Best Defensive Players Today

[fleung22 1]

Who are your Top Ten defensive players in the league currently? 2 for each position.

[Jadaki 0]

PG1. Chris Paul2. Chauncey BillupsSG1. Kobe Bryant2. Dwayne WadeSF.1. Tayshaun Prince2. Shane BattierPF.1. Kevin Garnett2. Tim DuncanC1. Marcus Camby2. Dwight Howard

[FCP Bob 1,312]

PG1. Chris Paul2. Chauncey BillupsSG1. Kobe Bryant2. Dwayne WadeSF.1. Tayshaun Prince2. Shane BattierPF.1. Kevin Garnett2. Tim DuncanC1. Marcus Camby2. Dwight Howard

Too bad Tim Duncan is a center and not a power forward. I much prefer classifying players as bigs, wings and points but if you're going to use the traditional center - power forward classification Duncan is a center. (Not that big a deal really but his whining when it comes to All Star classification is really really annoying )I think James Posey is somebody who should be considered on any best defensive players lists. He can guard 3 positions and I think is one of the most underrated players in the game today.

[Jadaki 0]

Too bad Tim Duncan is a center and not a power forward. I much prefer classifying players as bigs, wings and points but if you're going to use the traditional center - power forward classification Duncan is a center. (Not that big a deal really but his whining when it comes to All Star classification is really really annoying )I think James Posey is somebody who should be considered on any best defensive players lists. He can guard 3 positions and I think is one of the most underrated players in the game today.

Duncan is usually listed as a PF/C.I'd probably have Bowen on my list too but I think he has lost a step at this point and isn't quite the shutdown guy he used to be. Posey could be on here, so could a lot of other players but that's my top two at each position.

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Duncan is usually listed as a PF/C.I'd probably have Bowen on my list too but I think he has lost a step at this point and isn't quite the shutdown guy he used to be. Posey could be on here, so could a lot of other players but that's my top two at each position.

I can't really argue with any of the players on your list. If I were going to go with my classification I would list 4 bigs, 4 wings and 2 points and I think Posey would be one of my 4 wings ahead of Wade most likely.The only reason that Tim Duncan has ever been considered a power forward was the fact that Robinson was on the team when he came into the league and they went with the Twin Towers and they had to call one a center and one a power forward. If he goes to any other team he's considered a center for his entire career. At this point his ego wants him to be considered a power forward so that he can get selected to All Star games since Yao will win the vote every time and also so that people can call him maybe the best power forward ever where if he is considered a center nobody thinks he is the best ever.All that being said Duncan is a great great player but I've always been annoyed by him and his whining when he is one of the most cheated for players in the NBA by the refs.

[chgocubs99 0]

Question...is this purely defensive players without any regard to offensive talent? Quinton Ross is one of the best defenders I've seen in the last 10 years, for example. Same goes for Linsdsey Hunter. Hunter is old now, and Ross never plays now because he brings so little offensively. There's probably a few players like this scattered across the league...do they count?And define defense. Great positional defender? Turnover producer (steals)? Weak side help shot blocker? The whole package?

[Jadaki 0]

Question...is this purely defensive players without any regard to offensive talent? Quinton Ross is one of the best defenders I've seen in the last 10 years, for example. Same goes for Linsdsey Hunter. Hunter is old now, and Ross never plays now because he brings so little offensively. There's probably a few players like this scattered across the league...do they count?And define defense. Great positional defender? Turnover producer (steals)? Weak side help shot blocker? The whole package?

I looked at it as playtime, if your in the top 7 of a teams rotation you would get enough play time to warrant consideration.

[Loismustdie 0]

It's definitely not Amare Stoudamire.

[keith crime 8]

Steve Nash

[SuitedAces21 2,722]

Tervor Ariza.

[Cappy37 0]

I looked at it as playtime, if your in the top 7 of a teams rotation you would get enough play time to warrant consideration.

Unless your name was Greg "2 fouls guaranteed between opening tip and the first Tv timeout" Oden.

[Jadaki 0]

Unless your name was Greg "2 fouls guaranteed between opening tip and the first Tv timeout" Oden.

He wasn't really in the discussion anyway

[keith crime 8]

Cue the Jadaki whining but Lebron is going to make all NBA defensive team this year - he held rudy gay to ten points on like 5-18 and had a triple double himself

[CaneBrain 95]

He wasn't really in the discussion anyway

if he stays healthy he will be soon.

[Jadaki 0]

Cue the Jadaki whining but Lebron is going to make all NBA defensive team this year - he held rudy gay to ten points on like 5-18 and had a triple double himself

The LJ hype train never stops. I have no doubt he will make that team well before he ever deserves it, just like a certain all star mvp award and about everything else that's gets handed to him on a platter thanks to marketing before he actually earns it. Gay isn't Kobe, Wade, hell is isn't even Carmelo. He is a slightly above average player at his position. Also what you do on offense doesn't really factor into the discussion about how good of a defensive player anyone is, but like I said, the hype train never stops or sticks to the basics of the conversation if it can somehow help out it's case.I'm sure glad you are here to help "bare witness", because without the marketing team how could we ever judge him objectively... oh wait, most people (especially ones who live in Cleveland) don't. I have a theory on why that is, but it's a bit to lenghty to post here and I'd rather go watch porn that get to into the psychological aspects of fandom.Just to be clear, I think LJ will at some point in his career make an all defensive team. I just think he gets there before he actually deserves it (probably by 1 season or 2) because ESPN never misses a chance at showing him block a point guards shot coming from behind and knocking the ball out of play. Great for highlights, but not much for effectiveness. Not to mention horrible broadcasters like Jeff Van Gundy treat him like he is Bill Russel which is flat out ridiculous, of course he has also picked the Rockets to come out of the western conference like 2 of the last 3 seasons. I trust that guy.

[keith crime 8]

He held paul pierce 2-12 the other night and has been doing it all yearExplain to me now how blocking a sure layup from behind is a complete waste of time even if the other team does retain posssessionlayups are an automatic two points and blocking them adds value and he's been blocking 1-2 a nightJust because he does 5 amazing highlight reel things a game doesn't mean the rest of his night wasn't productiveor maybe they are 30-6 because of Anderson VarajaoJadaki would have been one of the guys who went along with Isaiah Thomas and froze Michael Jordan out of the All Star Game that one year because of jealousy.

[Cappy37 0]

or maybe they are 30-6 because of Anderson VarajaoJadaki would have been one of the guys who went along with Isaiah Thomas and froze Michael Jordan out of the All Star Game that one year because of jealousy.

It was the dang nut-huggers they used to wear.. Would make them do crazy things.Cleveland finally ventures out West for multiple games in the next two weeks, let's see how LBJ does against the actual NBA. I'm sure he'll pass with flying colors (*spoiler* : he's good), but Cleveland as a team hasn't had serious pressure put on them over the course of a full West-Coast Roadie:Hornets at home, then:At Lakers, At Blazers, At Warriors, At Jazz.They follow that mess up against Orlando, in Orlando on TNT. There will be plenty of LBJ to watch in the coming weeks. Better to sit and wait for it than to mindlessly argue about it in the meantime. Cleveland has only had *5* games this season against teams that could even potentially represent the West in the Finals. That number is going to rise to *9* within the next two weeks.This is my favorite time of year: when the conferences finally get out of their comfort zone and start to actually collide. I know it's more fun for me as a Portland guy to finally get to watch the Blazers clash with the Cetics and Pistons and Cavs, et al, than facing the Clippers or Warriors for the umpteenth time.

[CindyLou 11]

I'm sure glad you are here to help "bare witness", because without the marketing team how could we ever judge him objectively... oh wait, most people (especially ones who live in Cleveland) don't. I have a theory on why that is, but it's a bit to lenghty to post here and I'd rather go watch porn that get to into the psychological aspects of fandom.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re telling me that fans don’t judge their favorite teams and players objectively? That they have a bias? You just blew my mind. Next you’ll probably tell me that parents think their kids are the smartest and cutest.I can’t wait to hear this theory. Are you going to try to get it published? Could change the sports world as we know it.

[Jadaki 0]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re telling me that fans don’t judge their favorite teams and players objectively? That they have a bias? You just blew my mind. Next you’ll probably tell me that parents think their kids are the smartest and cutest.I can’t wait to hear this theory. Are you going to try to get it published? Could change the sports world as we know it.

Way to think on the most simplest level. It has nothing to do with home teams.

[Jadaki 0]

Jadaki would have been one of the guys who went along with Isaiah Thomas and froze Michael Jordan out of the All Star Game that one year because of jealousy.

Incorrect.

[chgocubs99 0]

Jadaki, I'm seriously curious to hear your thoughts, if you want to post them here or whatever. I always try to make my views as unbiased as possible...do your thoughts mostly have to do with media bias?

[Jadaki 0]

Jadaki, I'm seriously curious to hear your thoughts, if you want to post them here or whatever. I always try to make my views as unbiased as possible...do your thoughts mostly have to do with media bias?

Not actually, though it plays a part. It has much more to do with the thought process of casual fans. Lets assume there are generally two types of fans in the sporting world. There are people who follow every detail of a team/program/player and then there are much more casual fans who like to sort of be in the know because they don't want to be left out of conversations around the water cooler, but they aren't exactly checking their blackberry every 15 minutes for news updates either.I'm the first type, as are a lot of other people here are. We get emotionally invested in our teams or players. We stick out horrible seasons in hopes that next year will be better (I'm talking about you Michigan football) or that we are one player away from a championship or doing something memorable. We gloat while our teams our winning, or our favorite player is having a great game against a hated rival, and enjoy talking smack with opposing fans either in person or over forums on the internet.For the more casual fan the motivation is different. Lets use Michael Jordan as an example here. How many people do you remember talking about Jordan with that now don't even watch the NBA, or that would tune into Bulls playoff games during the championship years but never watched a regular season game? I can think of quite a few, pretty much the ultimate fairweather fans. Why do those people pay attention at that point, or to that player? Generally when some team or someone is generating as much attention as Jordan did, the media attention transcends the sport. It becomes something a little bigger, injects itself into pop culture in a way that few things do. People in general have a need to belong to something, it's pretty much the reason religion exists... so when that once a generation player comes along like MJ, people who normally don't give a shit about the Bulls, the NBA or basketball in general get caught up in wanting to be a part of something because other people think it's special. The athlete I can think of who best demonstrates this today is Tiger Woods, the numbers of people who watch golf tournaments where Tiger is playing or in the hunt for a win on Sunday is dramatically higher than if he isn't playing. People who don't even like golf will watch the end of the Masters because they want to be a part of something, it becomes a story to tell, or a way to identify with other people through sports. Obviously the media plays a big part in this.What's this have to do with Lebron? Well before he ever stepped foot in the NBA he was already being labeled the this generations greatest player thanks to the supersaturated sports media market. He comes into the league and doesn't do anything particular to discourage the hype, he plays pretty well, makes a ton of highlight real type plays, is on during every commercial break, and eventually even people who haven't hardly watched him play want to be involved. The normally less fanatical fans are buying his shoes and jerseys because it's important to have lose LJ 1's, and they begin spreading the gospel of LJ like they have been following him as a religious disciple since middle school. A lot of people are to young now to have latched onto Jordan when he came into the league, and they caught onto him late in his career, but to these people it was important to be a fan from day one because on the chance that LJ lives up to his tremendous potential, they want to say they were there, that they were a fan before everyone else, they want some superficial bragging rights and stories to tell. This is of course not really LJ's fault, it's the way the media and the casual fan react to rare athletes, and because of this he will often receive accolades that he hasn't necessarily earned yet because the perception of LJ is more important to the masses than the substance. People who have criticized various parts of LJ's game often pointed out his lack of effort on the defensive end the first 2 seasons he was in the league. Now does a Cav's highlight real go by without them attempting to show LJ making some kind of play on defense? This is why I'm completely confident that LJ will make an all defensive team probably a year or two before he actually deserves too. Because for the casual fan, the legend needs to keep growing, the myth needs to be a little bigger than the reality, and the ultimate hero of the NBA can't have flaws because it hurts the casual fans who want to be a part of it, or in this case him.How the casual fans affect the perception of certain athletes and how they are covered by the sporting media is very interesting. This probably isn't coming across as clearly as I'd like it too, I'm not a writer by nature so it's easier to explain my view over a different medium.

[chgocubs99 0]

I'll digest that post and respond to it later, I'm going to nap now and then go and I want to give it its proper attention

[SuitedAces21 2,722]

That would only make sense if LeBron was all hype. But that motherfucker is the real deal. Even us Kobe lovers are having to give him his due as the best in the league. I'll still take Kobe for the final shot in game 7, but LeBron is on another level right now. In my opinion.

[Jadaki 0]

That would only make sense if LeBron was all hype. But that motherfucker is the real deal. Even us Kobe lovers are having to give him his due as the best in the league. I'll still take Kobe for the final shot in game 7, but LeBron is on another level right now. In my opinion.

It's not about him being all hype, it's about the casual fans need to be a part of something. Everyone has a MJ story, now everyone wants a LJ story. They want him to be the next best thing since sliced bread because being a part of it matters to them on a subconscious level.