Mystery of the punch looms over Warriors

The NBA’s off-court history is littered with violent episodes, disturbing to contemplate but generally offering some clarity.

When Steve Kerr and Michael Jordan exchanged punches during a Chicago Bulls practice in 1995, it earned Kerr some respect, made Jordan take a step back from his belligerent nature and brought the team closer together.

Shaquille O’Neal once aimed a punch at Kobe Bryant with such force, during a 1998 summertime pickup game in Los Angeles, “it would have annihilated Kobe if it had landed,” Olden Polynice told host Kristine Leahy on a 2019 episode of the FS1 sports talk show “Fair Game.” Polynice recalled how he grabbed O’Neal just in time to lessen the blow’s impact on Bryant’s face. That was a matter of jealousy (each claimed to be the Lakers’ main man) and the feud simmered for years — but they won three straight NBA titles together and later became friends.

There was no mending the relationship between the Bulls’ Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic after a 2017 practice fight that saw Portis break his teammate’s jaw and send him to the hospital. Mirotic never forgave Portis and got his wish to be traded a few months later.

As the Golden State Warriors try to sort out the residue of the Draymond Green-Jordan Poole incident, their head coach, Kerr, has said that Green’s training-camp punch affected the entire season.

Green recently said the team would still be competing in the playoffs if it hadn’t happened.

But why did it happen? When Green concedes he’s still working on resurrecting trust from the team, and Poole remains dismissively guarded when addressing the topic, you realize the Warriors are still walking on eggshells — more than seven months later.

The cause for that incident — specifically, what the two men said to each other before the punch — must be something extremely sensitive, or else we’d know about it now. I’m not saying we should demand an answer. If they want to keep it private, fine. But it still lingers over the club, like a dark and foreboding cloud, with some very important decisions about to be made.

This column would never suggest that the Warriors and Green part company. I’ve never felt that way, even during the worst of Green’s temper-driven episodes. I’m also blown away by Poole’s phenomenal athleticism, and the fact that he averaged 20 points per game this season with his mind in tatters. He could be traded and rapidly mature into an AllStar. There’s also the bottomline issue of finances under the league’s new salary-cap restrictions.

The business of journalism, as a wise Chronicle editor once said, is to provide answers, not questions. Wish I could help you there. There’s too much we don’t quite understand. It’s a waiting game for everyone outside Chase Center — and a matter of extreme urgency within those walls.

The next wave

Sterling “Scoot” Henderson doesn’t just advertise himself as the obvious No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft after the Spurs take French sensation Victor Wembanyama. He thinks he should go No. 1, boldly claiming he has perfected every backcourt skill. We know one thing: Stephen Curry loves the kid. Henderson talked extensively on ESPN this week about Curry as his offseason mentor and training partner. Don’t run with this as a likelihood, but if Charlotte takes Alabama wing Brandon Miller at No. 2, which seems to make sense, it would be Portland’s turn — and there’s talk of the Blazers using that pick (and perhaps Damian Lillard) in a blockbuster trade to help rebuild the franchise. Would the Warriors at least investigate? … One thing about next year’s Warriors: As much value as they get from Green and Kevon Looney, they can no longer play heavy minutes with two guys who essentially won’t shoot. Staggered time will be paramount. … Klay Thompson is taking severe heat for his disappearing act over the final three games of the second round, but don’t forget: Curry played a huge part in shooting Golden State right into summer. He was fabulous in many ways, as always, but over the last four games he shot 4for-10, 3-for-14, 3-for-11 and 4-for-14 from 3-point range. … Credit the Lakers, too, for consistently executing what might have been the tightest defense ever inflicted on the Splash Brothers.

No overriding issues here with Giants manager Gabe Kapler, although it’s infuriating to watch him insult Alex Wood. Twice now — against the Dodgers on April 11 and the Phillies on Monday night — Kapler has removed Wood with two outs in the fifth inning, the Giants leading and no indication that Wood was losing his stuff. All about percentages, you see. So much for getting one last out and a win, which might not mean much to the analytics crowd but still hugely matters in the pitcher community. “Back in the old days,” tweeted broadcaster and ex-player F.P. Santangelo, “if you took a pitcher out with a four-run lead (as was the case Monday) after 4 innings staring straight at a win, there would be a fight in the dugout or tunnel. Now it’s just part of the game.” Not for everyone, though. A lot of managers, including Dusty Baker, will always consider the matter of trust and what he actually sees, not interprets as logic. Kapler’s heartless strategy doesn’t work in any era. … The XFL had its title game last weekend and the USFL playoffs take place late next month — as if anyone cares. Pro football in the spring and summer has never worked, nor will it ever stand a chance. Only the American Football League ever captured the nation’s attention, going directly against the NFL in-season, with an eight-team setup (including the Oakland Raiders, at Frank Youell Field) in 1960. Offering lots of money and a bit of novelty, that firstyear AFL had some big names in Billy Cannon, George Blanda, Gino Capelletti, Abner Haynes, Lionel Taylor, Jack Kemp, Paul Lowe, Johnny Robinson, Don Maynard, Art Powell and Babe Parilli. And it was all sorts of fun.

Classic bust: An A’s statement said their proposed Las Vegas ballpark would hold “approximately 30,000 fans” and is expected to attract “more than 2.5 million fans and visitors annually.” Forget the pipe-dream nonsense of selling out every game. “First, the math,” wrote the L.A. Times’ Bill Shaikin. “If you sell 30,000 tickets to 81 home games plus two preseason games, you get 2.49 million.” … Hearty applause fills the 3-Dot whenever the Saudi-financed LIV Golf tour takes a pratfall. Stuck without a major TV deal, LIV hooked up with the CW network, whatever that is, and looked ridiculous during its Tulsa event last week. According to Awful Announcing, “CW stations across the country cut away to its regularly scheduled programming at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday with four holes to go. In Miami, the local CW station started airing a syndicated episode of ‘The Goldbergs.’ ”