‘Biggest crisis’ for Warriors, says Kerr

GOLDEN State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says the bust-up between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole has been the “biggest crisis” of his time in charge at the NBA champions.

Speaking after the Warriors’ pre-season game against Portland late Tuesday, Kerr confirmed that Green had received an undisclosed fine following last week’s altercation with Poole.

Dramatic video footage of the incident showed Green punching Poole in the face after tempers flared during a practice.

However Green has escaped a suspension for the incident, with Kerr saying the four-time NBA champion would return to practice on Thursday and play in a preseason game against Denver on Friday.

Kerr said the decision not to suspend Green – who was given a one-game suspension by the club for a 2018 altercation with Kevin Durant – was taken after wide-ranging discussion with players and team officials.

“I can tell you there’s been a lot of conversations – individual, one-on-one discussions, players-only discussions,” Kerr said. “It’s been an exhaustive process.

“After assessing everything, we feel like this is the best way for us to move forward. It’s never easy, no matter what decision you make, it’s never perfect.

“This is the biggest crisis that we’ve had since I’ve been coach here. It’s really serious stuff. We’re not perfect. Our team isn’t perfect. (General manager) Bob (Myers) and I have definitely made our share of mistakes over the years.

“But we’re going to lean on the experience that we have together over the last nine years and trust that this is the best decision for our team.

“We have a lot of work to do.

“All of us.”