Dude, What’s Up With Draymond Green??!!

Former Saginaw High School and Michigan State University star basketball player, and current Golden State Warrior standout Draymond Green (pictured above) has found himself in another predicament....Again.

Dey-Dey (as MSU coach Tom Izzo called him during Green's time in East Lansing) has now been suspended indefinitely by the NBA for his most recent actions on the court. 

As you may have seen, Green struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face while battling for post position during the Warriors game this past Tuesday night with the Suns.  Green got a Flagrant-2 foul for it and was subsequently ejected from the game by the referees.

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It's the 3rd time he's been ejected from a game this season.  And it's the 19th time he's been ejected from a game during his great NBA career.

Knowing it's the 19th time he's been ejected from a game since he entered the NBA in 2012, you have to ask the question:  What's up with Draymond Green??!!

There's lots of blame to go around, starting with Green.

HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER AT THIS POINT

You have to wonder why he's acted this way during his NBA career.  He played tough and physical at Michigan State, but it never got to the point where he did anything on the court to hurt his team.  Tom Izzo wouldn't have allowed it.  But since the Warriors started getting good, and won their first NBA title in 40 years in 2015, Green's play has made him a lightning rod, a villain, a pro wrestling heel if you will (In Dusty Rhodes' voice).

When he was younger, it didn't hurt his team as much.  They could overcome it with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in their primes (The exception was the 2016 NBA Finals, where his suspension cost the Warriors a chance to win back-to-back titles).

But now, he's hurting his team by not being out there.  And at 33 years old (he'll be 34 next March 4th), he's experienced enough to know that he can't keep getting ejected for reckless or dangerous play.  But it continues.  And he should know better.

THE WARRIORS BEING SOFT WITH HIM

The Warriors know that they're a better team with him on the floor.  He is one of the main reasons why the Dubs have been to the NBA Finals six times since 2015.  And he was key to the title teams in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.

Golden State has been in a tough spot with Green.  One one hand, if they discipline him internally, they risk alienating him and possibly this great run they've had gets altered.  Because they would've lost more games.

But if they don't discipline him, they basically condone all the stuff he's done over the years.  Without saying it publicly, they're telling him it's OK to do that stuff by not dealing with it internally.  The Detroit Pistons and Chuck Daly had the same problem with Bill Laimbeer and the Bad Boys when they were in their heydey.  Daly admitted as much in his book "Daly Life".

THE NBA NOT BEING HARSHER WITH HIM SOONER

If the Warriors aren't going to suspend Green for his actions, then the league has to deal with it.  And waiting until his 19th career ejection to suspend him indefinitely shows that a softer approach with Green hasn't worked.  The NBA should've been more harsh with punishment earlier in his career.  Maybe he wouldn't be doing the stuff he's doing now.

It's really too bad that all the ejections and suspensions have hurt his public perception, as well as his perception among current and former NBA players.  Because Draymond Green has had a great career, and he's still an effective player.  And by many accounts, he's a good guy off the court.

But because he's acted so poorly on the court (and in practice, remember the Jordan Poole incident over a year ago), people think less of him personally and professionally.  That's too bad, but he's brought it on himself.  So it's understandable why people think the way they do about the possible Hall of Famer.

What do you guys think about Draymond Green?  Let us know in the comments.