Per prior comment:
I think there are 3 to 4 teams that tier out at about the same. utah (assuming health) comes to mind. so does chicago (duh)..i will give a full account tomorrow though
IP's Defensive Power Ranksings, 1-5
Teams under consideration:
Chicago-PG: Jennings, Maynor
SG: Miller, Wafer, Allen
SF: James, Allen, Fields
PF: Ilyasova, Amundson, Lawal
C: Noah, Amundson, Asik
Thoughts: Noah and James anchor the defense, and that's a good place to start any breakdown of this team. Both players are elite defenders at their position, with James garnering All-NBA Defensive team honors the last two seasons. Also both are able to cover more than one positon, with James possibly being able to check 1-4, and Noah being able to guard both frontcourt positions.
Beyond the anchors, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, and Mike Miller round out the rest of the starting five. Ilyasova and Jennings are both excellent defenders, and both should improve in that capacity next season. Mike Miller is limited a bit defensively because of his lack of elite lateral quickness, which means he can be easily exposed by quicker SG's like Wade, Ellis, or Roy. In situations where Miller faces off against that kind of matchup, his man will be checked by either LeBron James or Tony Allen, while Miller will handle the small forward.
The bench is not super-deep but there are some very good defenders there. Eric Maynor should be able to guard 90% of the starting PG's in the league, and Tony Allen is capable of playing both the 2 and 3, and he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Louis Amundson played both the 4 and the 5 for Phoenix last season, but the majority of his defense relies on his seemingly inexhaustible energy supply, rather than overwhelming players with physical tools. That means against larger teams/centers, Amundson is already starting the race 5 steps behind. In those situations Chicago is going to be forced to roll the dice with rookie Omer Asik, a young seven footer with explosive leaping ability and a talent for defense and blocking shots.
Although Ilyasova (he grabbed boards at the same rate as Taj Gibson or A Varejao) and Jennings (he rebounded at about the same rate as Baron Davis or Andre Miller) aren't top tier rebounders, the rest of Chicago's starting 5 are. Joakim Noah, LeBron James, and Mike Miller are all in the top three for their respective positions for rebounding.
Utah-PG: Calderon
SG: Casspi, Gallinari
SF: Luc Mbah A Moute, W. Johnson
PF: P Gasol C. Smith
C: Y Ming, R Lopez
Thoughts: Yao Ming, while having the lateral quickness of a train, at 7'6 is going of the better rebounders and post defenders in the league. Pau Gasol, for all the "soft euro-trash with a stupid mustache and femmy hairline" talk, is also one of the leagues better defenders at the 4. Casspi made his bones in Europe as a defender, and next year should start to establish himself as a premier defender on the wing. Mbah A Moute is a fantastic defender at the 4, where Dons will move him eventually, and he is capable at the 3. Calderon, despite getting his share of steals, is a pretty poor defender, and most of Dons' bench falls in that area, excepting Robin Lopez.
The thing is, as long as Casspi, Calderon, and Mbah a Moute can funnel guys into the lane, any shortcomings on the wing can be kind of covered up. Ming and Gasol are hands down and away the more fearsome frontcourt in our league, and even if Ming's minutes are limited early on, Robin Lopez should more than amply pick up the slack.
Minnesota TimberwolvesPG: Deron Williams
SG: Roddy Beaubois, Marquis Daniels
SF: Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, Gordon Haywood
PF: Josh Smith, Brandon Bass
C: Brendan Haywood, Javale McGee
Thoughts: Any team that goes Josh Howard-Josh Smith-Brendan Haywood is going to be right up there for defensive ability. Smith can't really defend post-centric players that are taller than him (Smith stands just under 6'9) but that deficiency pales in comparison to the havoc that his foot quickness and explosion off the floor can create on the defensive end as a rover. Smith will alter shots just by being on the floor, because players never know when he's going to show up and ruin their highlight. Haywood is a tough 'don't take any crap' defender in the vein of Kendrick Perkins, and Josh Howard (up until last season) has been a premier perimeter defender for years. If you factor in Deron Williams defense at the PG, the 1-5 talent there is undeniable, and JaVale McGee/Brandon Bass coming off the bench in the frontcourt is great security. Beaubois is definitely a problem area, and I don't buy Marquis Daniels as a elite role player anymore, but great foundation.
New Orleans Bucs-PG: Jrue Holiday/ Beano Udrih
SG: Eric Gordon/ Raja Bell
SF: Gerald Wallace/
PF: Al Horford/ Klieza
C: DeMarcus Cousins/ McDyess
Thoughts: Jrue Holiday-Wallace-Horford-Cousins has a "skies the limit" kind of potential in terms of athleticism and ability, but that all hinges on Cousins and Holiday coming through. Holiday showed last season that he's got the tools to be an elite defender at the 1, but he couldn't sustain it like a elite defender does. Cousins obviously has the tools, but the desire is a question mark. But, this is one situation where i think the bench is crucial. Eric Gordon and Cousins both have strong proven vet backups in McDyess and Raja Bell. A lineup of Jrue Holiday, Raja Bell, Gerald Wallace, Horford, and McDyerss should shine on the defensive end (although they'll be limited considerably on the offensive end).
LA ClippersPG: Billups/ Arroyo
SG J Richardson/ Parker
SF: Shawn Marion/ Nocioni
PF: Kevin Garnett/Reggie Evans
C: Ben Wallace/ Yi Jianlian
Thoughts: The starting 5 would have been world-beaters 5 years ago. Since then, everyone save Richardson and arguably Billups has lost a step (or three) here or there. Shawn Marion isn't the fringe MVP candidate he once was, Garnett is no longer the best defender in the game, and Ben Wallace is no longer the only man capable of stopping Shaquille O'Neal. (Now, lots of people can stop Shaq, and I'm not convinced Wallace is one of them)
That said, all these guys know how to play, know how to be a part of a team, and understand the importance of defense. They won't score a ton of points but they'll be a defensive force. I'm concerned about their bench (because of the age and fragility, especially of Garnett), and a lineup that features Reggie Evans and Ben Wallace on the court at the same time is about as pretty as the Medusa, but operating under the assumption that all 5 guys are healthy, this starting 5 is very very solid defensively.
New York KnicksPG: George Hill/Nate Robinson
SG: Dwayne Wade/Gerald Hendersen
SF: Grant Hill/Paul George
PF: Kenyon Martin/ Jordan Hill
C: Greg Oden/ Kurt Thomas
Thoughts: I know I said this team wasn't that good defensively, but I'm backing off that a bit now. The combination of George Hill/Wade/Matin/Oden is one that is atheltic, tough, and defensively talented. Grant Hill won't be able to check the Kobes of the world or anything but he is a very serviceable defender, even at his gristled age.
Health though is the main concern. Its looking now more and more like Oden and Martin will not be healthy to start the season. On top of that Grant Hill is a major health concern. Wade also, in this situation again being asked to carry the scoring burden, should be looked as a huge concern because of his playing style. I think this is one of the best defensive teams in the league healthy, but best case scenario the league won't be able to see a completely healthy and 'game shape' starting 5 until January, if ever.
Denver Nuggets-PG: Russell Westbrook/ Steve Blake
SG: Marcus Thorton/R Brewer
SF: Trevor Ariza/ Josh Childress
PF: Taj Gibson/ James Singleton
C: Tim Duncan/'Donnie' Darko Milicic
Thoughts: Russell Westbrook is a very very good defensive PG and a good leader already at this stage in his career. Trevor Ariza and Josh Childress are known valuable commodities defensively, as is Ronnie Brewer. Taj Gibson managed to show himself to be acceptable but not exceptional defensively last year as a PF, and was probably helped out a lot by having Joakim Noah next to him. Luckily, he'll be helped out again by Tim Duncan who is still capable of being the best big man in basketball more nights than not. I don't like having Timm-ay out there without a legitimate center to guard the other teams' bigs, so maybe a Darko-Duncan frontcourt is something GC will want to look at. When Thorton is out and Brewer is in, teams will have a tough time putting the ball in the bucket, although that will be mitigated by the fact that the Nuggets will have just as much trouble scoring without a legit presence on the wings.
Top 5 Defensive Teams In The CB Draft: 1) Chicago-Whatever. Its my rankings and I honestly believe this. If you don't think so, give me a good case against it.
2) Utah-I'm a Casspi fan and I believe in his defense. If you can buy that and just understand the fact that Calderon is going to let some people by him, this team can be either 1 or 2 in the league sheerly by Gasol and Ming's presence. The addition of Robin Lopez secures that for me.
3) LA Clippers-The vet savvy on this squad is the most of any in the league, and they'll use their old man strength and crafty veteran wiles to keep people from scoring points.
3) Denver Nuggets-Westbrook-Ariza-Duncan is a pretty good defensive foundation, and GC built around it putting plus defenders Childress and Brewer on the roster, as well as servicable defenders Taj Gibson and Darko Milicic in the post with Duncan.
5) New York Knicks-Assuming Oden and Kenyon Martin ever get health and Dwayne Wade doesn't trip up this season, the defensive ability is there, for sure.
5) New Orleans Bucs-Holiday/R Bell/G Wallace/ A Horford/ D Cousins would be the best defensive lineup in the league as long as A) Cousins fulfills anywhere close to his potential and focuses on the defensive end starting with his rookie season and B)Holiday builds on his impressive rookie campaign.
5) Minnesota Timberwolves- If you could sub in the Josh Howard from 2 years ago, this top 5 would look different, with the Timberwolves possibly challenging the top 2. Thats how good of a perimeter defender Josh Howard was then. However, with the Josh Howard we have now, no real good option behind Beaubois, and no player of Al Horford's caliber to pair next to Josh Smith (although Haywood is close), the T-Wolves slip down a few notches.
Teams I probably should've considered more (in no particular order): Sacramento (key word is balance)
Phoenix (some would argue Dwight Howard alone merits a top 5 ranking)
San Antonio (Harris-Harden-Artest-Bosh-Ibaka might be a little soft, but they're also pretty talented defensively)
Washington Wizards (This was the hardest for me to exclude, and could probably switch them in with one of the teams that tiered out at the "5" spot. Felton, Ginobli, Scola, and Bynum are all good defenders. Nick would argue Chandler is a plus defender, I don't agree. That said, this is probably a top defensive team)
Topic: Official Discuss your CB Draft team (Read 401538 times)