Why Perk believes Draymond should be suspended for Edey play originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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The last thing the Warriors need is another Draymond Green suspension.
And that’s exactly what Kendrick Perkins believes is necessary after the Golden State forward’s latest controversial foul.
Green initially was called for a “take” foul on Grizzlies center Zach Edey midway through the third quarter of the Warriors’ 123-118 win over Memphis on Friday at Chase Center before the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 on Sunday.
Perkins, on Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” explained why he believes Green should be suspended for the infraction.
“I actually think Draymond should be suspended for an extended period of time,” Perkins said. “We’re talking about a play where he pulled on the opponent’s Achilles while the opponent was going in the opposite direction. And we’re talking about a guy, Zach Edey, who’s [7-foot-4] probably 300 pounds. This could have been a season-ending injury right here.
“And I get it, right, so many people are like ‘Oh, it’s a sticky situation because it is Draymond.’ Some people on the other side, like me, are saying ‘Hey, this was a dirty play, he needs to be penalized for this, he needs to be suspended’ and there’s others who say ”Hold on, let’s take a deeper dive into it, we don’t want to make it as if we’re picking on Draymond.’ But if you ask me, he needs to be suspended for an extended period of time. There’s no room, no place in our game for those type of actions.”
Edey, in speaking to reporters after Friday’s game, said the foul “definitely was not a basketball play.”
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins expressed his frustration with the play, which later prompted a social media response from Green.
While he likely won’t agree with Perkins’ claim that Green should be suspended, Warriors coach Steve Kerr at least agrees with the league’s decision to upgrade the foul to a Flagrant 1.
“I agree with it; he grabbed him,” Kerr said Sunday of the upgraded foul. “Definitely take foul like they called. But I had no problem with it being upgraded to a Flagrant 1. It’s not a basketball play. It was more than a ‘take’ foul.
The Warriors struggled throughout both of Green’s suspensions last season, and although further disciplinary measure is unlikely at this point, another absence certainly could disrupt Golden State’s (10-3) red-hot start to the 2024-25 season.
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