Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol was officially awarded as the NBA’s Defensive Player Of The Year on Wednesday morning, and Dwight Howard wasn’t exactly impressed. According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, after Howard was informed that he finished 14th on the list, he actually thought it was “funny.”
“It’s just funny,” Howard said. “That’s okay. We got next year and I got a long time. This year’s funny.”
Gasol averaged 14.1 points, 7.8 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. The numbers may not blow you out of the water, but Memphis ended the regular season as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA, holding their opponents to 89.3 points per game. The Grizz lead the league in that category, and Gasol led his team on the defensive end.
Howard’s reaction did not exactly come as a surprise. After practice last week, Dwight was asked about his own defensive efforts this year and last year.
“If they evaluated it from 82 games, I think I would’ve won last year.”
A reporter then listed off names of great defenders for Howard to give his opinion on as candidates for this years award – Marc Gasol, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, Tony Allen, Joakim Noah. He wasn’t impressed. Who was he impressed with? Check out our video below, and don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
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