Kerr Says Rift With Green Settled After Heated Timeout
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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday that he and forward Draymond Green have cleared the air following a sideline argument during Monday’s victory over the Orlando Magic.
Speaking to reporters two days after the exchange, Kerr acknowledged he “over-reacted” in the moment and accepted responsibility for the flare-up. He and Green met privately, apologized to each other and to the team, and agreed to move forward.
“That huddle was a time I needed to stay calm,” Kerr said. “Draymond and I are both ultra-competitive; moments like this have happened over our 12 years together. I’m not proud of it, but we resolved it.”
The confrontation erupted during a third-quarter timeout. Green left the bench for the locker room to cool off, later returned, but did not re-enter the game. The incident intensified outside speculation about Green’s future as he endures a down season, shooting 40.9 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from three while averaging 8.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.1 turnovers.
Kerr reiterated he wants the four-time champion to finish his career in the Bay Area. He praised Green’s loyalty to the Warriors, to teammate Stephen Curry and to the coaching staff, adding he would “go to bat” for the veteran long after their careers end.
The Warriors, 15-15 through two months, are battling age and depth concerns with a core of Green, Curry and Jimmy Butler. Kerr called the blow-up a “family” matter that will not distract the club heading into its Christmas Day matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.
“Every team deals with internal dynamics,” he said. “This was a big step in working through ours. I like where we’re headed and believe we can make a run like we did last year.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
