Steve Kerr, Warriors need ‘chest-thumping, yelling Draymond,' but…

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OAKLAND -- Though Draymond Green leads the NBA in technical fouls, the Warriors have no plans urging him to mute the voice that sometimes leads to trouble.

“Why would we?” coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. “Draymond is one of the most impactful players in the league. He does so many great things for us. He gives us an edge that we otherwise don’t have. We have a very quiet team . . .

“We need chest-thumping, yelling Draymond. We need that.”

Green this season has been assessed with 10 technical fouls, an average of one every 3.7 games. At this pace, he’ll need less than 60 games to reach the 16-tech threshold that results in an automatic one-game suspension.

Green last season was slapped with 14 technical fouls but didn’t get his 10th until Feb. 23.

The topic was raised after Green was ejected last Saturday upon receiving two technical fouls in a 47-second span in the second quarter of a 141-128 win over the Grizzlies. The first was assessed by Tre Maddox, the second by Nick Buchert.

“I didn’t think he deserved to be kicked out,” Kerr said, pointing out that the only visible gesture was Green waving his arm in the direction of Buchert, standing about 25 feet away.

“He might have said a magic word in there somewhere,” he added. “But normally you don’t get kicked out for that. You’ve got to be pretty demonstrative, normally. I disagreed with it, but nothing we can do about it.”

Kerr conceded that Green is a victim of his own reputation as a high-intensity player who doesn’t bite his tongue. He is one of two players, along with New Orleans big man DeMarcus Cousins, to be ejected twice this season. Kevin Durant leads in ejections with three.

“The tough part is we need Draymond to be on edge,” Kerr said. “We don’t want Draymond to be passive. We want him to be fiery. We want him to be yelling and screaming. He’s got to walk that line. But it’s a tough line to walk because he’s so emotional and competitive and passionate. It’s what makes him great.

“But there’s just a point where he’s going to have to pull back. It’s nothing any of us can do. He has to feel that moment. We can talk to the league and plead our case, but, ultimately, it’s up to him to feel when he’s got to pull back.”

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