The end of the season is now in sight. Tonight the Golden State Warriors will complete their 82nd game, and end the regular season in the history books. The NBA playoffs start on Saturday, and regular season awards are being talked about all over the country.
Everywhere, people are casting their unofficial ballots and Warriors players are in the discussion for just about every major and minor award. It is a bit surprising however, that while a large majority of the country has a Warrior player on at least one of the NBA All-Defensive teams, one writer in particular does not.
Jason Lloyd, a beat writer for the Cleveland Cavaliers with the Akron Beacon Journal, seems to think the possible Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green, doesn’t even deserve a spot on either of the All-Defensive squads.
“Draymond Green is getting a lot of attention for his defensive play,” Lloyd wrote, “but I just don’t see it and a handful of players I polled recently scoffed at the idea of Green being on this (All-Defensive team) list.”
Green’s mother, however did not take too kindly to Lloyd’s words, as she sent out a morbid yet funny tweet saying, “Tell him to jump in the Lake w/ weights!”
While most people look at Green as a possible Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Lloyd’s logic may not be all that skewed. Most everyone would agree that Green is a defensive stud, but some may argue that the Warriors succeed with team defense, and not as much individual standouts.
Nevertheless, leaving both Green and Andrew Bogut off either of his All-Defensive teams is baffling.
Today at practice, Bogut talked about why the Warriors are in the position they are in, and defense was his top reason.
“Probably three things: defense, ball movement, and guys staying in their roles. Our defense, I think it’s still not rated as much as it should be,” Bogut said. “We get stops and get out and run and their offense really spirals. On top of that we’re moving the ball more.”
“Defense in the NBA is all about guys buying in,” added Bogut. “Everyone can play defense, but not everyone can read things defensively. We have the personnel and defensive minds that they can play defense the right way. A lot of times, it’s about effort and guys wanting to play defense.”
Maybe that’s what the problem is. Bogut and Green might not stand out to the general viewing audience as much, on such a defensive-cognizant team.
[NOTE: Poor Man’s Commish contributed to this report.]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
