The pundits are fighting again over a Draymond Green suspension

“To me, that’s a minimum 10-game suspension,” Williams said on “First Take”, a prediction that elicited quite the reaction from fellow host Stephen A. Smith. Smith said Green should only get suspended two to three games because he “did not throw a punch.”

“You are the enforcer of the enforcers, Stephen A.,” a surprised Williams replied. “I see the way you run this ship. … I’m shocked that you would give minimum two-to-three-game suspension.” Smith cut in to correct Williams, saying three games is “the most I would do.”

ESPN newsbreaker Adrian Wojnarowski invoked Green’s history in a Wednesday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, as he pulled out his own crystal ball. Wojnarowski referenced what NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars told ESPN about why Green was suspended for a playoff game this spring after stomping on Kings forward Domantas Sabonis’ chest.

“Here’s what it came down to: excessive and over-the-top actions, conduct detrimental and a repeat offender,” Dumars said to ESPN in April. “That’s what separates this where you end up with a suspension.” Dumars added at the time that “repeat offender weighs as heavy as anything.”

Local media seems a bit more divided on the matter. On Wednesday morning’s “Murph & Mac” show on KNBR, host Brian Murphy vehemently disagreed with co-host Paul McCaffrey and producer Markus Boucher, who both argued that Green was just trying to separate Gobert from Klay Thompson.

“The more I listen to you guys talk, you’re driving me further into the other corner,” Murphy said. “I’m not going closer to you, I’m going farther from you. I will not defend Draymond on this one. This was absurd, this was too much, man. This was too much. This really was. It was almost the act of a guy who lost control.” The back-and-forth continued throughout the entirety of Wednesday’s show, with some vocal escalations from each side — a notable shift from the usually agreeable and lighthearted KNBR morning show vibes. 

Williams’ call for a 10-game suspension is the longest so far. But before he got into it with Smith, he seemed to defend Green on ESPN’s “Get Up.”

“That’s my kind of teammate,” Williams said to Mike Greenberg. “If I’m in a scrap, if I’m scrapping with somebody, Greeny, and somebody puts their hands on me, I want my teammate to come out of nowhere and put somebody in a chokehold. I’m with that.”

In about 20 seconds, Williams captured the essence of Draymond Green pretty perfectly: Opponents clearly do not like how he goes about his business, but if you’re on Green’s team, you love it.