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HOUSTON — All-Star Draymond Green on Thursday said he believes the Golden State Warriors will grow stronger after his emotional exchange with teammate Kevin Durant both during and following Monday night’s loss to the LA Clippers.
Speaking for the first time since serving a one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team,” Green offered a lengthy statement about the incident and did not take follow-up questions.
“Kevin and I spoke. We’re moving forward,” Green said. “I think there’s no secret that I am an emotional player. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I play with that same emotion. Sometimes it gets the best of me and it doesn’t work to my favor.
“I am going to live with that. Because It works in my favor to the good, as my resume speaks, and this team’s resume speaks, more so than it doesn’t. So I am never going to change who I am. I am going to approach the game the same way that I always do. And like I said, we will continue to move forward.”
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Warriors star Kevin Durant offered short answers while discussing his issues with Draymond Green following Tuesday’s win over the Hawks, saying, “What happened, happened. We’re trying to move on.”
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In the wake of the team-imposed suspension, Green said he has spent time reading different stories regarding speculation how the argument may lead to Durant’s exit this summer as a free agent.
Green, his teammates and Warriors coaches have known that was a possibility entering this season, but Green is confident that one emotional outburst early in the season isn’t going to ultimately determine whether Durant leaves next summer.
“I have read a lot about how, ‘Is this the end of the run?’ or ‘Is it over?’ or ‘Did I ruin it?’ or ‘Did I force Kevin to leave?'” Green said. “You know, at the end of the day, as I’ve said before, whatever Kevin decides to do, whatever Klay [Thompson] decides to do, whatever who decides to do, we had great years together and I support everybody wholeheartedly, 100 percent. Because as a man, as a human being, you got the right to do what you want with your life. So I will never question that.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the team had a short meeting prior to Thursday’s shootaround during which several issues were addressed. Kerr admitted that the mood of the group — in particular, Green and Durant — is still “pretty quiet,” but he is confident the pair can work out its differences.
“What you must know is nobody in this organization from a player — not myself, not Kevin [Durant], not anybody else — is going to beat us. So if you one of them other 29 teams in this league, you got to beat us. We’re not going to beat us. We’re going to continue to do what we do. … You think you saw something before? Good luck with us now. We’re not going to crumble off of an argument. We are going to move forward.”
Draymond Green
The Warriors play the Houston Rockets, who they defeated in the Western Conference Finals, on Thursday night.
Green and Durant walked into Toyota Center together prior to the shootaround.
“We met in the locker room before practice and went through our usual game-day routine, addressed some things that will remain private,” Kerr said. “I know Kevin and Draymond have spoken and that’s as much as I’m going to reveal.
“I can tell you that I am extremely confident in this team’s ability to get through any adversity. And last time we were in this building, we won a Game 7 on the road against a great team. We were down 15 in the second quarter. I know what this team’s made of. I know the character of the group. I know the history of this group. And it’s way too strong and way too powerful to be upended by the type of adversity that can hit any team in the season. So we’re going to get through this.”
While Green didn’t ever publicly apologize for his words or actions, he said what he felt he needed to say and tried to push the narrative back towards basketball.
“What you must know is nobody in this organization from a player — not myself, not Kevin, not anybody else — is going to beat us,” Green said. “So if you one of them other 29 teams in this league, you got to beat us. We’re not going to beat us. We’re going to continue to do what we do.
“I am sorry if that ruins everybody’s stories. I know everybody got a job to do. I apologize for ruining ya’ll’s stories if it did. But if this only makes Kevin, myself and the rest of my teammates stronger, that’s what it’s going to do. You think you saw something before? Good luck with us now. We’re not going to crumble off of an argument. We are going to move forward. So that’s all I have got to say. Anybody want to talk basketball, I am here. If not, it’s been real.”
In injury related news, Kerr said Warriors star Stephen Curry (strained left groin) remains out for the foreseeable future as he continues his rehab. Kerr said Curry, who suffered the injury Nov. 8, is making good progress, but the organization will be very cautious as he makes his way back.
“Obviously it’s taken longer than we first anticipated,” Kerr said. “But that’s because the original MRI didn’t show anything terrible. … Sometimes the symptoms and the MRI and the imaging don’t fit. It’s not always going to perfect. So we’re basing this on symptoms. Groin injuries are tricky. So he’s definitely our for the rest of this trip. He’s getting better each day.”
Curry joined the Warriors on this trip to not only continue his rehab, but to also serve as a sounding board and bridge for teammates in case emotions again run high. He was not with the Warriors in Los Angeles on Monday during the incident with Green and Durant.
“It’s great to have him on the trip while we’re gong through this adversity we’ve hit,” Kerr said. “Steph is always going to be a guy who smooths out bumps and keeps us rolling. So it’s great to have him here.”
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