It has been clear for some time that the Golden State Warriors Western Conference semifinal series with the Memphis Grizzlies was ugly. Dreammond Green got the Flagant 2 ejection in Game 1. Dylan Brooks received suspension in Flagant 2 Ejection and Game 2. Kyle Anderson was knocked out in Game 3. Gary Payton II was injured. Ja Morant was injured. The players and coaches blamed the other team. Steve Carey grabbed the covid.
The once hopeful series now looks like we can’t all wait to see the end. And that will probably happen soon, because of a serious news bomb: Morant is out for the rest of the post season.
The main route to this injury update is that Morant, a first-time All-Star and this year’s Most Improved Player of the Year award winner, is sadly out for the playoffs, but it’s hard to ignore the reason he’s being sidelined: a bone injury.
There are many ways to injure your bones, but one of them is to grab your foot lightly. In other words, Jordan Pool is flawless. It had nothing to do with Morant’s injury.
You already know that, of course. Accusations in favor of Memphis – Morant tweeted a sarcastic remark about breaking the code (later deleted), while coach Taylor Jenkins said Poole “triggered” the injury – always felt more response to the Warriors’ anger at Brooks than real belief. Key Pool injured his superstar point guard.
But still it was a strange accusation to hear. There seems to be nothing unusual or dangerous about Poole’s movements, which the NBA agreed to when they did not give him any retrospective punishment.
And now Poole (hopefully) is free from any guilt, which never deserved in the first place. And some weird questions will be left to Grizzly to answer.
The story here is heavily morant, not pool. Notably, the brightest star in the game is out for the rest of the playoffs, effectively capturing what once looked like an all-time great series.
But even the slightest resolving of a dispute that never started is great.
