Warriors coach Steve Kerr almost actually criticized Draymond Green

Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday’s 128-109 loss to the Thunder, Kerr certainly appeared to be coming down hard on Green. ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reported on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Draymond Green went ‘too far’ for choking Rudy Gobert for several seconds and it was a ‘bad look’ for the NBA.”

ESPN’s Kendra Andrews posted another critical quote from the Dubs coach: “Draymond has to find a way to not cross the line — I’m not talking about an ejection or a technical — I’m talking about a physical act of violence. That’s inexcusable.”

By all accounts, it seemed as though Kerr was finally holding Green accountable for his actions. The difference between what he said Thursday and what he said this past postseason after his controversial forward stomped on a guy, for example, was night and day.

However, a closer look at Kerr’s comments shows that the coddling and enabling within the organization that has allowed Green to act the way he does still remains. In the middle of his comments about how Green went “too far,” that the chokehold was a “bad look” and that the suspension is “deserved,” Kerr inserted a caveat that the Dubs forward was right to go after Gobert in the first place.

“I didn’t have a problem with him getting Rudy off of Klay because the rule of thumb is you don’t put your hands on another player on the other team,” Kerr said. “You get your own guy. So I thought Rudy was wrong for putting his arms on Klay, regardless of his intentions. So I had no problem with Draymond getting him off of him, but he’s got to let go, and he hung on for six, seven seconds.”

Immediately after his comment about Green’s “physical act of violence” being “inexcusable,” Kerr went on to explain how the team is working to help a 33-year-old man understand the difference between right and wrong.

“We have to do everything we can to give him the help and the assistance he needs to to be able to draw that distinction between being an incredible competitor, which he’s always been and is why he’s in the position he is,” Kerr said. “It’s why he’s the player he is. But he can’t cross that line, and he crossed it the other night for sure.”

The Dubs coach then put a bow on the whole thing by offering a big ol’ compliment about just how great a guy Green is.

“I know Draymond, and he’s a wonderful human being,” Kerr said. “He’s filled with passion and love and respect for his teammates, but that is a bad look. Right, that’s a bad look, and he knows that, and he’s embarrassed by that.”

Whatever lessons Green should learn from this suspension can’t possibly be that different from the ones he should have learned from his last suspension, or the suspension before that. What should change this time around is probably the Warriors’ approach. Yet by the sound of things, that doesn’t seem likely.