Suspension Of A Key Star Blown Warriors Behind As They Set To Give In Due To…

The Warriors’ indefinite suspension of Draymond Green may have been the best development of the season.

It also may have been the best thing that ever happened to Green, in a strange way.

The forward’s absence has compelled Dubs coach Steve Kerr to trust and play his young players, who have responded with good play and positive energy.

It wasn’t a fluke that the Celtics lost. It also can’t be ignored to stick with Denver for all but the last few minutes (blame the altitude, the refs, etc.). The Warriors won five of their seven games without Green, including five straight before Christmas, with Jonathan Kuminga serving as the team’s offensive focal point, starting player Brandin Podziemski, and center of choice Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Golden State is a small, shrewd, and tenacious team that has found its identity thanks to the youthful Warriors.

It’s similar to the atmosphere the Warriors experienced at the conclusion of the 2020–2021 campaign.

This time, they’ve discovered their best form before the calendar turns to a new year, as opposed to discovering it in the last 20 games.

Without Green, the Warriors have not only looked good, but even better.

However, that naturally begs some unpleasant questions prior to Green’s comeback to the starting lineup.

The joy of being “indefinitely” suspended means that nobody can predict when Green will return, but as of right now, NBA insiders predict he will return in about a week, extending his suspension to 12 or 13 games.

It’s reasonable to wonder how Green will fit into the lineup if the Warriors continue to win between now and then.

God forbid the Warriors ruin something nice.

But I think the Warriors finding themselves amid Green’s kangaroo court-mandated quest to do the same will serve the forward.

Green shouldn’t be handed anything when he returns. He’ll have to earn his minutes back.

And Green, in limited minutes and a clearer role, is a win for him and the Warriors.

At the start of the season, the Warriors kept looking to Green and the other Warriors veterans to fix the team’s problems. It resulted in too much playing time for too little positive play.

The offense can’t stop turning the ball over? Draymond, the de facto point guard, was asked to fix it.

The defense is a sieve? One of the greatest defenders ever will clean it up, right?

And truth be told, such efforts might be beyond the scope of Green’s capabilities these days.

The forward can still help the Warriors win, but he should no longer be responsible for winning.

There’s a difference.

And when Green returns, he should find out what it is.

Bringing Green back as a role player — someone who has to fit the lineup instead of being a mainstay of the lineup — should maintain what the Warriors are building without him.

Green was averaging close to 30 minutes per game in contests he wasn’t ejected from this season.

Shaving five or 10 minutes isn’t a stretch. You can’t say others haven’t earned those minutes he’d lose.

Green would only be the most recent of the Warriors’ seasoned players to step away this year. This season, Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins have both come off the bench. A Warriors mainstay for the past five years, Kevon Looney is playing fewer and fewer minutes due to Jackson-Davis and Dario Šarić’s superior play.

Green is entitled to a statue outside of Chase Center, his number in the rafters, and, I believe, a jacket from the Basketball Hall of Fame.

However, given his play thus far in his career, he isn’t entitled to minutes that could be given to a player who is deserving of them.

Less might be more for Green.

His best ball might emerge in a smaller role with fewer center minutes.

In approximately a week, the Warriors should have a good problem if they can continue to play at their current caliber.

Perhaps this fake suspension and “return to play path” could lead to something real and constructive after all.