Draymond Green Gets Mad at Jordan Poole, Quits Playing

Draymond Green and Jordan Poole famously had a bit of trouble at work a few months ago, forcing HR to do a tremendous amount of paperwork after a practice punch found its way into public view. And to their credit, the duo has done a pretty decent job of burying the hatchet and moving on as the Golden State Warriors compete in a crowded West. Yet there is still work to be done. Because Poole is still finding ways to send Green to the brink.

If there's good news, though, it's that the Michigan State alum has found healthier ways to deal with the frustrations brought on by his younger teammate from Michigan. Like simply walking away from the situation before doing anything everyone's going to regret.

Which he did shortly before halftime of last night's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. After demonstratively calling for the ball and not ever receiving the ball, Green exited stage left as everyone else chased a fast break the other way.

Now, from this single angle, it kind of looks like any pass to Green would have been in danger of being deflected, if not intercepted. On the other hand, it is Jordan Poole, who has never seen a shot attempt he doesn't like.

The slow walkaway and refusal to get back on defense is a classic staple of a bad pickup game and it feels nice to have some representation in the NBA. It's also something that used to really bother me and now almost respect because it's worth sending a message for the cost of two or three points the either way.

Golden State is now 34-32, a half-game out of the play-in tournament and 2.5 games from being out of the playoffs entirely. There's no need to hit the panic button right now but one could look back on this little fiasco as a turning point should things go south.