Green technical foul rescinded, but damage was already done
The NBA is rescinding the second technical foul assessed to Warriors forward Draymond Green during a 119-104 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday at the Chase Center.
The Athletic first reported the NBA’s decision to rescind the technical foul.
The technical foul called by secondyear official John Butler will no longer lead to a fine for Green, but the most significant damage from the mistaken call can’t be taken away. After Green was automatically ejected following his second technical foul, the Warriors were forced to play the second half of their matchup against the Knicks without one of their best players.
The technical was called with 1:04 remaining in the first half after Green committed a turnover on a pass intended for rookie teammate James Wiseman.
Butler assessed Green a second technical for using profane language that he believed was personally directed at him, but Green was instead yelling at Wiseman. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the officiating crew chief, Ben Taylor, apologized to him for the incorrect judgment at halftime, so the NBA’s decision to take the technical off of Green’s ledger isn’t much of a surprise.
“Draymond and I were out of sync,” Wiseman said postgame. “Mistakes happen. I don’t know why the ref did that. He may have thought that Draymond was talking to another player, but he was talking to me. I don’t know. I am confused myself. That was a weird moment, to be honest.”
Following Thursday’s game, Green told ESPN’s Marc Spears he was confused why the officiating crew couldn’t
overturn the call after realizing it was incorrect.
“Officials can meet and make a decision on any call throughout the game, but when it comes to a technical that was clearly the wrong call due to an official assuming I was talking to him when in fact I wasn’t, that can’t be overturned?” Green told Spears. “Maybe it’s time to take a look at that rule. I would love clarity on why that’s the rule, if in fact it is a rule.”
Had the officials chosen to reverse the decision to eject Green, it wouldn’t have been the first time
an ejection had been rescinded.
While with the Sacramento Kings in 2016, DeMarcus Cousins was ejected when Portland’s Mason Plumlee fouled him and Cousins’ mouthguard flew out of his mouth near the Blazers’ bench. Officials thought Cousins spit at the opposing bench.
Officials realized it was an accident and called Cousins back from the locker room — though he’d already ripped his jersey.
When Green’s second technical is officially rescinded, he will have three technical fouls on the season.