I assume most of you will answer with an emphatic, "No!" I thought this was an excellent break down of his defense, the good and the bad, by Kevin Arnowitz. He went through a bunch of tape, courtesy of Synergy Sports (man, I wish that site was still open to the public). I would love more of these break downs for other star players. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-127/Is-Dwyane-Wade-an-Elite-Defender-.html
So basically by the article, Wade goes for the big "flashy" plays. Sounds about right. That's why Battier's a better defender but gets no stats to show for it because he stays in front of his man.
Sometimes a good defender can calculate his risks against the rewards of some actions. According to your definition of a good defender, a man must never leave his feet. The safest way to play defense is just to stay in front of your man, never reacting to a jump shot or pass. If Wade has the athletic ability to go for a block or steal, knowing that he opponent is unaware he will get blocked or his pass stolen, why not go for the so called "flashy" play? Sometimes I feel we need a play like that now and then. Those plays are also momentum changers. Think about a monster block from landry or wafer on roy or aldridge during the 4th quarter of game 2. The game would have been a much tighter game than it already was. But this is all theory so it doesn't matter.
While Wade takes a lot of risk defensively for "flashy plays", I find it interesting that the article is basically saying that so far Wade's gambling has paid off, if you look at the overall net effect (and that stats are supporting this). Would he be as effective if he did less gambling? Less fastbreak opportunities perhaps? Hard to say. But it is an interesting topic. I think Truehoop had an analysis of Chris Paul's defensive abilities sometime last year as well.
I remember reading during the Olympics Wade saying he always brings defense every night. I guess in the perimeter Marcus Camby approach, letting the defensive stats in the boxscore support the claim. In football there are secondary defenders that focus on stops, some that focus on turnovers. Defense isnt all about hand deflecting the ball. You can have 5 passes batted down, but then missed 5 tackles that lead to first downs or touchdowns. Wade seems just sound enough in the "tackling" area where he can go for the pickoffs and blocks.
Exactly. A big part of defense is how it affects players psychologically. To be a truly elite defender I think you need a combination of basic, fundamentally sound defense but also a sense of when to go for the big block or steal. Otherwise, you are constantly reacting instead of making the offensive player focus on what you, the defender, might do. Look at how many fouls Dream committed going after blocks and steals or how many layups teams got when he gambled. Of course, he would not have been half the defender he was if he was always trying to just get between the the offensive player and the rim and hold his ground.
cool article, but really no good conclusion sadly. Just facts stated, leaving you to make your own conclusion. Yes, he gambles. Yes, he makes big plays, but he makes up for gambles oftentimes with spectacular closing ability and great athleticism, among other things. And sometimes he gets burned. Though maybe not as much as you'd think. Can't wait for defensive stats to catch up one day, and then hopefully for people to analyze old footage and tell us how great Hakeem was compared to everyone =P
What kind of conclusion do you think could be made, definitely, regarding defense. I'm not even sure how it would be formulated.
However you define it, Wade is not an "elite" defender even though he makes incredible plays, often at key times in the game. But using the word elite to describe his defense seems like a stretch. He should not have finished 3rd in the voting. Without the one famous steal/buzzer-beater that is replayed indefinitely, I doubt he would have gotten so many votes.
Wade has all the tools to be an "elite defensive player." Like McGrady when he was healthy, Wade can wreak havoc on any given play when he sets his mind to it. To be a truly elite defensive player though, you need to dedicate yourself to that part of the game. Great offensive players that have the potential to be elite defensive players rarely fully dedicate themselves to the defensive end, instead picking and choosing when to turn up the intensity. Jordan was touted for his offensive and defensive excellence. As a kid, I was mostly paying attention to his offensive exploits, but I suppose he is one of the rare exceptions to the rule. I do believe that if Wade wanted to be an elite defender, he could be. As of now, I'd say he is very good for a guy that is mostly focused on the offensive end. His athleticism and anticipation are superior to most every other perimeter player in the league. His ability to block shots (record-breaking for a guy his size) and strip balls is incredible. If he wanted to play a more conservative, heady style of defense (Battier-style), I have no doubt he could also do that if he dedicated himself to it. As dynamic of an offensive player as he is, I think any coach in the league would be more than willing to accept his risky/flashy style of defense.
well, I guess I was hoping for an opinion from this guy. Stating that "given X, Y, and Z and the lack of A, I believe Wade ______ " (not in those words, but you get what I mean) Somehow, with all the data he was throwing out, I thought he was going to at least attempt to add it up into his own conclusion--or to use that data to support his conclusion. Really not a big deal. I am just hopefully that future defensive stats will give us more definitive conclusions.
Do you think "elite" would apply to LeBron? And more generally, which wing players do you consider elite defenders?
Yes, I consider LeBron elite because he puts out effort on a consistent basis. In (I think) game 1 against the Pistons, I laughed out loud at Tayshaun Prince trying to dribble from the right corner to the key to do that "hook" shot he does. LeBron bodied him up so hard, the guy could barely dribble the ball and was lucky not to turn it over (before he tossed up a shot that had zero chance of going in). LeBron makes that effort throughout games and clearly takes pride in stopping his man. During their heydays before they lost a step, Bruce Bowen and Ron Artest typified what I consider elite defenders. You put them on the best team's scorer and watch them go to work. They clearly studied film and learned the tendencies of players they guarded (I know Wade does this). Right now, Artest and Battier are close to elite but their age is showing. Ronnie Brewer is close to elite. Besides LeBron and these 3, that's about all that comes to mind. Wade & Kobe often become elite defenders at key points in games when they are willing to expend total energy on that end of the floor. In the NBA, it's very hard for a wing player to be a superstar on both ends because of the physical demands.
Neither Wade nor LeBron nor Kobe should be considered elite defenders. It's just a repeat of the whole Derek Jeter winning Gold Glove awards travesty.
