Warriors' Draymond Green: 'Absolutely Disgusting' That Media Votes on NBA Awards

AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has some strong thoughts about a system in which members of the media vote on the NBA's top awards.

Green said on his podcast Wednesday that it's "absolutely disgusting" the media determines the league's individual honors.

"I think when you look at voting for All-NBA, when you look at voting for Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, MVP, ultimately these things are voting on by the media, which I think is absolutely disgusting," he said at the 4:40 mark. "Because these are human beings that could have personal issues against guys because that does happen."

Green expanded on his point and how making or missing an All-NBA team can have significant financial ramifications:

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum made a similar point in February. He said on JJ Redick's The Old Man and the Three podcast that there's no set criteria when it comes to the All-NBA team. Tatum recalled hearing one voter criticizing his shot selection and using that as a justification for omitting him from the All-NBA ballot.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

The general sentiment isn't something that's exclusive to the players themselves.

It's understandable why Green, Tatum and others would be upset by a rule in which tens of millions hinges on such an exercise.

But the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association were the ones who agreed to the collective bargaining agreement that created this issue.

Green's larger point about members of the media letting their biases impact their final choices certainly holds a level of merit. We'd all be fooling ourselves if we believed every single voter was 100 percent objective when looking at each award or All-NBA spot.

The question is whether an alternative system would be any better.

Those lobbying for a players-only ballot should have a look at the final All-Star returns from a given year. Jock Landale averaged 4.9 points per game, which is nearly equal to the number of ASG votes he got this season (four) from the player pool.

Or consider the way Green has needled Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert in recent years. When he offers his thoughts on the DPOY race, it's fair to wonder whether his attitudes toward Gobert bleed into how he views the center's on-court credentials.

There isn't a way to remove human nature from the equation regardless of who's actually voting on NBA awards.