Rudy Gobert has history with Draymond Green but the Minnesota Timberwolves center is eager for his rival to “be happy”.
Golden State Warriors forward Green was handed an indefinite ban by the NBA earlier this week following his ejection for striking the Phoenix Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Tuesday.
Read our other US sports news stories here
Purdy or McCaffrey for NFL MVP? Shanahan can’t split 49ers stars
Wembanyama calls for Spurs to play smart after falling short against Lakers
I’m still the man for the Chargers – Staley
That incident came less than a month after he was banned for five games for putting Gobert in a headlock, with the NBA saying Green’s “history of unsportsmanlike acts” contributed to the length of the suspension.
Gobert has sympathy for Green and hopes he gets the help he needs to get his career back on track.
“I have empathy for him,” Gobert told ESPN after an eight-point, 12-rebound performance in the Timberwolves’ 119-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks
“You see somebody that’s not well inside and suffering. You take away the game and all that, and you want somebody to be well and be able to do what we do every night and compete and be happy.”
It remains to be seen when Green will play again with Gobert unable to judge whether the sanction was suitable for the various misdemeanours.
“I’m not sure what that really means [an indefinite suspension], so it’s hard to tell,” Gobert added.
“I mean, you don’t want someone to get badly hurt. You’ve got to fix that. That’s it.”
Golden State are standing by Green with coach Steve Kerr willing to give the 33-year-old the support he requires.
“My role in this is to support Draymond as best I can. We want to give him the space, time and assistance he needs to make a significant change. We’re not qualified to offer some of the things he needs,” he said.
“We’ve got to give it a few days. I think the team needs a little space. I think Draymond needs a little space. Draymond will do what he feels right and then move forward.”
