2008-09 Awards Preview - DPOY
The Defensive Player of the Year Award and the All-Defensive Teams should not be voted on by writers. It should be selected by a small group of people who consume more NBA games in a week than is safe for one's health. Members of this group should include statisticians, former coaches and great defensive players from yesteryear. Heck I'm more comfortable just letting Bill Russell pick it than letting some journalist who doesn't know what it takes to play good defense have a vote. Anyway... on to the predictions.
The Pretenders
Kobe Bryant - The Mamba is a tremendous defensive player but he should not be in the running for this award until he steps up and guards the best perimeter players on the opposing teams. He's too valuable on offense to the Lakers for this to be plausible so it's tough to say he will ever deserve this.
Marcus Camby - The Cambyman can flat out block shots but his numbers were inflated last year because he played on a Nuggets team that played at a very fast pace and his teammates didn't play very good perimeter or interior defense. Now, in LA, Camby will have to compete with Chris Kaman (3rd in the League with 2.8bpg last season) for blocks and something tells me the voters will be less-than-impressed if his numbers fall.
Josh Smith - The Hawks forward is the best non-post shot blocker the League has seen in a while. He's an athletic freak among athletic freaks and he's quick enough to stay with perimeter players. Unfortunately for both the Hawks and his chances at this award, Smith is lazy and undisciplined and he doesn't always play defense with the utmost intensity. Can you really give the award to someone who doesn't play every game like it's their last?
Shane Battier - The former Dukie really knows how to play perimeter defense and if a shot goes up, he is contesting it. So what's standing between him and the award? You can't win it if you aren't even the best perimeter defender on your own team...
The Contenders
Kevin Garnett - The Celtics were stacked last year but neither Pierce nor Allen were particularly known for the defense. KG anchored the best defense in the League and there was no question in my mind that he literally willed his teammates to play harder. Now that he isn't the offensive focal point of the team (like in Minnesota), the Big Ticket has plenty of energy to patrol the paint and start piling up these trophies.
Ron Artest - Ron Ron only played in 57 games last season which may explain why he received only one third place vote for DPOY (tied with the likes of Kyle Lowery and behind the one second place vote garnered by Rip Hamilton) and did not make either All-D team. Of course the other explanation would be that the voters only watch SportsCenter and never saw the Kings play last season. If they had, they would have known that Ron Artest is the best all around defender in the League, period. He's bigger, stronger and quicker than most other players but what sets him apart is his intensity. Artest might be a nice guy on his own time (though some would debate that) and he might be clinically insane (though some would debate that) but on the court he is beyond ferocious. I've never seen a guy simply rip the ball away from other people as much as he does. In Sacramento, he often had to contribute heavily on the offensive end and he often looked like he was frustrated with the entire situation. This year, on the Rockets, Artest will be able to concentrate fully on defense for a team that has a good chance to contend. No offense to Ruben Patterson but the Rockets might have the best chance to beat the Lakers with Artest locking up Kobe.
The Pretenders
Kobe Bryant - The Mamba is a tremendous defensive player but he should not be in the running for this award until he steps up and guards the best perimeter players on the opposing teams. He's too valuable on offense to the Lakers for this to be plausible so it's tough to say he will ever deserve this.
Marcus Camby - The Cambyman can flat out block shots but his numbers were inflated last year because he played on a Nuggets team that played at a very fast pace and his teammates didn't play very good perimeter or interior defense. Now, in LA, Camby will have to compete with Chris Kaman (3rd in the League with 2.8bpg last season) for blocks and something tells me the voters will be less-than-impressed if his numbers fall.
Josh Smith - The Hawks forward is the best non-post shot blocker the League has seen in a while. He's an athletic freak among athletic freaks and he's quick enough to stay with perimeter players. Unfortunately for both the Hawks and his chances at this award, Smith is lazy and undisciplined and he doesn't always play defense with the utmost intensity. Can you really give the award to someone who doesn't play every game like it's their last?
Shane Battier - The former Dukie really knows how to play perimeter defense and if a shot goes up, he is contesting it. So what's standing between him and the award? You can't win it if you aren't even the best perimeter defender on your own team...
The Contenders
Kevin Garnett - The Celtics were stacked last year but neither Pierce nor Allen were particularly known for the defense. KG anchored the best defense in the League and there was no question in my mind that he literally willed his teammates to play harder. Now that he isn't the offensive focal point of the team (like in Minnesota), the Big Ticket has plenty of energy to patrol the paint and start piling up these trophies.
Ron Artest - Ron Ron only played in 57 games last season which may explain why he received only one third place vote for DPOY (tied with the likes of Kyle Lowery and behind the one second place vote garnered by Rip Hamilton) and did not make either All-D team. Of course the other explanation would be that the voters only watch SportsCenter and never saw the Kings play last season. If they had, they would have known that Ron Artest is the best all around defender in the League, period. He's bigger, stronger and quicker than most other players but what sets him apart is his intensity. Artest might be a nice guy on his own time (though some would debate that) and he might be clinically insane (though some would debate that) but on the court he is beyond ferocious. I've never seen a guy simply rip the ball away from other people as much as he does. In Sacramento, he often had to contribute heavily on the offensive end and he often looked like he was frustrated with the entire situation. This year, on the Rockets, Artest will be able to concentrate fully on defense for a team that has a good chance to contend. No offense to Ruben Patterson but the Rockets might have the best chance to beat the Lakers with Artest locking up Kobe.
posted by Gen at
1:43 PM
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