How does that make Dwight worse? He's played bad against Yao sure last year, but that's it. He's improving extremely fast. He's an AMAZING CENTER and an AMAZING defensive player. Opposing teams avoid challenging him (Magic have the lowest shots against at rim) and yet he leads the league in blocked shots. He's strong enough to stop anyone in the post and nobody can dominate him. Just compare players who played with Dwight last year and then moved away this year or the opposite. Vince Carter, Rafaer Alston and Hedo Turkoglu all were at least 5 points worse off in defensive rating. They were also even worse in defensive win shares by far. The rest of the starters except Barnes aren't good defenders. Hell, most of them are barely adequate. Yet the Magic are a top defensive team. I have no idea what this "garbage defender" bull**** came from. Seriously? What the hell?
Most people just judge on rep. They don't seem to recognize that young players DEVELOP, while older players DECLINE over time. Hence you still have guys insisting that Dwight Howard even after 3 years under a defensive mastermind like SVG still doesn't know how to play good D, and that Kobe is still a "Better pure scorer" than LBJ even after taking less shots and having a worse FG% than him all season long.
So if i'm reading this right, Ron Artest is a better defender than Shane Battier? wow, talk about beeing biased.
Whats wrong with Dwight winning the DPOY? He actually change the way other teams play against him. Sure Yao OWN him every single time but who can actually stop Yao on his own? Even Hakeem may have problem against him just due to 1 "small little" fact. Yao is 7"6. Can't see anyone else winning it, was actually surprise to see Josh that high on the list. His nothing more than a weak side shot blocker and a passing lane player. And it never cease to amaze me where are Hayes when players like verajao, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Kenyon Martin is given votes. One last thing, battier is not in 4th place......
Clutchfans mentality: If a player gets 2 BPG or 2 SPG, he isn't a good defender, he is overrated by his stats.
It just seems like people in general are getting less and less intelligent...Idiocracy anyone? I agree...If you consistently get blocks everygame...that's good defense. If you consistently get steals every game...that's good defense. The weak argument that, "Oh, he only gets all those blocks bc he plays in the post and that's where the basket is." Are you kidding me?????? If Yao had Howard's mobility, he'd get 6 bpg on a consistent basis. Howard is the best defender hands down. I did like the idea of a big man dpoy award and a wing dpoy award. It is 2 different styles of defense, but impact is the significance here.
Howard deserves it. He changed the other team's strategy in going toward the basket. He's a great defender againist explosive players. On the other hand, he does not do such a good job againist fundamental players such as Yao, but how many centres hv the skill Yao has?
Howard is a great defensive player and worthy of the award. But I disagree with your statement that if you get steals and blocks you are definitely playing good defense. If you block two shots per game, but gamble going for blocks so many times per game that you give up a lot of easy baskets, that's not good defense.
The better question is how many centers have offensive skills period? Howard is great at help defense. We don't see how piss poor his man D is because he rarely plays against anyone who can expose it. In the Finals last yr he couldn't be relied on to stop Gasol or Bynum when needed. Watch when he plays against Shaq....it's like a draw most times. Yao always kills him. Etc. I guess I'm one of the few people that thinks the leagues "best defender" shoukd actually be able to go check a guy and give him hell. The award is a joke now.
What the hell? Defense is man to man defense and help defense. Yao killed him because Yao was in his prime when Dwight had just gotten out of HIGH SCHOOL. Of course Yao will be better. Yao is 5 years older. The Magic have the best at rim defense thanks to Dwight. Shaq and Yao dominate everyone... Dwight had to guard Bynum and Gasol and did a solid job. I don't know where you got couldn't be relied to stop either from. Not giving Dwight the award would be a joke. Basing the award purely on stats is stupid though. Larry Hughes should never have won. However, Dwight has the stats, the intimidation, the reputation, the advanced stats and everything supporting him.
Just to add, they have 1 maybe 2 good defenders in barnes and pietrus and everyone else is avg or below avg yet as you stated, their top 5 defensively. The fact the play small forwards at the 4 and still rebound and defen at a high rate is crazy. People will always point to yao getting the best of him, but williams kills paul everytime they play. Dream used to struggle vs eaton early in his career because he was right in front of a massive man. Just because 1 guy plays better against another guy means squat to me. Al harrington or marc gasol killing yao doesn't mean they're better.
