These guys put some D in the NBA [Fox Sports]

The always acerbic Charley Rosen is at it again with his list of the best defenders in the association. No Warriors were named. Not even a shout out to the WDWY!

over 2 years ago Atma Brother ONE 17 comments 0 recs |

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Mickael Pietrus has the kind of tensile strength, excellent reactions and sheer willfulness to make his opponents have to labor mightily just to launch a decent shot.

It sounds like Mickael Pietrus is always guarding Mickael Pietrus.

Thing A

by sam23 on Aug 15, 2009 11:24 AM PDT reply actions

lol

You’re just mad he’s not on our team anymore. I would love to have that guy back at this point.

I hate those normal-sized midgets. What are they called again? Oh, yeah. People.

by Naticus on Aug 15, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions

That is the first time I have heard someone use the term “tensile strength” about a living thing rather than steel, aluminum, carbon fiber etc. I wonder if that guy has actually tried to rip Pietrus apart with a tensile testing machine. To be honest I kind of wanted to do that after all of the free throws Pietrus missed in the Jazz playoff series.

by Rob Kurz blocks Yao Ming on Aug 15, 2009 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions

That is the first time I have heard someone use the term "tensile strength" about a living thing rather than steel, aluminum, carbon fiber etc

Thats what I was thinking, but then I assumed I had completely misunderstood and that “tensile strength” wasn’t actually what I thought it was.

Thing A

by sam23 on Aug 15, 2009 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree with what he said about almost every player on that list, especially Artest (refs let him get away with a lot, still physical enough to bother anyone), Kirilenko (gets pushed around, but nobody likes matching up with him), Przybilla (understands leverage), Perkins (developing into a body bumping defensive force), Battier (best traffic cop on D since Pippen), G. Wallace (plays all out on both ends), West (most nasty minded defender in the league), Kobe (can be great when he wants to be, but that isn’t as often as the common fan thinks).
I was surprised to see Brian Skinner and Royal Ivey pop up on the list simply because I can’t remember the last time I saw either guy play at all. I suspect Posey, Prince, Jefferson and Bell are only on that list due to reputation.

My biggest problem with the article is that he left Howard and LeBron off the list and then had some harsh words about their D. Howard is simply a game changer on defense (Camby is too, and should’ve been on the list rather than just getting mentioned for his help d) There’s no justification for leaving him off this list. Howard had a bad series against LA, but if the Magic had lost in the ECF he’d definitely be on the list. “Howard leading the NBA in blocks is by no means indicative of his true defensive value.” I agree with that, but I’d say it doesn’t say nearly enough about how valuable his defense is. He was surrounded by a bunch of fairly bad defensive players last season, yet the Magic D was quite good.

LeBron is quite possibly the best defensive player in the league right now. You can’t possibly believe that Posey, Prince, Jefferson or Artest are better defensive players than LeBron James right now. That’s just completely ridiculous. It seems to me that Rosen has left them off the list only because they are so high profile.

Thing A

by sam23 on Aug 15, 2009 11:40 AM PDT reply actions

I love defense, personally. Love playing defense on the court as well. Maybe I haven’t watched LeBron enough, but he never stuck out to me much on defense. Not to say that he isn’t very good. However, I don’t see him putting defense as a top priority. Of course, with his body and athleticism, it doesn’t matter much. He can pretty much half-a** his way to great defense. Maybe that’s why he was left off the list. Howard, on the other hand, while Rosen may have a point, really is scary on defense. He probably isn’t as smart a defender as some players on the list, but he makes up for it with his overall defensive game. I love Howard’s D.

I hate those normal-sized midgets. What are they called again? Oh, yeah. People.

by Naticus on Aug 15, 2009 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions

I don’t think I can agree with half of the names on that list. To be fair, I haven’t seen some of them enough to have an honest opinion, but come on. Does he honestly think that Brian Skinner and Royal Ivey are better defenders than Dwight Howard and Chris Paul? Is he really claiming that Tim Duncan isn’t an elite defender?

by genesic on Aug 15, 2009 12:14 PM PDT reply actions

Does he honestly think that Brian Skinner and Royal Ivey are better defenders than Dwight Howard and Chris Paul?

well said, there’s just no way.

Thing A

by sam23 on Aug 15, 2009 7:51 PM PDT up reply actions

rosen has depth and detail in his hoops knowledge

so he likes to come up with provocative judgments on players and teams , just because he can. Many of those judgments and denunciations don’t really hold up, and some hit the bull’s eye. In the latter category, when he put out his list of tough and soft players, " he has to play soft because he’s physically so weak" (M.Dunjr.)

by the.monk on Aug 15, 2009 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions

rosen has depth and detail in his hoops knowledge
so he likes to come up with provocative judgments on players and teams , just because he can.

I agree with this, but with the inclusion of guys like Ivey and Skinner and the exclusion of guys like Howard,Paul and LeBron he seems like he’s kinda just outsmarting himself

Thing A

by sam23 on Aug 16, 2009 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions

I agree with this, but with the inclusion of guys like Ivey and Skinner and the exclusion of guys like Howard,Paul and LeBron he seems like he’s ~~kinda just outsmarting himself~~trying to attract readers.

by Missing Barry on Aug 16, 2009 9:07 AM PDT up reply actions