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From the moment footage leaked of Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole at a practice ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, speculation has been rampant about what caused the altercation. And with those details still under wrap, it’ll only continue until a first-hand account comes out.
That won’t stop people from asking Poole and Green about what happened, though. And if they aren’t careful with their answers, they can add fuel to the fire, which is exactly what Green did as a guest on the Pat Bev Podcast with Rone. In a social clip of the interview, Green alluded to the punch being a build-up of things over time, a response that set off Poole’s dad, Anthony Poole, who responded on Twitter with some unsavory words.
Green said, “I don’t just hit people. Dialogue of course happens over time. And you usually ain’t just triggered by something that fast.” Anthony Poole called Green’s comment “bs,” and said, among other things, him and Green can “meet anytime he want.”
This is an unfortunate turn in the whole saga, and one that could’ve been avoided if Green just declined to answer the question. Though he reiterated he was wrong in how he handled the altercation and was also complimentary of Poole in the same interview, he should have just left it alone if he wasn’t willing to go into detail.
At the same time, it’s unrealistic to ask someone with a podcast and a budding media career not to talk about one of the things he’s asked about most. The onus here was on Anthony Poole to protect his son from any extra outside noise.
While it’s understandable that Poole might be angry with Green, all his tweet did was the fan the flames on an interview that would have otherwise come and gone, which is likely what Jordan Poole would have preferred. Now, as Jordan is embarking on a new journey in Washington, he has to re-live what was likely the worst moment of his time in Golden State because his dad started a mini-beef with Green, who of course responded with his own suggestive words on Twitter.
For his part, Jordan simply posted a clip to his Instagram stories of him working out, with the lyrics to Gunna’s ‘bottom’ playing in the background and one part of the song in quotations: “Talk of the topic… Find you a hobby.” Hopefully, he can be the talk of the topic for something more positive soon.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Jordan Poole’s dad wasn’t the only person Draymond Green had Twitter fingers for today. He also had a near-spat with Kevin Garnett, but this time it was over a fake tweet, as our guy Sykes explained:
Kendrick Perkins knows about this all too well. He’s normally the most famous person we see fall victim to the Ballsack Sportsification of Twitter, which is especially rampant now considering the fact that literally anyone can be verified for the cost of a cup of coffee.
It wasn’t Perkins who fell for the trap today, though. Instead, it was Draymond Green. And it almost started an extremely, extremely regrettable beef with Kevin Garnett.
Luckily, though, cooler heads prevailed. This is not something I ever thought I’d say about a situation involving Kevin Garnett. But, hey. Here we are.
Seriously though, go check out that story. KG’s response was hilarious.
Shootaround
— Q&A: Raptors rookie Gradey Dick just wants to be his ‘goofy’ self
— 10 undrafted rookies who should get two-way deals after Summer League
— Rookie of the Year odds risers and fallers during Summer League
