Greg Anthony: Draymond-JP fight still hanging over Dubs’ heads originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
It appears that repercussions from Draymond Green‘s punch on Jordan Poole still are being felt by the team over a month later.
After the Warriors‘ 130-119 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at Footprint Center, former NBA guard Greg Anthony shared why he believes the Warriors have struggled so mightily to start the 2022-23 NBA season.
“I go back to when all the craziness started with Draymond and Poole,” Anthony told Dennis Scott. “I still firmly believe, yes they have strong leadership in their locker room and in their front office.
“But that is a seminal moment for me, in terms of when that stuff gets out in the public and it’s there for all to see. It hits differently.”
Anthony added that he believes the Warriors still are dealing with the effects of Green’s punch, despite the team electing not to suspend the 32-year-old for his actions.
Also, while Golden State will say the “right things” to the media, the former guard suggested fans watch closely how the Warriors play in order to understand that something is off with the team.
“This is not a cohesive unit, they don’t seem to have the same level of fire or trust, particularly on the defensive end and the rest of the league is licking their chops,” Anthony continued. “They’re looking forward to playing them now — that was never the case with the Warriors.”
The Warriors — at 6-9 through 15 games — have gotten off to one of the worst starts by a defending champion in NBA history and are 0-8 on the road thus far.
While the Warriors’ usually stout defense has been porous to start the season, the overall inconsistency displayed by the team, except for Steph Curry, has plagued Golden State and has made the team look more vulnerable. So much so that coach Steve Kerr said that opposing teams can’t wait to play the Warriors and “kick our ass.”
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Did Green’s punch cause all of the problems Golden State is dealing with? No.
But it’s important to note that while the Warriors might not outwardly say that the punch caused the team to stumble out of the gate, no one can deny that it did have an effect on how the team has played.
What the full effect of that altercation is, remains to be seen.