Draymond Green never misses an opportunity to give his opinion, and it’s usually done without jargon. It was no different with its last outing, concerning end-of-campaign rewards… The Warrior did not hold back, knocking out the entire system in place.
With the playoffs, it is also the regular season trophies that are starting to fall in dribs and drabs. The first to be distributed is that of Defender of the Year, which saw Celtic Marcus Smart being rewarded at the expense of Rudy Gobert. The next could well be that of the MIP, which has some pretty names among the finalists with And MorantDarius Garland et Dejounte Murray.
All three authors of a big progression, the leader of the Grizzlies even going from 19 to 27 points on average in 2021-22, to see them leave with the statuette would not be a scandal. However, we can regret the absence of a player who has nevertheless shone this season: Jordan Poole. The Warrior exploded onto the scene this year with an 18-point average, becoming one of the premier offensive weapons in the Bay. Draymond Green has also said recently that his absence was absolutely incomprehensible.
Draymond Green furious with NBA trophy voting system
Besides that, the Dancing Bear has regularly claimed that he sees himself as the best defender in the league, but he was snubbed from the DPOY podium unlike his great enemy Gobert. All of this seriously pissed off the three-time Bay champion, who decided to thrash the league about it during his latest podcast. He notably questioned the absence of precise criteria for awarding the distinctions, as well as the fact that it is not the players who give their choice:
I think the voting system…it’s one of those things that’s completely ridiculous and outdated. There are no criteria in place for any of these awards. There is no “you have to play so many games or not”. There is no “what makes someone the most improved player”. There are no criteria in place. The title of MVP: there is no criteria in place.
We’ve seen guys win with their team in 7th place in their conference, we’ve seen guys win with their team in first place. Jokic could win it this year, his team is 6th in the West. Joel Embiid could win it this year, his team is what, fourth in the East? It’s really a shame that there are no criteria for this.
I think when you look at the vote for All-NBA, for DPOY and for Most Improved, at the end of the day these things get voted on by the media, which I find absolutely disgusting. They are human beings who can have personal problems with guys, because it happens. And they end up costing 40 to 50 million dollars for some guys, because of bonuses or contract negotiations.
Draymond Green is clearly asking for a drastic change when it comes to end-of-season trophies, believing that we can’t continue like this. Not sure, however, that Adam Silver and the NBA decide to go in his direction.
