Draymond Green is finally allowed to return to the Golden State Warriors following his indefinite suspension. Sure enough, the NBA’s announcement drew a flurry of reactions, with some happy, others shocked, and a few skeptical about the timing of the decision.
Draymond Green suspension return
Green was sidelined for the Warriors for a little over three weeks following his suspension caused by his hit to the face of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. The NBA slapped him with an indefinite suspension and not a specific number of games in order to give him time to address his issues. He was required to undergo counseling and have progress meetings with the league and the team as part of his return requirements.
In a statement, the NBA confirmed that Green has fulfilled all those requirements, thereby allowing him to be reinstated.
“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 statement highlighted, as shared by Marc J. Spears of ESPN and Andscape.
Fans, critics react to Draymond Green’s reinstatement
Sure enough, some Warriors fans are ecstatic to have Draymond Green back. After all, with Chris Paul recently getting injured and set to undergo surgery, it couldn’t have come at a better time for him to get back.
“Welcome back, 23! Let’s get it,” one hyped fan commented. Another supporter shared, “Welcome back, Draymond Green! Looking forward to seeing the impact he’ll bring to the Warriors after the suspension.”
Similarly, though, others couldn’t help but question the timing of it. Was Green really able to conveniently clear the requirements after news that Paul would be sidelined for some time due to injury?
“CP3 gets seriously hurt and the Warriors get linked to a couple of trades that could possibly make them better, here come Adam Silver and LeBron reinstating Draymond. Convenient timing is convenient,” one critic shared. Another had the same sentiment, noting: “So he just so happens to come back after CP3 breaks his hand …”
On the other hand, many couldn’t help but criticize the NBA for the decision. A lot of people questioned if less than one month of counseling is really enough to change one person who has been known for his whole career of being highly physical and dirty. Others also compared it to the Ja Morant suspension, noting that the Memphis Grizzlies star was suspended 25 games for showing a gun on social media, while Green got only 12 games for assaulting someone.
“It takes more than a month and change to really get to deep root causes in therapy. The league doesn’t know s**t. Draymond will be no different,” one person wrote.
A critic added, “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.”
A third commenter furthered, “If he doesn’t have to continue his counseling/therapy- the NBA is more of a joke than he is.”
It remains to be seen what’s next for Green after his suspension. As what many critics have pointed out, it’s hard for anyone to change their ways and habits that quickly. It will definitely be interesting to see if the Warriors star has really learned his lesson, but one thing is for sure: both fans and his haters will have their eyes on him, watching what he does next.
