Getty Jordan Poole and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are about to have a lot of issues on their hands.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Draymond Green and Jordan Poole got into a scuffle at practice. In turn, Green was expected to face disciplinary action from the team.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the two players went chest-to-chest before Green elevated the situation and “forcefully struck” Poole. That was the extent of the details that were released to the public.
However, TMZ Sports obtained a video of the situation and posted it to their website. Phil Lewis of HuffPost posted the video to Twitter, showing Green punching Poole in the face.
As seen in the video, Green walked over to Poole, exchanging words in the process. Once Green initiated the chest-to-chest confrontation, Poole pushed him away. Taking exception to that, Green responded by punching Poole in the face, after which, the Warriors guard fell to the floor. Warriors teammates then surrounded the two in an attempt to break things up.
After the situation was made public by Charania, Warriors GM Bob Myers commented on the issue.
Myers ‘Doesn’t Think’ Green Will Miss Games
Obviously, Charania’s report undersold the incident a bit, as he only stated that Green “forcefully struck” Poole. There was no indication as to the lead-up of the situation, nor the extent to which Green struck Poole.
Myers said that he “doesn’t think” Green will miss games, but he made that statement before the video of the incident was leaked. Now, things could end up changing a bit.
The GM also said this before the video became public:
“I don’t think was related to who is getting paid and who isn’t,” Myers said. “I don’t sense that. Make your own conclusions. Probably more important what players think on that than I think, but I don’t see it. I’ve actually seen a really good group… One of the best vibes we’ve had in my 12 years.”
That last statement about the vibes of the team could also change in a matter of time. Green’s actions are now public to the world, and if the NBA sees the need to take action, they will. His punch is far more than a simple strike, as Poole was clocked clean in the face.
All that being said, Stephen Curry’s statements about the incident give a little bit more context.
Curry Says ‘Nothing Warranted’ the Incident
The Warriors superstar was quick to defend Poole, as the young guard’s character had been called into question after reports of the incident got out. However, he also noted that there was “nothing that warranted” what happened, which we now know was a clean punch.
“There’s nothing that warranted the situation yesterday,” Curry stated.” I’ll make that clear. And it’s also something that we feel like will not derail our season and what we’re trying to build. And that’s with Draymond as a part of that. The rest of it, part of the speculation becomes opinion, which turns into borderline fact of like what actually happened. I hate that that became part of the narrative. It’s not fair to J.P.”
Now, all that’s left to do is wait and see what the Warriors do about the situation.
