Draymond Green suspensions cited for omission from Team USA

admin | January 25, 2024 | Uncategorized | No Comments

Draymond Green's suspension history factored into omission from 2024 Olympic pool | Fox News

USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill said two-time gold medalist Draymond Green was left out of the player pool for this summer’s Paris Olympics because of his suspensions with the Golden State Warriors this season. “His contributions have been significant, and he is a real part of the legacy of this organization for his excellence,” Hill said Wednesday in a Zoom call.

“But I think just in lieu of sort of what’s transpired this year, we made a decision to not have [Green] on this list with this particular point in time with the process.” Green not being a part of the provisional 41-man list for Team USA that was unveiled Tuesday was a surprise — not just because of the important role he can play in the international game as a versatile defender, but also because of the support he has long enjoyed from Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who is also the national team coachGreen was suspended for five games in November for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

In December, he was suspended indefinitely after landing a blow to the head of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. Green missed 12 games before being reinstated and four more games while ramping up to return to play with the Warriors. “We all understand and certainly have great respect and sensitivity to this particular period in his career, and he’s working through some things both on and off the court,” Hill said. Warriors' Draymond Green return to team facility nears: report | Fox News

Warriors' Draymond Green return to team facility nears: report | Fox News

“And so we at USA Basketball wanted to support him on his journey and we just didn’t feel that playing over the summer gives him the best opportunity to do what he needs to do.”Green was a part of gold-medal-winning teams at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. FOR THE PAST 15 years, there was little reason to pay much attention to the name of the wheaten terrier owned by Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst and his family.

Griffin Bear Horst joined the family back when Horst and his wife, Mia, were living in a modest two-bedroom condominium in the St. Francis neighborhood of Milwaukee. They had no kids, and Horst was just starting out in the Bucks’ front office as the director of basketball operations. But they had big dreams for their family and careers, and the dog was just the beginning. But “Griff” wasn’t his original name. “Our dog’s name was Otis — like the elevator company — for, like, a day,” Horst said last fall. “But it didn’t stick.

We tried it, but didn’t like it.” The next day, the story goes, Horst ran into first-year Bucks assistant coach Adrian Griffin in the same elevator that had inspired the first name. He’d always liked Griffin as a player, and the two had developed a good relationship since he’d moved to Scott Skiles’ bench. Plus, they were basically neighbors in the condo complex. “So I’m on the elevator with him,” Horst explained. “And I’m thinking, ‘Not Otis … Griff! That’s a great name.” This time, the name stuck. Although it wasn’t until Horst hired the real Griffin to be the Bucks’ head coach last June that he told him about his namesake.”I loved it,” Griffin said, back when his future with the team seemed limitless. After years of interviewing for head-coaching jobs, he’d finally landed one of the best jobs in the league: coaching two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and a roster ready-made for championship contention. Three months later, the team acquired seven-time All Star Damian Lillard in a trade just days before training camp. “I would say I’m so optimistic almost to a fault,” Griffin said last fall. “But I don’t look at it like, ‘What if we fail?’ I look at it as, ‘What if we succeed?’It’s a great opportunity. Warriors' Draymond Green return to team facility nears: report | Fox News

I was so excited when Jon told me about Dame. It’s not every day you get to coach Dame and Giannis.” All told, Griffin only got 118 days to coach Dame and Giannis, and 233 overall as the Bucks’ head coach. He was fired Tuesday despite Milwaukee’s 30-13 record with one of the quickest hooks in history. To understand how the Bucks went from hiring the guy the general manager literally named his dog after, to firing him seven months later after the team had won nearly 70% of its games, you have to look back at something else Horst said last fall. Something that has guided every decision Horst and the Bucks have made since Antetokounmpo entered his prime

Grant Hill, the executive director of USA Basketball, explained that Draymond Green, a two-time

Olympic gold medalist, was excluded from the player pool for the upcoming Paris Olympics due to his suspensions with the Golden State Warriors this season. Despite Green’s significant contributions and his integral role in the organization’s legacy, Hill mentioned during a Zoom call that the decision was influenced by the events that unfolded during the current season.

The surprise exclusion of Green from the provisional 41-man list for Team USA was noteworthy, considering his versatile skills as a defender and the longstanding support he has received from Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who also serves as the national team coach. Green faced suspensions for incidents involving Rudy Gobert and Jusuf Nurkic, leading to missed games and a period of reinstatement.

Hill acknowledged the challenges Green is navigating both on and off the court and emphasized USA Basketball’s desire to support him on his journey. However, the decision was made that participating in the summer games might not provide Green with the best opportunity to address his needs. Warriors' Draymond Green return to team facility nears: report | Fox News

Green had been a part of the gold-medal-winning teams in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

On a different note, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst shared the story of his wheaten terrier, Griffin Bear Horst, and how the dog got its name. Originally named Otis for a day, the dog was eventually named after Bucks assistant coach Adrian Griffin, whom Horst admired as a player and had a good relationship with. Griffin became the head coach of the Bucks in June, and despite the optimism surrounding the team’s potential success with stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Griffin was unexpectedly fired on Tuesday. The decision to part ways with Griffin, despite the team’s impressive record, was rooted in factors that have guided the Bucks’ decisions since Antetokounmpo entered his prime.