Well, the reason he's in the game during crucial stretches is because he can clog up the middle and rebound, not because of his offense. So, at this point he's hands down a better defender. Yao will never be a defender quite as good as Mutombo, but his offesive game is off the charts. Deke wishes he had Yao's offensive talent, even at his prime.
If you're just talking needing that one defensive stop, then Deke's the better guy by far. But overall it's not as clear. One thing about Deke is that he plays limited minutes, which is very helpful for someone his age and his lack of stamina. The guy would not be nearly as effective averaging 30+ minutes a night the way Yao does.
Of course Deke right now. Deke has been in the league long enough and understands the defensive aspects of where to be at the right time and getting to the right spots. Yao still needs to learn that and i am sure having Deke right there to teach him and learn he will become a better defender soon enough. But right now Deke by a landslide.
Well, not many big players in the league can defend better than Deke. I say Deke is top 3, Yao is top 5 in the league in terms of big man defence.
No....Deke was the best in the league many years. He still can take over games defensively now at the age of 163. I love Yao to death but don't think he will ever be anything but a big body clogging up the paint. Deke and Olajuwon could and probably still jump so much faster. You can't learn or develop that. Sure would be nice if the refs officiated him fairly.
Deke is impressive but remember that he get's to take advantage of leftovers after the opponents have thrown their best at Yao. It's not a knock on Deke, he'd do quite well against other team's starters...it's just that too many here don't understand the significant impact Yao has on opposing offenses. I think there's a bit too many who are stat-myopic 'round here.
I had a chance to sleep on this question and still have to say Deke is the better defender at this point in their careers. Yao will most definitely pass him up as he learns and understands positioning and develops better timing. Yao is learning to block shots better and his timing is way better than last season where he would try to swat a shot into the stands. This season he is letting the ball come to him and holding his ground and keep his arms up way up! The main reason Deke gets the nod over Yao defensively is rebounding. Deke can somehow grab the tough rebound in traffic or secure that last vital rebound. Yao does not have that knack down yet but once he does its a no brainer as (hard to believe) Yao is more mobile than Deke and a lil quicker. hahaha J
At this stage in his career, Deke is not more athletic than Yao. He is not faster nor is he quicker, I doubt he really can jump that much either. However, he still play great defenase and grab a lot of rebounds because he understands the game and anticipate better than Yao. He knows where to go for rebound and how to anticpate shooter's release points. When Yao get these finer points down, he will be a much better player. He is lucky to have someone like Deke teach him these things.
Deke is the better defender but it seems that there are different schemes when he is in the game. For instance, we don't see Deke consistently out at the 3 point land, jumping the screen the way we do Yao. Deke has a tendancy to play the post up players in the paint and stay on the big man while the defending guard has to fight through the screen. Deke then is in better position to consistently rebound. Another big thing is the foul calling. Deke can present himself on a driving player and block the shot, while absorbing the contact from the driving defender. He is not called for a blocking foul. The same play, Yao will be called for the blocking foul 9 times out of 10. Yao can jump straight up and have his hand straight up but if the driving player initiates contact to Yao's body, the foul is on Yao. Deke is never, never, never called for that foul. In fact, there are times when the driving player is called for the offensive foul on that play. This all adds up to players thinking 3 or 4 times before they take it in on Deke while they look to drive on Yao when he is in the game because they know they are gonna get a cheap whistle. All that being said, Deke is still better from the prespective that he only falls for the fake rarely. Yao seems to get caught on the fake way more often. Deke just has a special sense on when the player is faking and when he is actually going up. Deke can leap after the opposing player has left the ground and still block it. Yao has to time everything perfectly to get the shot if he is face up with his opponent.
