SAN FRANCISCO — On Saturday, Draymond Green made his much anticipated first public comments since he punched teammate Jordan Poole in the face during Wednesday morning’s practice. There was a lot to unpack.
Speaking to reporters at Chase Center in a lengthy press conference that lasted for more than 35 minutes, Green took accountability for his actions while also discussing how he plans to rebuild trust with Poole and his teammates.
As of Saturday, Green said he is yet to have a conversation with Poole regarding the matter, but that he wants to keep their relationship. Ultimately, Draymond says it will be Poole’s choice if they reconcile.
“I love Jordan Poole, that’s my guy,” Green said. “Like I said to Jordan, I will still ride for Jordan. I still advocate for Jordan... My love for Jordan doesn't change one bit. … As far as a personal relationship goes, we will figure that out as we go as he's ready on his terms, or not. That is solely up to Jordan.”
It’s worth noting that Draymond took issue with the video which surfaced and how it was edited. The silent clip shows Poole chirping near the baseline, before Green walks over about 20 feet to get up in his chest. Poole shoved him away and Draymond, 32, hit him with a quick jab before towering over the 23-year-old guard after he crumpled.
“I thought it was bulls–t,” Green said of the video being exposed. “No other video leaks from practice. We’re working on our (offensive) sets, they don’t leak. When we’re coaching everyone up that doesn’t leak. I thought it was bulls–t when the video leaked.”
Green is not running away from any responsibility, but he repeatedly made the point that the video and its structure needs context.
So, what was Draymond’s initial reaction after seeing the clip?
“Yo, this looks awful,” Green said. “This looks even worse than I thought it was. It was pathetic. Then I had to take a step back too and realize that this video was released this way to look that way. For whoever released the video, I don’t know who released that video. I am very thankful to the organization as serious as they have and launching an investigation like they have. Because, quite frankly, they don’t have to. They’re not obligated to launch an investigation for something that I did wrong.”
As Green noted, the Warriors are reportedly aggressively investigating how the clip got out. But at the crux of Green’s argument are the audio-free aspect and the starting point of the video. We can’t hear what Poole was saying, nor do we know if Poole previously got into Draymond’s face before the clip.
“The video serves the purpose of what it’s supposed to serve,” Green said. “It had me in the same mindset of, ‘Wow, this is terrible, this is awful.’ By the way, it is terrible, and it is awful, just because of the way it’s cut up and it’s released without audio and all of those things. What I did was wrong. Regardless of the video leaking or not, regardless of how the video was leaked, with audio or without audio, I was wrong. I accept that and I will move forward with that.”
Though, he added an interesting caveat at one point.
“An argument requires two people,” Green said. “Not just one. No one argues with themselves.”
Poole might have got under Draymond’s skin, but from all accounts, he didn’t deserve to be clocked in the head. In the end, this falls squarely at the feet of Draymond, who crossed the line when he balled a fist and uncorked on his teammate.
He’ll be away from the team indefinitely in a decision that was mutually agreed upon with the Warriors. His reintegration will be a social hurdle in itself, when the time comes.
Adding another layer to this saga is the fact that the video leaked out in the first place, something coach Steve Kerr took issue with. Kerr said he's seen about 20 bad fights over his 30-plus year career that never reached the public.
"As soon as things are leaked, all hell breaks loose,” Kerr said. “That affects every single player, coach. Especially the players."
Kerr also pointed to reporting on Andrew Wiggins being vaccine-free heading into 2021 training camp as another leak that hurt the team.
"For whatever reason, we’ve had leaks with this organization,” Kerr said. “This is not the first time. That needs to be cleaned up."
Draymond can’t take back the punch. In all likelihood, we won’t be seeing another video. How it's framed from here on out will depend on his reaction and the reception he gets from the Warriors when he returns.
“I’m disappointed that this is something that I created that we have to go through,” Green said. “Like I said, for that reason I’ll do all that I have to do to make it right. But this won’t affect winning. Winner’s win. Winners find a way. We’ll win.”
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