In a move that was shocking to many, Draymond Green was suspended for Game 3 of the first-round playoff series with the Kings for stomping on the chest of Domantas Sabonis, after being issued a Flagrant Foul 2 and being kicked out of Game 2.
The NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars was part of the decision making process, and gave further detail to Adrain Wojnarowski of ESPN as to why Green was suspended.
“Here’s what it came down to: excessive and over-the-top actions, conduct detrimental and a repeat offender,” Dumars told ESPN in a phone interview Wednesday morning. “That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension.”
On if the gravity of the situation — suspending Green in a playoff game where the Warriors are down 2-0 — played a part, Dumars said:
“You know what the situation is, but you have to set that aside and look at the facts in front of you. … Repeat offender weighs as heavy as anything.”
On whether or not the league would have approached the situation differently had the offending player not been Green:
“It may have been, but the act itself still would have been looked at in a serious way — stomping on a guy’s chest,” Dumars said. “On the back end of this act, you add repeat offender and that’s how you end up getting to a suspension.”
Dumars also said that Green’s taunting of the crowd after the fact did not help his case.
“That was some extra onto it that he didn’t need to do,” Dumars said. “Not helpful.”
He also said that Sabonis’ injury — he’s listed as questionable for Thursday’s game with a sternum contusion — played a part in the decision.
“You don’t ignore that,” Dumars said.
Finally, Dumars commented on why Sabonis is not going to receive further punishment for grabbing Green’s foot:
“Sabonis was penalized in the game with a technical foul, and Golden State gets the free throw,” Dumars said. “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.”
