If Draymond Green is with the Warriors on opening night, what will the reaction of fans in the Chase Center be when his name is called to come up and get his championship ring from Adam Silver?
Would it be more awkward if he wasn’t there opening night so the Warriors had a separate pregame ceremony for just him one other night, almost like he was a returning player on another team?
While that may not be high on the Warriors’ list of concerns, it’s one of the things they need to consider when deciding when Green’s mutually agreed to exile from the team ends. Green stepped away after throwing a vicious punch at teammate Jordan Poole during a practice, and the decision by the Warriors was complicated by the video going public.
Steve Kerr said after the Warriors’ practice Monday there was “no clarity” on when Green might return.
"I'm concerned about both. They're both a problem."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 10, 2022
Steve Kerr on the leaked video and the Dray-JP incident itself. He adds there’s no clarity yet on when Draymond will return. pic.twitter.com/sS06s6IVSq
Green said he hoped he would return before opening night, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports there is no reason to expect he will miss any of the regular season.
[Draymond Green] is with his family right now. This is not expected to be a long absence from the team. In terms of clarity, there's no reason to believe he's going to miss any time in the regular season."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 10, 2022
🗣️ @ramonashelburnepic.twitter.com/bbyaA7cogB
What we don’t know, and what ultimately matters most in a return, is how this all has played out in the Warriors’ locker room. Green has to build back trust with the Warriors (again) and that is on the other Warriors players and can take time. How much time remains to be seen.
But the smart money is on Green picking up his ring from Silver on opening night.
