Kerr says NBA indefinite ban on Green 'makes sense'
Golden State coach Steve Kerr on Thursday backed the NBA's decision to issue an indefinite suspension on Draymond Green, saying the open-ended ban gave the Warriors star a chance to change his ways. Warriors stalwart Green was sanctioned by the NBA on Wednesday after his third ejection of the season on Tuesday, when he was tossed for violently swinging an arm into the head of Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic. It was just the latest in a long line of incidents that have landed Green in disciplinary hot water over the years, and came just weeks after he was given a five-game ban for grabbing Minnesota's Rudy Gobert in a headlock last month. Kerr told reporters that the NBA's indefinite suspension of Green – a virtually unheard of sanction in the league – was the appropriate move. "I think the suspension makes sense," Kerr said. "To me, this is about more than basketball. It's about helping Draymond. "It's an opportunity for Draymond to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life. And that's not an easy thing to do." Kerr said the league's five-game suspension of Green after the Gobert incident last month justified the stiffer penalty for this week's latest flashpoint.  Kerr and the Warriors have attracted criticism in the past for how they have handled Green's disciplinary indiscretions, notably when he was only fined by the franchise – rather than suspended – for punching team-mate Jordan Poole in a pre-season practice last year. (AFP)