Top 5 Contenders For Defensive Player Of The Year
Kobe Bryant (photo. Chris Sembrot)
Winning Defensive Player of the Year isn’t as sexy as winning the MVP or the Rookie of the Year. Most basketball fans can’t even name who won it last year and Madison Avenue isn’t exactly waiting to snag up the league’s most dominant defender to a lucrative endorsement deal based on the award itself. But to players it matters. Especially when you are talking about extremely competitive guys like Kobe and LeBron, this award means even more bragging rights.
The candidates are basically the usual suspects. There are rarely any real surprises when it comes to this award. Still, we look at five guys who could have the best “D” in ‘10.
1. Dwight Howard: Superman won the award last year and could very well repeat again this year. At 7-feet and blessed with ridiculous athleticism, Howard can clean the glass and beat up shots basically on cue. He averaged 13.8 rpg, 2.9 bpg and even a steal in ‘08-09. If the Magic win the East in the regular season, this award stays in Orlando.
2. Kobe Bryant: Kobe has been on the All-Defensive first team seven times. You know Kobe would love to win this award especially since MJ has one. Kobe is so competitive he wants to be the most complete player on both ends of the court. With the Lakers on a mission to repeat, I can see Bryant turning up the intensity on D. He is a great on-the-ball defender, can read passing lanes and is a great leader on the defensive end by communicating with his teammates and getting them in the right spots.
3. Chris Paul: Last year, CP3 was hands down the best point guard defender. His 2.77 picks a game was best in the league. His ability to carry the Hornets on both ends of the court makes him not only a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year but also for MVP as well. The fact that he also grabs nearly five defensive rebounds a game speaks volumes.
4. LeBron James: Like Howard, LeBron is a physical freak. At 6-8 and 270, he is built like a power forward but has more grace and athleticism than almost any guard in the league. He can lock up four different positions. Last year, he averaged 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Not many defenders in this league have that kind of versatility where they can guard someone on the perimeter, in the post and be a great help-side defender.
5. Ron Artest: The Lakers’ newest acquisition is the dark horse to take this award. Between him, Pau, Kobe and Bynum – they are going to be a defensive nightmare for opposing teams. If he accepts his role and focuses, he can maybe even outshine Kobe on the defensive end. Artest won this award in 2003-’04 when he was a Pacer. This could be the year he reclaims his title.
Who do you think will win it? Any other players in consideration?
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September 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Michael says:
what about Shane Battier? he is top5 perimeter defender and he does a great job on Kobe, Lebron,…
September 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
therealest says:
cp3 has the steals, but he is not a good on ball defender…no way he even deserves mention for the DPOY…dwight gon take this again
kobe can take it if he wants tho…
September 16th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Big Aaron says:
Dwight to average 15 rebounds and 3.5+ blocks this year.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
flavur says:
WHAT ABOUT THIS GUY HE LIVES IN MIAMI HIS NAME IS
DWYANE WADE = MV3
DWYANE WADE AVERAGED MORE STEALS AND BLOCKS THAN LEBRON, KOBE, AND RON ARTEST LAST SEASON AND WAS THE FIRST PLAYER 6′4 AND UNDER TO AVERAGE 100 BLOCKS OR MORE FOR A SEASON HOW DOES HE NOT GET A SINGLE MENTION IN THIS ARTICLE. ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW
September 16th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Kobeef says:
Dwight falls a few notches down this list because of his lack of offense on the other side of the ball. He may stop a lot of scoring but he hurts his own team with his offensive ineptitude.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
flavur says:
http://www.nba.com/heat/news/wade_named_to_all_NBA_first_team.html
Read this and you will be convinced that Dwyane Wade should be on this list
September 16th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
Depending on injury, KG.
Always liked Artest.
I think Kobe is going for a MVP season, so I think Lebron or Dwight might get it by default again.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
@ says:
… go back and read the article one more time kobeef…….
September 16th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Wake says:
@Kobeef
I don’t think you should factor in what a player does in offense. If that was the case then Big Ben shouldn’t have won any Defensive Player of the Year awards. The focus should stay on defense and defense alone.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Diego says:
Yeah, right, LeBron–sure did a nice job on Skip in the Orlando playoff series. (Sarcasm.)
September 16th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
tl says:
kobe did not deserve to be on the first team last year. wade got robbed. he was the only player in the league to have 100+ blocks and 100+ steals. he was in the top 20 in blocks and he was the only guard on that list.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
shane battier is the leading favorite coming into the season.
chris andersen will get some votes.
kevin garnett MIGHT get a vote
at some point in their careers, both kobe bryant and tim duncan will eventually win this award. if the spurs have another solid season, i think tim duncan will get it over shane battier
and kobe may not even be the best defender on hit own team
September 16th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
BRUCE says:
Luke Ridnour gonna win it. I think he gets like 500K in incentives.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Sanssasin says:
y’all forget
d wade
garnett
battier
and cp3 is not the best pg defender hands down. i would take j kidd, harris, hinrich and rondo any day over cp3. don’t get caught up in the cp3 hype. dude is good but come on!
September 16th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Sanssasin says:
cont’d
i meant that i would take j kidd, harris, hinrich and rondo’s defense anytime over cp3’s defense any day.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
That's whats up says:
I agree with post 2
CP3 just gambles a lot for those steals – he’s not that good of a defender
…and he pushes off, EVERY play – fck’n cheater
September 16th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
SayItAintSo says:
When will people realize that while blocks and steals are defensive stats, they are simply the tip of the ice-berg when it comes to being a good defesnive player.
In MOST cases, steals are gamble and while you may average 2.77 steals that means you also average a lot of gambles that you lost. The same thing goes for blocks. A lost gamble (steal or block) is a blown assignment. A blown assignment is bad team defense. A good team defender is FAR more valuable than 100 blocks in a season.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Ashlov says:
Wade should have been on this list, period.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Scott says:
@ Sanssasin … J Kidd? Did you watch any of his games last year? Shaq may even be able to take his slow ass off the dribble in 09/10
September 16th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
money says:
just to build on sayitaintso, i also think that stats are overrated. i think dwight was a great shot blocker and rebounder, but his one-on-one defense isn’t that great and his positioning could really improve. On-ball defense is really underrated in this league
September 16th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Jake says:
To be honest I dont see any reason why Dwight cant repeat. The dude is an absolute beast. He definately is still #1 on my list. Honestly I dont know who else to include. Dwight seems like the obvious choice. Its funny to me that there is only one center and 4 wingmen on this list lol.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
The REAL Tyrone says:
Ain’t no doubt ya’ll D-Ho be winnin’ them DPOY y’all. Cat’s mad quick and be a glass eater yo. Cat’s got them ability to be dishin dope dimes y’all. Ain’t nobody better than DHO.
True thugs NEVER lie.
The Real Tyrone
September 16th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
yoda says:
kobe could win it this year, especially if he doesn’t have to burn him self on offense as much as he had to previous years. if pau, andrew, l.o. and ron ron take some scoring burden from him, if they can keep him fresh, he could be more agressive on D
September 16th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
NL says:
Timmy Duncan
September 16th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Chris Paul CANT be mentioned just on note of what Billups did to him in the playoffs..
Once again steals should really count seeing AI gets his steals and we all know he dont stop SHIT..
MY SLEEPER PICK: ANDREW BYNUM
@ Tyrone – i find all of your posts annoying somehow..
September 16th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Oscarisalakerfan says:
Really Gerald…CP3
September 16th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Shane Battier! And don’t count out KG just yet…
September 16th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Dave says:
(1) Dwight
(2) KG
(3) Battier
Outside shot — Andrew Bynum — I think there’s a fair chance that Ron Artest’s addition will bring the best out of Bynum defensively. Drew might be ready to make the leap into All-Defensive territory. Well, maybe …
September 16th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
cb4 says:
what about KG, tim duncan and battier, all players that take pride in their defense. If you want to look at stats to justify this list, how come not gerald wallace, josh smith, marion, or kirilenko. All players who have the numbers that make them look like great defenders.
This article just adds to the long list of undeserved credit that superstar players are getting. Lebron is NOT the great defender he was built up to be last year, Kobe is far better than lebron, but there is no way he should ever win a DPOY award, CP3’s steals come from gambles, and aren’t reflective of his actual defensive skill.
Are you guys working for the nba? You really need to stop building undeserved hype. True NBA fans know whats what.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Bigdoggchad says:
D-wade is a good defender not great he gambles too much. Watch a heat game and see how many times he misses a steal and leaves his team playing 4 on 5.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Sanssasin says:
@scott
yeah i watched j kidd. i would still take him over cp3 to stop somebody.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Sanssasin says:
if y’all haven’t seen this yet, you got to check it out
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/New-BDL-contest-Kanye-interrupts-the-NBA?urn=nba,189923
September 16th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
dude says:
take out lebron and put rajon rondo on the list. dude is a beast on d
September 16th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Rockets says:
I can’t believe D Wade didn’t make this list. I never liked Ron Ron on the Rockets either and I’m sad to see that he’s now with my 2nd favorite team.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
D-NICE says:
very disappointed that D WADE IS NOT ON THE LIST!
September 16th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
A-Lid says:
@ 20
I also agree stats on the defensive end are horribly overrated. A couple of blocks and rebounds shouldn’t make anyone the best defensive player in the league.
Favourites for the 09/10 D trophy
1. Dwayne Wade
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Dwight Howard
4. Deron Williams
5. Mario Chalmers
I put D-Will and Chalmers on the list. I watched them both live, and they glue to there check, and play hard D all game long
And FUCK NO there is no way LeHYPE james is one of the best defensive players in the league, NO FUCKING WAY.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Ian says:
wtf is paul doing on the list? kobe well he didnt deserve the first team last season since ariza always played the best perimeter player on the other team same will happen with artest. lebron shouldnt be on the list also.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
IP says:
It’s gotta be Dwigh Howard again. What are his chances of bumping up his rebs and blocks numbers again?
September 16th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
jheck says:
where’s dwade??? flavur is right…he is not an ordinary defender…i think he should win the award last year more than anyone
September 16th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
scotsman says:
@12 with the amount of points that will be dropped on the rockets this year i dont see shane battier being in the running
@ pretty much everyone else….DWAYNE WADE! deserves it more than any other player in the league
September 16th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
scotsman says:
@ Gerald Narciso
are you basing these picks on who might actually win it? Or who will probably deserve to win it?
Paul, James and Artest should not be on that top 5 at all, im sorry.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
dapro says:
The four guys in no way shape or form should win DPOY
It not big on numbers when it comes to DPOY, rebounds, blocks, and steals don’t mean your altering the course of the game on the defensive end
These names were mention earlier but-
Battier deserves some shine
KG when/if healthy is solid as they come from the 4 spot
Chalmers and Rondo also deserve some love
September 16th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Willis says:
probably won’t happen, but Gerald Wallace has an outside chance. Crash is a beast on D.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:13 am
KingOfTheRinGZ says:
“and kobe may not even be the best defender on his own team”
now thats scary…
September 17th, 2009 at 4:26 am
nobs6669 says:
howard leads the block and rebound but if you watch him. he have a difficult time defending post player 1 on 1. check stats of the best post player against dwight and you would see they always have a great game against him.
this season if only artest would focus on basketball other than anything else. is the first time artest would focus primarily on defense. and that would be a very big problem with opposing wing player. and a defensive player of the year award for sure no matter what happen with the lakers
September 17th, 2009 at 6:15 am
d1n says:
ariza, dahntay, bird?
September 17th, 2009 at 8:55 am
snyde says:
lebron is the most overrated defender in the league. a few “run-down” blocks, although spectacular looking, do not make the guy a great defender. dude gets waaaaaay too much credit for his defense based off a few highlights.
September 17th, 2009 at 8:59 am
snyde says:
and you people saying bynum…wow. that is the biggest crock of crap i’ve ever read. that guy sucks. gasol rules, bynum blows.
and no question wade should be on this list. possibly 2nd overall. that guy is amazing.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:13 am
skywarp says:
yea right bynum and pau is going to be a defensive nightmare…
September 17th, 2009 at 9:26 am
doc says:
This award will be renamed the Dwight Howard award until he dosent feel like winning it no more.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:13 am
nobs6669 says:
@doc
are you really seroius about it. howard got DOP coz of stats alone. he coudn’t even stop a very soft pau gasol
September 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
nobs6669 says:
@gerald narciso
hey cool knowing someone from the Philippines is part of the dime family. keep it up and good luck hope one day i could be part of it
September 17th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Darvin says:
Is this for real? Lol.
Kobe stopped guarding the opposition’s best player like 2 years ago, do you think he really has a chance at DPOY now, with Artest on his team?
Why would Lebron go from almost taking it last year, to number 4 this year?
September 17th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
joesmoove says:
give me a break…DWade is the best player on both sides of the ball PEROID…he proved it last season and will continue to prove that he is purely the best…best handle…best playmaker…best attacker…best defender for his size….he blocks dunks….realize…..he is the tru king….and let’s not even go to the videotape….the mavericks are still rebounding after what he did to them in the finals….the best finals per in nba finals history…..
lebron who?……learn the truth….this kid is the best in the world!
September 17th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Glinda Reed says:
Lebron guarded at one time every position on the floor last year. He guard the point in Indiana. When O’Neal was in Toronto, James guarded in him late in the game and came off like a center and met Bosh at the top of his jump for a block. Because of the size in cleveland, he had no choice but to guard teams top g/f, Pierce, Bryant.
Everyone rave about howard, take him out of the paint and who can he guard.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
nobs6669 says:
d-wade was robbed for the defensive player of the year in 09. but for this season i couldn’t see him duplicate his defensive game
September 17th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
nutz says:
you guys are F’N stupid. Lebron is the only player that guards the best offensive player on the court EVERY night. Howard guards no one, Kobe gives up 30 a game, Artest is over the hill and is a step to slow to do what he used to, and paul can’t guard anyone but p.g’s. & Wade.. he’s a good player and defender but only a fool would say he’s a DOY candidate.
September 17th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
T.O momo says:
CALDERON
Just wanted to throw his name in the mix, seeing as it may very well be the only time his name is ever mentioned while speaking defence. Well….at leat hes got….um…..wait a minute….remind me why the hell this guys in the league again???
September 18th, 2009 at 1:32 am
manny says:
diego you are a moron…lebron is gonna take it next year watch him keep an eay out for wade too
September 18th, 2009 at 4:00 am
JoV says:
sabi ko na nga ba pinoy ka! LoL
September 18th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
KT says:
Between him, Pau, Kobe and Bynum – they are going to be a defensive nightmare for opposing teams.
Umm…Let’s retract any statement about Pau, defense, or toughness. I reference the 2008 finals and end my argument. Kobe, Bynum, and Ron-Ron can go hard, but we all know on the inside Pau is made of pillows.
September 21st, 2009 at 7:10 pm
IVO says:
You forgot D-Wade the man have a great phisique and better statistics in steals, blocks and rebounds…
September 21st, 2009 at 7:11 pm
IVO says:
Than Lebron and Kobe