Sheed is the best low post defender in the game

[cyclorider]

I've never seen a better low post defender than Sheed in all my years of watching NBA basketball.

He can guard 4s and 5s equally well.  Should have been first team all-defense.  

He just stays with people and those long arms make life a living hell for whoever's trying to score on him.  Anyone know his wingspan?  It must be 7-5 at least.

He wasn't this good defensively earlier in his career.  He used to be mostly a scorer.  I think he's learned to defend so well from experience and veteran saavy.  He doesn't score like he used to, so now he focuses on defense.  He's a better defender than PJ Brown was.

[jimmehx]

He definitely has been doing a fantastic job in his minutes vs. Gasol.

Best in the game? I'm not too sure.

Regardless, I'm ecstatic with how he's been playing.

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't think should have been anywhere near first-team All Defense this year.  His effort was too sporadic, to be kind.  However, he is a good defender down low.  I'd still rate Perk as a better defender against centers and KG a better defender against PFs / big SFs.  Rasheed, however, can defend both positions adeptly.

[Brendan]

I think Sheed is best defender against Gasol, then Perk, then KG, then Baby.

Against Bynum when healthy all the guys have some difficulties.

Against Odom - KG is best, then Baby.

[xmuscularghandix]

Sheed understands the playoffs and how to properly foul, although at times he’s allowed some bad three point plays... i’d say that has more to do with his lack of quickness out there.

Rasheed’s ability to fight for position, and then deny the entry pass is very impressive. His ability to play the offensive side is almost as impressive. It’s really a shame because, as everyone knows, if he focused on strictly his post game he’s be headed for the HOF.

[Prof. Clutch]

I disagree that he's the best low post defender in the game, but he is really good at knowing how to get great position, body up his man, be physical, not fall for up-fakes and get his hands in the way of the shot.  He's done a phenomenal job in these playoffs with his man to man defense, and I think he's guarded Gasol the best of anyone on our team so far.

[banty19]

I've never seen a better low post defender than Sheed in all my years of watching NBA basketball.

Woah... settle down there. Having said that, it's not crazy to think he's one of the best in the NBA currently. The Celtics have faced off against 2 different but great post threats:

Gasol - arguably the best finesse post player in the game.
Howard - lacking skills but has elite power and athleticism.

In both cases, Sheed has done very well against them and has shown an ability to frustrate them both. That at least makes him worth discussing. My votes against Sheed would be he's probably not in good enough shape to play the same quality D for 35 minutes a game. He also has a tendency to pick up a lot of fouls (not even getting into technicals).

As far as who the best in the game is, I'd have to go with Dwight. Help D is his specialty, but there's a reason Perk and KG had little offense against Orlando. For other contenders, I'd throw Perk in there. After him, I'm having a hard time thinking of others. Maybe Duncan, but he's getting older. Bynum definitely has the potential to be. Camby and Noah could also be in the discussion. Anybody else I'm missing?

[moiso]

Wow this is a far fetched thread.  He is good on his man, and horrible on rotations.  He has a very hard time not fouling, also.
He has done much better in the playoffs but he should have been a first team all defensive joke member based on the regular season.

[misha]

I think Sheed is best defender against Gasol, then Perk, then KG, then Baby.

Yep, more Sheed on Gasol. Of all our bigs, he bothers him the most.

[droopdog7]

I'm sorry but you simply have not been paying attention to Wallace in his career. He has always been an outstanding defender. THAT is why we signed him and in his younger days, Sheed was incredibly versatile. He could guard three positions well. He'll, when he was with Portland, I saw him switched on to kobe on more than a few plays and yet, kobe was not able to get by him.  Sheed has great feet, great length, and is a very smart defender. This has been the case from Day 1.

[guava_wrench]

A lot of hyberbole in the original post. Sheed has a good matchup with Gasol. This was not true with Howard. Sure, he did fine against Howard, but that's because he smacked Howard around and used up his fouls quickly.

Try to count on Sheed for 30+ minutes of post defense and he won't be able to slap someone like Howard around.

[Simulacra]

One of my high school coaches coached him in AAU for a summer and proceeded thereafter to call him the worst player in the NBA whenever we would suggest he was the man at NC and early on in his NBA career. This was entirely due to his attitude at that point in time early on...and well for the majority of his career. This is the mature Sheed by those standards.

I think he has always been an uber talented guy much like Odom without the softness and a little more motivation. So the defense is just something he has decided to do much like hitting the on switch for the playoffs vs regular season. He has always been capable of it.

He has a bolt loose for sure but somehow I have always kind of dug that about him. Gasol isn't man enough for him at this point, and I am pretty sure he is afraid of Sheed, lets hope that back holds up. I mean did anyone catch him writhing on the floor in pain then get up smiling last game? I was like oh man he is down...oh nope its just Sheed.

[Celtics17]

If, by low post, you mean guarding one player around the basket then that 'best player in the game' distinction belongs to Perk. If, however, you mean the best at guarding the basket in general then that my friend is undboubtedly Dwight Howards' area. I do agree though that Wallace is excellent. If we can keep him in the rest of the series, keep Nate scoring and BBD spitting up then the C's have a good chance of making this banner 18.

[makaveli]

I don't think that he guards low post so good that you can say he's good at it, but what he is great/amazing/the best at is disrupting/deflecting/stealing that pass to the post, I've noticed that first when we played Orlando for Christmas and in Game 4 he did a great job as well.

[snively]

I think Sheed is best defender against Gasol, then Perk, then KG, then Baby.

Yep, more Sheed on Gasol. Of all our bigs, he bothers him the most.

I think it's Sheed, KG and then Perk in terms of post D against Gasol.  Perk is the best at rebounding vs. Gasol. 

Vs. Howard, it was Perk, Sheed, Baby, KG.