By: Jamal Smith Sports Editor
Never has a kick to the family jewels been more scrutinized than Draymond Green’s karate kick to the midsection of seven-footer Steven Adams.
The incident occurred in the middle of the second quarter in game three of the Western Conference Finals when Green, a third-year power forward with the Golden State Warriors, drove to the hoop to put up a shot but was met by Adams. In an attempt to draw a foul call, Green flailed his leg out and blasted Adams in the groin. The Oklahoma City center collapsed to the ground in pain, and Green walked away as if nothing happened.
Green was assessed a flagrant foul but the punishment was later upgraded to a flagrant two by NBA officials. Although Green was fined $25,000 for the play, he avoided a suspension that would have kept him out of the next game of the playoff series.
The kick led many sports analysis to debate whether Green kicked Adams on accident or on purpose.
Adams alluded to the fact that Green’s kick could have been intentional. “It’s happened before, mate,” Adams said in the post-game interview following the Thunders 133-105 beat down of the defending NBA champions. “He’s pretty accurate, that guy. It was straight to the jewels, you don’t think about any of that stuff. Yeah, it was rough.”
Green openly denied any wrongdoing. “I thought it would probably get rescinded,” he said in a post-game interview. “I followed through on a shot. I didn’t try to kick somebody in the midsection. I’m sure he wants to have kids one day. I’m not trying to end that on the basketball court.”
Whether or not Green had malicious intent when he booted Adams in the groin doesn’t justify his insensitive reaction. At the very least, Green should have apologized for the low blow. Instead he chose to play innocent, and even diverted the blame to Thunder point guard, Russell Westbrook, claiming he was one of the originators of flopping. One thing is for certain, opposing players better be cautious when going up against Green, at least if they don’t want to get scissor kicked in the family jewels.
Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU
the big man, and some fans absolutely love him. Those who hate Howard point to his bad attitude and unsuccessful tenures with the Los Angeles Lakers and his current team, the Houston Rockets. In his early years, Howard was easily the most dominant superstar on the court and had the ability to single-handedly take over games. Although Howard’s best years are behind him, Howard would provide the Blazers a double-double every night, while at the same time striking fear into opponents as an offensive and defensive threat.
season, and Whiteside would be the perfect fit. Unlike Howard, Whiteside hasn’t reached the prime of his career yet. The 26-year-old does it all: he blocks shots, scores in bunches, and gobbles up rebounds. Though it is unlikely that Miami will let him walk away, the Blazers front office should do everything in their power to sign Whiteside.
of all-time. The Blazers general manager Neil Olshey should wine and dine Batum, apologize for trading him, and do anything in his power to get the wingman back in red and black. All indications currently point to Batum resigning with the Hornets, but the free agent process is unpredictable.
consistent big men in the NBA. Signing Horford this offseason, would give the young squad an experienced veteran who still has years of productivity ahead of him and would at the same time shore up the power forward position that currently lacks depth.
. His average of 17 points a game would give Portland a definitive third offensive threat behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
healthy,” said Wolves’ head coach, Arne Ferguson. “We are down 25 players from where we normally are so that is a little concerning to make sure that we don’t decrease our numbers for spring ball because of injuries.”
millions of dollars blow away in a cloud of smoke, literally and figuratively.
