Draymond Green: ‘I deserved to be kicked out’
Green expressed remorse for his early ejection on - where else? - the Draymond Green Show
Promising to be “all the way honest with y’all,” Draymond Green took responsibility for his ejection early in the Golden State Warriors’ Wednesday win against the Orlando Magic. To no one’s surprise, he said so on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.”
“ I said what I said. I deserved to be kicked out at that point… Just can’t happen. We need to win games. Not gonna overreact… I know where I am… in my position just make sure that’s the exception and not the rule.”
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 28, 2024
Draymond Green on last night’s ejection
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Green got two quick technical fouls for arguing with referee Ray Acosta, 3:36 into the first quarter. According to crew chief Mitchell Erwin, Green was tossed because, “After a prolonged diatribe, Green directed egregious profane language toward a game official.” The referees and Green himself agree that “just can’t happen.”
On his show, Green did take responsibility for his action, but downplayed their significance, even if he did reduce teammate Steph Curry to tears.
“Stuff is never as good as it seems; it’s never as bad as it seems,” Green said. “I know where I am. I understand what I’m doing moving forward. And my position is just make sure that’s the exception and not the rule.”
Green has played 47 games this season and been ejected from four of them. That’s bordering on rule and not exception, especially when you factor in the 21 games he missed due to suspensions that followed two of those ejections. Out of 72 Warriors games, Green has been kicked out or suspended for 25, a full 35% of the season.
However, Green didn’t seem all that remorseful.
“If I’m all the way honest with y’all, kind of was trying to turn my body and angle it to go to the bench, but I said what I said a little too soon before angling my body. ... But, yeah, it just can’t happen.”
If he thinks “angling his body” was the problem, he certainly has more work to do. However, the upside of missing so many game is that Green has only amassed ten technicals, giving him a decent cushion to avoid drawing the automatic suspension that comes with more getting more than 16 techs.
Green admits he deserved the ejection. Steve Kerr said he deserved the ejection. The crew chief said he deserved the ejection. Next, we expect “The Draymond Green Show” to provide important information that water is wet, Steph Curry is good at shooting, and earning $25 million per season isn’t enough motivation to stop getting kicked out of games.