Cavs' Dellavedova voted NBA's dirtiest player in anonymous league poll

Matthew Dellavedova's audacious, occasionally reckless approach to the game of basketball has made him quite unpopular in some NBA circles.

The Cleveland Cavaliers' backup guard developed an unsavory reputation during his team's run to the NBA Finals last year. Whether he was rolling into Kyle Korver's ankle, hooking legs with Taj Gibson, or diving into Draymond Green, the number of questionable situations involving the 25-year-old Aussie made many wonder whether he was simply a dirty player.

In a recent anonymous poll of NBA coaches, assistants, and players conducted by the Los Angeles Times, Dellavedova was deemed the dirtiest player in the league, with 13 votes.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams finished second with seven votes, Andrew Bogut of the Golden State Warriors got five, Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes received four, and Thunder big man Serge Ibaka had two.

"He's as dirty as they come," a Western Conference coach said of Dellavedova, according to the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner. "When you're hurting people, that is not OK."

The anonymous coach was referring to Korver, who was knocked out of last season's conference finals with a severe right ankle sprain following his collision with Dellavedova.

While some think Dellavedova is playing dirty, others believe he's just working his tail off on the hardwood, which may result in some accidents along the way.

"He ain't dirty. He just plays hard," said one assistant coach from the Eastern Conference. "See, guys resent people that play hard because they don't want to play hard. So if a guy plays hard, he's dirty. He's not dirty. He just plays hard. People question the play he made in the playoffs against Korver. I just think it was poor judgment."