
He set the tone for the Warriors when he punched Poole in pre-season. Now this, not much of a defense for Green.
Warriors are definitley going to be swept.
You make good points but you’re going a little too far by bringing out the broom from the closet after two games. The Warriors are down 0-2 but it’s far from over I assure you that.
There’s some players and teams in this league, and we know who they are, when they go down 0-2, they’ll even help you and bring the dustpan over to the pile of crap they left on the floor to help you sweep it up. The Warriors don’t fall into that category.
I would almost put the onus on Kerr vs Draymond.
Sure the Draymond suspension and drama always sucks out the vibes … but man, Mike Brown has been teaching a masterclass. A lot of the set plays the Dubs run are being countered and Kerr hasn’t adjusted or the players haven’t really been put in a position to counter.
Mike Brown knows all the plays lol. Good point. Reminds me of Don Nelson and the #8 seed Warriors taking down his former team #1 seed Dallas mavericks.
Nelly knew the entire Playbook, taught them all how to play, what to do, the ins and outs of successful basketball, and knew exactly what their weak points were. So similar here.
Tough mountain to climb for Golden State but I wouldn’t count them out just yet. It’s not like they won a ring once and were good once or got lucky once. They’re four-time Champs.
I was skeptical (and wrong) on Brown for the Lakers preseason for all the wrong reasons
Def showing a vet presence in the box today- Can’t say that about Ham, he’s learning, and not a bad coach but Id be more confident w Brown today
Good for Sac tho, they deserved to catch a break
Predicting sweeps is never easy, but the odds in vegas right now are better to bet on the Warriors to win the series, than a sweep.
The sweep is gathering momentum in the betting world. Obviously, GS is down 0-2. Not a very lucrative bet for such a rare outcome.
But when the odds pay better for them to win the series? Not looking good, but anything is possible.
Or else Silver just f***ed the Kings. I think the Ws can play without Dray vs this team, and they may come out pissed and gunning. Look for Curry to set a 3pt record while the ratings tank from a boycott of viewership!
Watch kings fans complain when the Refs start calling all those holds on Curry that they have no been doing.
Let go of it ARC
Watch Looney foul out early thanks to Sabonis smart plays/gamesmanship and Draymond will have really left them in the lurch!
Basically…
“Draymond has a podcast and we can’t let him roast us for the length of the suspension that he actually deserves… So we went soft on him…”
Look they where both in the wrong. We can all sit go back in fourth or sabonis was flopping or he was grabbing klay or klay push. Yes sabonis tell went to protect his face and notice green leg and held it not yank or twisted and green being green put force into his stomping him. And green could of step over him but it’s over and now let game 3 begin in 32 mins