SI:AM | Draymond Green’s ‘Clown Behavior’

Plus, Andy Reid’s career as a sportswriter.

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I think writing for the college newspaper is the only thing I have in common with Andy Reid. Well, that and a love of mac and cheese.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏀 Draymond’s chokehold

🏟️ Inside the Clippers’ new arena

🏆 The CFP’s committee’s new No. 1

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Draymond’s at it again

It’s not unusual to see Draymond Green lose his cool on that court, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen him flip out as early in a game as he did last night against the Timberwolves.

Not even two minutes into the game, before either team had scored, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels started tussling near half court. Rudy Gobert entered the fray in an apparent attempt to break things up, and that’s when Green got involved. He immediately wrapped his arm around Gobert’s neck and put him in a chokehold. (You can watch the sequence here.)

Green, Thompson and McDaniels were all ejected. Gobert was not, because the referees determined that he was trying to play the role of peacemaker.

With two of their top players ejected—and with Stephen Curry already sidelined with a knee injury—the Warriors lost the game, 104–101.

Here’s what a few of the people involved had to say about the incident:

• McDaniels: “To me, it wasn’t that serious. I was laughing and joking around. Some people take things differently.”
• Steve Kerr: “There’s no way Klay Thompson should have been thrown out of the game. He’s running up the floor and the guy grabs his jersey and he’s pulling on him and so Klay pulls back. There’s no way Klay should have been ejected. That was ridiculous. I was upset about that. And then the Draymond piece, if you watch the replay, Rudy had his hands on Klay’s neck. And that’s why Draymond went after Rudy. I saw one replay right after it happened. The guys on the back of the bench were telling us that Rudy had Klay, and that’s why Draymond went at Rudy. But yeah, it was a bizarre way to start the game.”
• Gobert: “Every time Steph doesn’t play, [Green] doesn’t want to play without his guy Steph, so he does anything he can to get ejected.”

Gobert also referred to Green’s actions repeatedly as “clown behavior.”

As for the game itself, the Warriors did a good job hanging with Minnesota despite being shorthanded. Kevon Looney and Jonathan Kuminga picked up the slack in Green’s absence, and rookie Brandin Podziemski took full advantage of the increased role with Thompson out. Podziemski, the 19th pick in this year’s draft, played sparingly in Golden State’s first 11 games of the season, playing more than 11 minutes only once, but he played 39 minutes last night and led the team with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting.

The Timberwolves were especially grateful that Gobert wasn’t ejected after a clutch play he made in the final minute as they were clinging to a one-point lead. Chris Paul found an open Dario Šarić in the corner for a three-point attempt with just over 30 seconds to play, and Gobert did an excellent job recovering to tip the shot attempt. The block led to a dagger three by Mike Conley, and Minnesota came away with the victory.

The concern for the Warriors now is whether Green will be suspended for his actions. Despite Kerr’s insistence that Gobert had his hands on Thompson’s neck, that’s not what the replay shows. Gobert had his arms wrapped around Thompson’s chest in an attempt to pull him away from McDaniels. Green’s actions escalated the situation and risked turning a scuffle into an all-out brawl. He didn’t have to go after Gobert like that. Especially considering that Green is listed at 6'6" and Gobert at 7'1", Green had to make an effort to grab Gobert as high as he did.

One reason Green could be looking at a suspension is that he has a history of bad on-court behavior. When he was suspended for Game 3 of the Warriors’ playoff series against the Kings last season for stomping on Domantas Sabonis, the league said that his being a “repeat offender” was a factor in the decision. Throwing a punch in an NBA game results in an automatic one-game suspension. While no punches were thrown in last night’s incident, Green’s choke should be considered at least as severe as a punch.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Illustration by Madison Ketcham

• Did you know Andy Reid used to be a sportswriter? In today’s Daily Cover, Greg Bishop looks back at the Chiefs coach’s brief journalism career and how it shaped his understanding of football.
• Jon Wertheim spoke with Steve Ballmer and toured the site of the Clippers’ new arena to learn about the unique approach in building its new home.
• Wertheim’s story is from the “How It Works” issue of Sports Illustrated. Also in that issue, Emma Baccellieri explains the technology behind MLB’s pitch-tracking system, which may call balls and strikes soon.
• After the firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Conor Orr questions the wisdom of the Bills changing play-callers on the eve of their most difficult stretch of the season.
• Albert Breer spoke with rival NFL executives about what’s wrong with Buffalo this season.
• Pat Forde tried to make sense of the wacky race for the Big 12 championship.
• Here are Michael Fabiano’s fantasy football Start ’Em, Sit ’Em recommendations for quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and defenses.
• John Hawkins reviewed Netflix’s first foray into live sports, a golf match between F1 drivers and PGA Tour pros.
• There’s a new No. 1 in the CFP committee’s rankings.
• Padres owner Peter Seidler has died.

The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. Jimmy Butler’s 36-foot buzzer beater at the end of the first half.

4. Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark’s diving poke check, leading to a Boston goal.

3. Defensive end Isaac Rochell’s reaction to the Raiders posting a video about him and his brother right before they cut him.

2. Piston’s rookie Ausar Thompson’s dunk over Clint Capela.

1. The Sabres singer’s hilariously improvised rendition of “O Canada.”

SIQ

What is the most-played rivalry in FBS football? (The first meeting of these two teams was on this day in 1890, and they’ve met 132 times since.)

• Oregon–Oregon State
• Stanford-Cal
• Georgia-Auburn
• Minnesota-Wisconsin

Yesterday’s SIQ: MLB will announce the winners of this year’s Cy Young Awards tonight. Which team has had the most Cy Young winners?

• Dodgers
• Yankees
• Red Sox
• Phillies

Answer: Dodgers. Pitchers from Los Angeles’s NL team have won the award 12 times, five more than any other team. The winners:

• Don Newcombe (1956)
• Don Drysdale (1962)
• Sandy Koufax (1963, ’65 and ’66)
• Mike Marshall (1974)
• Fernando Valenzuela (1981)
• Orel Hershiser (1988)
• Éric Gagné (2003)
• Clayton Kershaw (2011, ’13, ’14)

The Braves, Phillies, Red Sox and Mets are tied for second with seven Cy Young winners each.

Gerrit Cole, the favorite to win the AL award tonight, would be the sixth Yankee to win the award, and Blake Snell, the NL favorite, would be the fifth Padre.