Draymond Green was hoping to win his second Defensive Player of the Year award this season, but it wasn’t to be. Green finished third in DPOY voting, with Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley taking home the award. While Draymond was disappointed to miss out, he stated on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis that he isn’t feeling too down about it.
“I moved on, ain’t much you can do about it,” Green said. “This ain’t my first rodeo, this ain’t my first time being in the race feeling like I should win and not win it. Ain’t the first time that’s ever happened. I’m sure Dyson Daniels was crushed because I know that feeling. Your first time being in the running, and you don’t come up with it.
Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels came second, and Green, who won DPOY in 2017, feels for him. The 35-year-old applauded Daniels for a great season and then congratulated Mobley for winning.
“I will say congratulations to Evan Mobley,” Green stated. “… I’ve been a fan of his since USC… To see him continue to grow, continue to become the player that everybody thought that he’d become. I had so many conversations with Kenny [Atkinson] last summer about just what Evan Mobley can become and how to see things. I’m happy as hell to see him get that. So, shout out to him.”
Mobley won the award relatively comfortably. He had 35 first-place votes compared to 25 for Daniels and ended up 88 points ahead of him. The 23-year-old averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game for the Cavaliers in the regular season.
While Green has a lot of love for Mobley, he doesn’t quite feel the same way about Cavaliers guard Darius Garland. Earlier this month, Garland took a shot at Green for constantly lobbying for DPOY. He also stated that Mobley doesn’t hack or scream at the referees, which seemed like another shot.
Green finally responded to Garland in this episode, and it’s safe to say the Golden State Warriors star wasn’t too happy to hear that.
“Throwing shade like it ain’t none of that and don’t be a clown,” Green stated. “It is what it is. We was in the running, he won it, that’s great. The number one seed with the second-best record in the NBA, who mad at that? Why these little dudes throwing shade? Congratulations to [Mobley].
“I was surprised by Darius Garland throwing shade,” Green continued. “When he came on the podcast and it was us vouching for him to be an All-Star when he was begging.”
Garland had appeared on the show back in January, and Green wanted to remind everyone that he had backed the 25-year-old to make the All-Star team. The guard did end up making it for just the second time in his career.
You’d love to see Garland and Green face off in these playoffs, as there is some bad blood there now. It’s a bit unlikely they’ll meet, though. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Boston Celtics are the favorites to get to the NBA Finals in their respective conferences.
The Cavaliers and the Warriors would be backing themselves to pull off the upset, though. The Warriors are currently up 3-1 in their first-round series against the second-seeded Houston Rockets, while the Cavaliers have already reached the Conference Semifinals by sweeping the Miami Heat.
