Hakeem Olajuwon
vs.
Mark Eaton
Best Defensive Player since '85: Olajuwon vs. Eaton
Moderator: Gregg Popabitch
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dream was just a more versatile defender and almost as dominant a shot-blocker, gotta go with him
the travesty imo is that jason kidd didn't beat eaton in the play-in (or that both eaton and j-kidd weren't just in it automatically and had to be played-in)
j-kidd is easily a top 3 defensive point guard ever, and arguably the best
the travesty imo is that jason kidd didn't beat eaton in the play-in (or that both eaton and j-kidd weren't just in it automatically and had to be played-in)
j-kidd is easily a top 3 defensive point guard ever, and arguably the best
Nets 2022
i'm just gonna keep my bitching to one thread (:icedit: keeping bitching to one thread proved impossible with these polls):
KG should be blowing GP out.
also a huge miss...no tim duncan? tim duncan is amazing on defense by all accounts. and if you're a stat nerd, then even MORE so.
tim duncan has routinely defended centers and power forwards, and while some devil's advocates might claim a past-his-prime robinson attributed to duncan's early defensive success, no such argument can be made for the rest of his career as he has had to hold down the bulk of responsibility in the paint area and as an anchor in general
centers and power forwards, or guarding them specifically (on the premise that duncan has had to guard a lot more pau gasol's than channing frye's in terms of where the pf/c gets his shots off), is the most foul-inducing position to fuck with. simply put, the league leaders in fouls per game or fouls per 48 minutes will generally be centers and power forwards who guard pf/c bangers.
this is what is so amazing about tim duncan.
tim duncan has averaged...FOR HIS WHOLE CAREER...2.5 fouls per game. TWO POINT FIVE, MOTHERFUCKERS.
some points of comparison:
alonzo mourning = 3.9 fouls per game
patrick ewing = 3.6
david robinson = 3.0
hakeem olajuwon = 3.5
dikembe mutombo = 2.8
kevin garnett = 2.4 (ALMOST as impressive as TD except you have to adjust for the fact that kg often played with bigger guys who played the bigger opponents and kg got to guard some 3's throughout his career and then when he got past his quickness-prime and started guarding 4s and 5s exclusively he was finally given teammates who were extremely proficient at defense from glen davis to jermaine o'neal to paul pierce and ray allen who are both underrated to rondo who has his lapses but is generally an elite defender from his position)
the best defensive players since 1985 are, in order, and in my not-so-humble opinion:
1. david robinson
2. hakeem olajuwon
3. kevin garnett
4. tim duncan
5. dikembe mutombo
6. ben wallace
7. shaq
i could flip-flop 6 and 7 above if i want one game in each's prime but wallace brought it every night of his life in his prime
you can't even group guards/small forwards with them. they just don't affect the game as much (it's a statistical and eye-test fact. there are more shots closer to the basket than there are away from the basket, and the bulk of off-ball movement/cutting is done towards the basket with shooting guards curling off screens being a rare exception)
my top 9 guards/small forwards on defense since 1985:
1. MJ
2. Lebron
3. Pippen
4. Payton
5. Kidd
6. Stockton
7. Bowen
8. Kobe
9. Shawn Marion
it's absolute anecdotal dogshittery that kobe is thought of as an all-time defensive player. he's certainly a really good one or 'great' one but not 'all-time great' if you smell me...he's nowhere near the class of the guys from kidd to above. i'd rank him BARELY ahead of shawn marion
KG should be blowing GP out.
also a huge miss...no tim duncan? tim duncan is amazing on defense by all accounts. and if you're a stat nerd, then even MORE so.
tim duncan has routinely defended centers and power forwards, and while some devil's advocates might claim a past-his-prime robinson attributed to duncan's early defensive success, no such argument can be made for the rest of his career as he has had to hold down the bulk of responsibility in the paint area and as an anchor in general
centers and power forwards, or guarding them specifically (on the premise that duncan has had to guard a lot more pau gasol's than channing frye's in terms of where the pf/c gets his shots off), is the most foul-inducing position to fuck with. simply put, the league leaders in fouls per game or fouls per 48 minutes will generally be centers and power forwards who guard pf/c bangers.
this is what is so amazing about tim duncan.
tim duncan has averaged...FOR HIS WHOLE CAREER...2.5 fouls per game. TWO POINT FIVE, MOTHERFUCKERS.
some points of comparison:
alonzo mourning = 3.9 fouls per game
patrick ewing = 3.6
david robinson = 3.0
hakeem olajuwon = 3.5
dikembe mutombo = 2.8
kevin garnett = 2.4 (ALMOST as impressive as TD except you have to adjust for the fact that kg often played with bigger guys who played the bigger opponents and kg got to guard some 3's throughout his career and then when he got past his quickness-prime and started guarding 4s and 5s exclusively he was finally given teammates who were extremely proficient at defense from glen davis to jermaine o'neal to paul pierce and ray allen who are both underrated to rondo who has his lapses but is generally an elite defender from his position)
the best defensive players since 1985 are, in order, and in my not-so-humble opinion:
1. david robinson
2. hakeem olajuwon
3. kevin garnett
4. tim duncan
5. dikembe mutombo
6. ben wallace
7. shaq
i could flip-flop 6 and 7 above if i want one game in each's prime but wallace brought it every night of his life in his prime
you can't even group guards/small forwards with them. they just don't affect the game as much (it's a statistical and eye-test fact. there are more shots closer to the basket than there are away from the basket, and the bulk of off-ball movement/cutting is done towards the basket with shooting guards curling off screens being a rare exception)
my top 9 guards/small forwards on defense since 1985:
1. MJ
2. Lebron
3. Pippen
4. Payton
5. Kidd
6. Stockton
7. Bowen
8. Kobe
9. Shawn Marion
it's absolute anecdotal dogshittery that kobe is thought of as an all-time defensive player. he's certainly a really good one or 'great' one but not 'all-time great' if you smell me...he's nowhere near the class of the guys from kidd to above. i'd rank him BARELY ahead of shawn marion
Nets 2022
i just saw the ron artest/lebron poll. i almost threw up. what the fuck is wrong with yall? this isn't espn first take or whatever that poll show is with cowherd and beadle. fuck this.
ron artest is the epitome of reputation overrating a player.
lebron is easy to hate, but he's also clearly a better defender than ron artest in myriad ways.
FUCK i can't even count them all out b/c it's kinda infuriating artest won so convincingly, it's like, fuck you guys
so fuck you guys
UGH.
ron artest is the epitome of reputation overrating a player.
lebron is easy to hate, but he's also clearly a better defender than ron artest in myriad ways.
FUCK i can't even count them all out b/c it's kinda infuriating artest won so convincingly, it's like, fuck you guys
so fuck you guys
UGH.
Nets 2022
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i have no time for locked play-in threadsGregg Popabitch wrote:rzn, your impulsiveness is your undoing again.
Read all the threads again and you'll see why Duncan wasn't included.
Next time, exhibit patience and read everything or pick up a phone.
(read: i skipped the two locked play-in threads cuz i thought they were inconsequential only to find out your intro to all of these polls was randomly in one. touche)
Nets 2022