Haven't seen gasol play much. Maybe iblocka or sanders? And Tyson has to play d for his team all the time when they fail to do so.
Ibaka has definitely gotten better at fundamental defense to match his highlight creating ability. When Sanders is on the court, the Bucks paint defense is elite as well. It's especially impressive with the Jennings/Ellis combo. Marc Gasol just combines the shot blocking with perfect positional defense. He just eats up space. He's the frontrunner for DPotY for people like Zach Lowe who watch a lot of basketball.
In regards of straight up, man to man defense, and ignoring stats such and blocks and steals, I would go with: 1.) Michael Jordan 2.) Bill Russell 3.) Hakeem 4.) Scottie Pippen 5.) Kevin McHale 6.) Kobe Bryant - He is pretty much a lock down defender and probably the best defensive 2 guard over the last 10 years. 7.) Ron Artest - Probably the best one on one defensive small forward in the league for a 3 or 4 years 8.) Joe Dumars - (Pistons team from the late 80's held their own against the Bulls, Lakers and Portland Trailblazers) 9.) Michael Cooper - The one defensive guy from the 80's Lakers teams. 10.) Larry Bird - If for no other reason than simply because he was constantly pesky and trash talked allot, which threw guys off their game. (But he was also actually a good defensive player.) 11.) Kevin Garnett - Lock-down defender at the 4 that could also guard centers and small forwards. Probably the best defense 4 over the last Vernon Maxwell should be on the list as well. (He shut down Jordan and Magic. I don't think we lost a game to the Bulls while he was on the team). Other guys worth mentioning are: Karl Malone, John Stockton - It was the defense of the Knicks that made them what they were. John Starks - League leader in steals, and solid one on one defender. Anthony Mason - The guy was just a brute force. Alonzo Mourning - A short center known for his shot blocking and defense. Robert Parish - Dennis Johnson Walt Frasier (Heard He was good, but was a kid when we was playing in the 70's so I never watched him play.) Jerry Sloan - Heard He was good, but never watched him since was before my time. Yao Ming - While was himself was not a good one one one defender, just his mere presence on the floor had a huge impact on the game. He clogged up the middle and blocked the lane. Shaquille Oneal - For the same reason as Yao. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - I don't care for this guy, (some of the things he said are just unconscionable), but it is hard to leave him off of this list. These guys were all lock down defenders that kept their man from scoring. If you want to talk about steals, or blocks, we can have another thread about which players were the best at steals or blocks.
You could argue that but I would say the big man Gasol is what allows Allen and Conley to be so physical and aggressive.
I think the goal is to have the best team defense. The players who make that happen are the guys you want. What contributes to good defense the most is the ability to shut off the lane. Right?
My Top Ten Defensive team: 1. Russell 2. Olajuwon 3. Pippen 4. Duncan 5. Artest 6. Michael Jordan 7. Gary Payton 8. Dennis Rodman 9. David Robinson 10. D. Mutumbo Honorable Mentions: Garnett, Bowen, Fraizer, Wilt Chamberlin
Yes, as a matter of fact, Duncan's Spurs DID destroy the Lakers (with Shaq and Kobe) in 4 straight games. (Not gonna argue, however, Hakeem was a hell of a defender) Robinson, IMO, was also a better defender than Duncan (at their respective peaks) The only real gripe I have on this board is all the people naming Rodman in their top 5. Do y'all not remember in '95 when Hakeem went bat **** crazy? Sure, Robinson catches the blame; but check the actual numbers from the series. Robinson for the most part got his; Rodman disappeared. It was specifically his lack of defense that was one of the major reasons the Spurs lost that series (beyond Hakeem being other-worldly). Also, when Duncan faced Rodman in Duncan's rookie season; Timmy DESTROYED him 1 on 1 - Rodman couldn't begin to check TD in the post; AS A ROOKIE.
If I had to build a team with best defenders at each position (from the players I have watched play in last 20+ years) C: Hakeem PF: Garnet SF: Lebron SG: Jordan PG: Payton That is the most well-rounded defensive team I can think of. You are getting steals, blocks, and defensive rebounds from each of the positions in addition to one-to-one defending. You getting versatility. Each of these guys can guard multiple positions. You are also getting the best trapping defense, coverage of the passing lanes, as well as the best coverage out to the 3 point line. The cherry on the top? You can build a franchise around each of these players. This team would dominate on offense as well.
I think Ben Wallace was a great defender. Hakeem-esque range. Zo Mourning was a great positional defender, shot blocker defensive anchor. Why shouldnt it? Being 1-dimensional gets you in the top 5? Isnt Hakeem "versatile"?
Just to give people some perspective...Hakeem played against giants and dominated the scene...The Duncan era, was primarily Duncan and Shaq...He really never had true post competition...So while Duncan's accomplishments were solid...he wouldve been a poster child for someone Dream dominated...
Sick team...great choices positionally... Would love to see a head up match vs... Russell Duncan Pippen Michael Cooper Fraizer
I'm not that big on Ron Artest on an all time list. But Artest has some underrated hands and instincts on getting steals. Artest could just face up on a player, just put his paw on the ball and grab it away on command true thug style like snatching jewelry off the counter. Dwight Howard isnt getting much mention on here. But he's still an active player in his young prime, harder to rate those in a best ever listing. And if he'd just come across as "tough" instead of "physically strong" Yeah Wallace's strength was his range past the interior, switching on pick & rolls, deflections in the passing lanes, help defender. (Maybe I should say more "Garnett-like" cuz Hakeem's name is just too legendary) His post D against bigger post players wasnt that great. Against all other teams, it was good overall D (Yao is an example of dont know what you got til its gone. Shaq too, not any dominating post players with skills now ) At times Nate McMillian was more "glove-like" than even The Glove was. McHale was just all "arm control" both sides of the ball. And it worked (I hated that guy then...)
