Draymond Green never has been one to hold conflicting thoughts — or at least admit them out loud.
And when it comes to Matthew Dellavedova, the Warriors veteran insists both sides of his opinion can coexist.
Appearing on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Green revisited his long-circulating comments about the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard. Green’s original comments came during a past GOAT debate while defending LeBron James’ NBA Finals résumé, when he bluntly said Dellavedova “stinks” — even while acknowledging the guard’s role on Cleveland’s injury-depleted roster during its championship runs against Golden State.
Asked how he could both respect Dellavedova and criticize his game so harshly, Green doubled down.
“I have so much respect for Matthew Delly,” Green said. “To come from Australia, go to a small college at Saint Mary’s, have zero athleticism … and yet the man was guarding the hell out of Steph Curry. That is sure will, determination, grit — a knowledge of the game that people don’t give him credit for. You can’t be that unathletic but that effective if you don’t have an extremely high basketball IQ.”
Green explained that Dellavedova’s toughness — particularly during the Cavaliers-Warriors Finals matchups — earned admiration in Golden State’s locker room, even if he never viewed him as an elite talent.
“I have a ton of respect for Delly because he’s so hard-nosed,” Green explained. “But both things can be true. I can have a ton of respect for him — and he stinks. That’s just what it is.”
Green even pointed to Dellavedova’s lengthy NBA career as proof of how impressive his rise actually was.
“What did he play, eight, nine years in the NBA?” Green added. “Come on, man. That’s incredible. That is to be respected. Make no mistake about it.”
In other words, Dellavedova earned Green’s respect the hard way — even if he’ll never escape the jokes.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast