Draymond Green says he doesn’t regret incident with Rudy Gobert

SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green does not regret the actions that earned him a five-game suspension. Putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock on Nov. 14 was in pure defense of Golden State Warriors teammate Klay Thompson, Green said Sunday.

“I don’t live my life with regrets,” Green said after practice, the first time he spoke to reporters since his suspension. “I stand up for a teammate whenever I am in a position to stand up for a teammate. … What matters most to me is how the people I care about feel. How are they doing? Are the people I care about affected? How are the people I care about doing, what are they dealing with? That’s it for me.”

Just 100 seconds into the November 14 game, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels and Thompson found themselves linked together in transition, as Thompson held McDaniels’ jersey while waiting for a long bounce. They refused to let go and began swinging and pushing each other, leading McDaniels to tear Thompson’s jersey and Thompson to swing his arm at McDaniels.

As other players rushed towards the two, Gobert wrapped his arms around Thompson to pull him off of McDaniels, which is when Green put Gobert in a headlock and pulled him into back for several seconds.

Green and Gobert share a rich and mean-spirited history. But Green would not say Sunday whether their past interactions played a role in his actions that night.

“Things can be interpreted however people want to interpret them,” he said. “I’m not here to judge people’s interpretations or try to change them. They are who they are. I know that for me, I’ll always be there for my teammates. That’s who I am. That’s who I am as a teammate is who I am as a friend. … Right, wrong or indifferent, look beside you and I will be there – or even in front of you.

After the NBA announced Green’s suspension, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Green’s actions were “inexcusable” and that the organization should find the best ways to support Green moving forward.

Green didn’t elaborate on any private discussions he had with Kerr or general manager Mike Dunleavy, but gave a little insight into the team’s feelings on the matter.

“The consensus among all of us is that I’m going to be myself no matter what. That’s not going to change,” Green said. “But in saying that, there’s always a better way to do something. So it’s about finding a better way. That’s the consensus among all of us.”

NBA Executive Vice President Joe Dumars said in a statement announcing Green’s suspension that his history of unsportsmanlike conduct played a role in the length of the ban.

“To keep mentioning, ‘Oh, well, he did that in the past,’ I paid for that,” Green said. “I was suspended in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. You cannot continue to suspend me for these actions.”

Green said the question he asks himself repeatedly after these incidents is: “Am I learning from this?” What often comes to mind is his team’s need for him to be present on the field.

This time, Green’s return will come at a critical time, when the Warriors visit the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. The Warriors have lost eight of their last 11 games – four of those losses without Green.

The three main issues Green sees are spacing, defense and turnovers: the first two issues he said he knows will help with, and the other he hopes not to make worse.

We hope that Green’s presence on the field will have an immediate impact. But in reality, this won’t miraculously solve everything.

“Where I can help the most is by requiring that everyone communicate, not me coming back and saying, ‘Oh, he’s the savior,'” Green said. “It’s not working. There are no saviors in the NBA. But what I can do is come back and hold more people accountable.”

Kerr said Green would not be on any minutes restrictions heading into Tuesday’s game because, unlike when a player returns from injury, Green has been able to practice and maintain his fitness.

Green said he only had one full day off during his suspension and spent a lot of time shooting and lifting weights. He also traveled with the team to Phoenix last week where he played scrimmage and was able to play with other teammates.

“Our defense instantly improves with Draymond; we know that,” Kerr said. “Then it’s really about finding the right combinations in the game that are rhythmic and clickable. We’re looking for the best two-way version of our team. … I would say with all the absences and injuries and stuff, we’re always looking That.

Tuesday’s game will also determine whether the Warriors or Kings advance to the quarterfinals of the season-opening tournament. This will be Green’s first time playing at Golden 1 Center since Game 7 of the first round of last season’s playoffs — a series in which he was suspended for stomping on Kings big man Domantas Sabonis.

“It’ll be a lot like Game 7,” Green said. “The atmosphere, the excitement, the anxiety. The feeling I expect is that it will be like a Game 7.”