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OAKLAND – Steve Kerr said that Draymond Green shouldn’t have been ejected in the Warriors’ 141-128 win over Memphis on Saturday, in which he received his league-leading 10th technical foul.

“I didn’t think he deserved to be kicked out,” Kerr said at Tuesday’s practice.

Green was ejected from the game with less than three minutes left in the second quarter after he was assessed a foul on a Deyonta Davis alley-oop attempt, and then waved his right hand dismissively.

“What I saw was he got called for the foul, and he went like that,” Kerr said, emulating the hand wave. “Now, he might have said a magic word in there somewhere, but normally you don’t get kicked out for that. You’ve got to be pretty demonstrative, normally. But nothing I can do about it.” Related Articles Giannis Antetokounmpo wins second MVP award; Is an NBA title with Warriors next?

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Green had received his first technical foul less than a minute earlier after arguing with a referee.

Kerr said Green’s reputation may lead to him being called for more technical fouls than other players. He said the second technical Saturday was a prime example of that.

“A ref would probably be more likely to give Steph Curry a pass on a situation like that than Draymond,” Kerr said.

Kerr said that Green is in a rough spot. The Warriors want him to be himself, but they also want him to be on the court.

“The tough part is we need Draymond to be on edge,” Kerr said. “We don’t want Draymond to be passive. We want him to be fiery. We want him to be yelling and screaming. He’s got to walk that line. But it’s a tough line to walk for him because he’s so emotional and competitive and passionate. That’s what makes him great.

“But there’s just a point where he’s going to have to pull back. There’s nothing any of us can do. He has to feel that moment. We could talk to the league and plead our case but, ultimately, its up to him to feel when he’s going to pull back.”

Kerr said he leaves that difficult push-pull in Green’s hands. He’d never try to tone him down. Like our Warriors Facebook page for more Warriors news, commentary and conversation. “Why would we?” Kerr said. “Draymond is one of the most impactful players in the league and does so many great things for us. He gives us an edge that we otherwise don’t have. We have a very quiet team, you know, Steph, Klay, KD. KD can get a little upset, a little angry. But for the most part, we don’t spend a lot of time yelling and screaming. So we need the chest-thumping, yelling Draymond. We need that. Again, it’s just about can we get him to walk that line.”

Considering it’s only January, Green may need to start making sure he doesn’t get too many more technical fouls. Under the NBA’s 16-technical foul rule, a player is assessed a $4,000 fine for his 15th technical, and will receive a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension for his 16th. Every technical foul accrued after the 16th will cost him an additional $5,000, and every two technicals he’ll face another one-game suspension.

Green avoided those penalties last season, finishing with 14 technical fouls.

“I fully expect Draymond to dial it back a little bit,” Kerr said. “He’s got five to play with, so once he gets that 15th, we’ll see what happens.”

Kerr said Green has a tough balancing act ahead, but the most important thing is that he figures out a way to remain on the court, something that didn’t happen Saturday.