First of all, notice that I said Hakeem was the #1 defender of all time. Do you need me to say he is the #1 defender that will ever be born in the universe? Second, positional defense means that you control the other team's spacing. Arguing that this is the same as in 1994 is like saying NBA offenses are the same now as in 1994 and that zone rule changes have not affected defensive tactics.
There should be another category for blocked shots that result in turnovers. I love a blocked shot that goes 10 rows into the stands as the next guy, but its better to block the shot to yourself or a teammate, something Hakeem was a master of. It's also just absolutely incredible that he's #8 all-time in steals. The second center on the list is David Robinson at #51.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OamoIIT2yn8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Seriously, Dream is #1 in blocked shots AND #8 in steals. That alone puts him in the top 5 regardless of what type of other defense he brings to the table. Add to that that he defended arguably the greatest group of centers in one era effectively, and it's just a no-brainer. See, we are now on to What. This is what's game- pick some point-of-view that's obviously wrong, but stick with it to be different. Then, when confronted with reality, duck and run. Rather than sticking to choosing things that could be debatable (e.g. Mike Conley is a top 5 PG- that is certainly reasonable), pick something that is not debatable at all (Hakeem is an overrated defender) and be embarrassed. If you're going to come to a Rockets board and criticize something about Hakeem, at least pick something reasonable, like that he didn't have the longevity of Duncan, or not as many rings as Jordan, or that he didn't play as much team basketball in the 1980s (Dream admits this). Don't pick something stupid, like calling him an overrated defender or saying that he was offensively challenged or something. When you do this, it makes you look challenged in a specific way.
Hakeem is the only center in nba history you could trust with a straight switch into iso d of Michael Jordan, he might well have been the only anything you could trust in that situation, there's a reason Jordan holds his defense in such high esteem and it's not a "he won a cpl rings" thing.
Nice work. Robertson definitely deserves heavy mention. And Mookie was a great defender that never got credit for how good he was defensively. Props.
The argument should be Russell or Olajuwon. If you had Russell, would you double. Olajuwon? Yes. If you had Olajuwon, would you double Russell? No. Argument settled.
I think Pippen shouldn't be so far down the list, he's 8-9 wing player here. He defended 3-4 positions and he was the brains on the court behind the Bulls defense, the person who was the most vocal and would talk teammates through where to go. I see Pippen as probably the most complete wing defender. I'd have Garnett high for that reason too. Good versatility, mobility, rim protection, and leadership on defense.
I don't think David Robinson is getting enough love. In his prime he was a monster defensively. Maybe even better than Dream. That's one of the things that makes Dreams playoff performance against him so damn legendary.
I'm probably too young to know a lot of these players being defensive beasts. Russell is merely a legend mine eyes
Russell was a collegiate track and field guy, the 400m and the high jump. You combine his speed, endurance, explosiveness, and coordination for his height at 6'9- 6'10, which is pretty much how tall Hakeem is, you'd have a freak of nature even by today's standard.
Led the NBA in Defensive WS 4 times. Led the NBA in DBPM 6 times. 10th all-time in DReb%. 5th all-time in DRtg. Best defensive player on one of the greatest defensive teams in history. Check out his on/off numbers in his last DPOY season: On court: Pistons 46.5% eFG% allowed, 100.2 DRtg Off court: Pistons 51.0% eFG% allowed, 110.3 DRtg For his career: On court: Team 47.2% eFG% allowed, 101.0 DRtg Off court: Pistons 49.3% eFG% allowed, 106.9 DRtg In his prime, he also had one of the lowest foul rates of any great defensive big ever. Wallace is absolutely one of the greatest defensive players of all time, and it's not even a question. Given your posting history, you're in no position to label anyone else an idiot (except maybe what).
