There was an assumption that significant suspensions could be handed out for members of the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards after Draymond Green and Bradley Beal got into an altercation this week. According to the NBA, only Markieff Morris and Carrick Felix will be suspended for a game apiece for their involvement in the scrum and for leaving the bench.
That means Beal and Green will be fined $50,000 and $25,000 respectively. Washington’s Kelly Oubre will also be fined $15,000.
The fight broke out during a rebound attempt underneath the basket on Friday when Beal and Green got tied up together. Beal appeared to be the initializer, and the two mostly just aggressively hugged until the officials separated them.
That didn’t stop several teammates from rushing to their aid, including Oubre, who accidentally punched John Wall in the back of the head. Meanwhile, Morris came off the bench in street clothes and was knee deep underneath the stanchion.
Via Twitter:
Bradley Beal fined $50K for initiating; Draymond Green $25K; Kelly Oubre $15K for “aggressively entering the altercation."
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) October 29, 2017
NBA announces Carrick Felix and Markieff Morris are suspended one game each; Kelly Oubre, Bradley Beal, Draymond Green all get fines.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 29, 2017
This is the second such instance this season of a player losing a game due to leaving the bench. Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum was suspended for the first game of the season after leaving the bench during a stoppage of play in a preseason game.
That didn’t make a lot of sense to those around the NBA, and neither did Green’s fine to Warriors coach Steve Kerr. When asked about the $25,000 Green would need to fork over to the league, Kerr had this to say:
Steve Kerr on Draymond Green's fine pic.twitter.com/V8PgYcosPy
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 29, 2017
So to reiterate: leaving the bench during an altercation is a suspension. Getting into a fight where you are locked up and fall down is just a cash penalty. Student loan money. By my math, it’s something like 5.7 minutes of gameplay for Beal and 3.75 minutes for Green.
Nothing to see here. Go back to your seats.
These teams play again on Wednesday, February 28.