Gobert wishes Draymond well despite public feud: 'I have empathy for him'
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert expressed his support for longtime rival Draymond Green as the Golden State Warriors forward serves an indefinite suspension for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
"I have empathy for him," Gobert said Thursday, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "You see somebody that's not well inside and suffering.
"You take away the game and all that, and you want somebody to be well and be able to do what we do every night and compete and be happy."
Green's suspension is his second of the season despite Golden State having played just 24 of 82 contests. The league handed him a five-game ban on Nov. 16 for escalating an on-court altercation between the Warriors and Timberwolves by grabbing Gobert around the neck from behind and refusing to let go.
That incident followed multiple occasions in recent seasons of Green publicly criticizing Gobert and developing a feud with the French 7-footer. Green apologized for striking Nurkic on Tuesday and called the play an accident. However, the 33-year-old was less remorseful about his confrontation with Gobert last month.
"I'm going to play basketball the way I play basketball," Green said after returning from his five-game suspension. "The way I play basketball has gotten me here. ... I'm going to be me, no matter what. That's not going to change."
Green will have to satisfy unspecified criteria set out by the NBA before he's eligible to return, with counseling reportedly one of the requirements. Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said Thursday he's satisfied with the parameters of Green's suspension.
Gobert stressed that ensuring the Warriors veteran doesn't injure someone should be the ultimate goal.
"I'm not sure what that really means, so it's hard to tell," Gobert said about the suspension's indeterminate length, per MacMahon. "I mean, you don't want someone to get badly hurt. You've got to fix that. That's it."
The Timberwolves and Warriors don't meet again until March 24.