What's funny is when people say Shaq can't play defense. It really puts Laker haters in a corner. They both can't be bad at defense. If Shaq is a bad defender, then they relucutantly have to admit Kobe is a very good defender.
I think Shaq is a tremendous help defender and is a huge presence in the lane. Those 2 aspects are what benefits Kobe...trust me, I know from experience, and witnessing Laker games. Having a 350 pound shotblocker in the lane is a huge benefit for the Laker wing defenders...no doubt about it. Where Shaq is lacking on defense is defending the pick and roll. He hates to step out and hedge, while prefering to camp out in the lane.
From another prespective: Back when I used to play pickup games every day, and I really wanted to 'buckle down', and try to win through good defense, I'd try to see myself as Vernon, at least when it came to playing "D". Probably not really that great in the grand scheme of things, but he was the type of guy who would never back down from a chalenge, but instead when he was 'pushed upon' by being matched up with a strong scorer, we would respond by trying to push back with more force. Unlike Jordan, whose good defense was primarly a function of his natural ability/athleticism, Max was a fusion of both the heart of a Mario Ellie/David Wood type role player guy with enough natural skill to put him on another plain. At his best, his defense was nothing short of inspirational. His good games litterally inspired me to be a better defender when I played.
Vernon was listed as 6'4", would you say he was a legit 2 inches shorter than the 6'6" MJ? Personally I think Max may have guarded slashers better than pure shooters like Petro was. What do you all think?
he was listed at 6-4, but I think he was closer to 6-3. Jordan had a height advantage but it didn't matter because by the time Jordan learned to use it by posting up in 96, Maxwell was no longer with the rockets and just kind of bouncing around the league with no direction whatsoever.
The fairly strong, ultra quick guys, (Max, Dumars, Starks, Payton) did better than the taller, less laterally quick players (Drexler, Ehlo, Russel, Majerly (sp?)) anyway. Seems to me being strong, but more importantly being incredibly quick side to side--were the most important attributes to providing some level of defensive resistance to MJ in his prime. Interestingly, Max and Starks were jawing hotheads (GP at least is jawing), while Dumars (as well as Mitch R who had some success) were tenaciously competitive yet in an understated way, so I don't think the smack-level was the critical factor. Again it mostly boiled down to having the right physical attributes and being tenancious, hotheadedness and jawing not required.
