Steve Kerr reacts to Draymond Green's ejection
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Steve Kerr has been the head coach of the Golden State Warriors since the 2014-15 NBA season.
For the second time this season, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors was ejected from a game. The two ejections happened in the span of two weeks, with coach Steve Kerr sharing his honest feelings about Green’s temper tantrums.
In his postgame press conference, Kerr was asked about the former Defensive Player of the Year’s outburst that led to his second ejection of the campaign. The four-time champion coach emphasized Green’s importance to the Warriors’ success despite a tumultuous season for him.
“Yeah, I mean, we need Draymond, and you know, I want him out there. So I think he might be up to about nine techs. So he’s got to, you know, we’re not halfway through the season yet, so a long way to go and, we need him,” Kerr said, via NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Green is tied with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic for the second-most technical fouls this season. They are only behind Dillon Brooks of the Phoenix Suns, who has a total of 12. However, Green is the only player in the NBA with two ejections in this campaign.
Steph Curry’s Reaction to Green’s Ejection
In the same postgame press conference, Steph Curry was asked about Draymond Green getting ejected for the second time in two weeks. Curry stressed that winning is more important, which they did against the Utah Jazz, 123-114.
Curry also revealed what the rest of the Warriors were thinking about the decision to toss Green.
“We won the game. That’s all we care about. That’s all he cares about. I know he’d rather be out there. I don’t know what he said to the ref, but I didn’t think it was, or the consensus in the locker room was, it wasn’t enough to get thrown out,” Curry said, via NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that the former Defensive Player of the Year was called for his first technical foul by referee Simone Jelks after arguing about a three-second non-call on the Utah Jazz. Referee Kevin Cutler gave him a quick second technical for continuous arguing.
Green played just a total of 12 minutes, finishing with eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
Warriors Not Interested in Trading Green for Anthony Davis
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Dallas Mavericks have called the Golden State Warriors to discuss whether they are interested in acquiring Anthony Davis. The Mavericks are now linked to Jonathan Kuminga, who will be trade-eligible on January 15.
However, Kuminga’s salary doesn’t match Davis’ massive contract, so the Warriors will have to part ways with Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler. The only problem? Golden State isn’t interested in trading either player.
Davis is a massive upgrade over Green or even Butler, though his durability poses a risk. He has only played 18 games this season because of a calf injury. He also suffered a minor groin injury on Christmas and missed two games. He’s averaging 20.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks.