Draymond Green said that he was only relaying what he heard second-hand when he commented on his podcast this week that New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t play against the Golden State Warriors because of the presence of Jimmy Butler.
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Towns was listed out for “personal reasons” against the Warriors on Tuesday night. The real reason he missed the game was due to the death of family friend, Sarah Holtzman.
“That’s unfortunate, I’m sorry to hear that. That sucks,” Green said. “But my comments that I made were, you know, ‘People, what I heard was this.’ That’s what I heard. So I do send my well wishes to him and his family.
“It’s inevitable, we all experience death in one way or another, and we’ll all experience it in the same way one day. So it’s unfortunate, you never wish that on anybody, but ‘The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis’ must go on.”
Green said his comments were in reference to tensions between Butler and Towns while they were in Minnesota.
“Some would say he didn’t play because Jimmy was in the building,” Green originally said. “I saw KAT’s pops at the game yesterday. I got incredible love for the OG, his pops is an incredible man. But yeah, they say KAT didn’t play because Jimmy came into town … I don’t know what was hurt. I didn’t look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was or nothing like that.”
Towns rejoined the Knicks for Thursday’s 113-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He played 42:16 and recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds.
After the Knicks’ shootaround on Thursday Towns said he had to leave the team to be there for his family and “the kids that lost somebody really special to them.”
Towns added that the losses he’s experienced over the past few years — several family members, including his mother, to COVID-19 complications — taught him to appreciate life.
“And the problems that have arisen in my life and stuff, I know that if people were in my shoes, they’d be extremely joyful to have the problems that I have,” Towns said. “So just stay focused and it’s made me a better man. And, with my mom, I had utilized that experience when it came to this one because losing a mom is tough.”
Green and Towns will meet on the court next week when the Knicks wrap up their west coast road trip at Chase Center on March 15.
