All Time Defensive Starting 5

[D.o.s.]

Payton Jordan Pippen KG Wilt seems right on first blush.

Also this would double as the best trash talking team ever and they would win everything ever.

[hardlyyardley]

Albert Robertson and Don Chaney rate consideration at guard

[BballTim]

  Wallace Russell Rodman Jordan Frazier

[CM0]

Russell
Hakeem or Wilt
KG
Payton
Jordan

[Eja117]

C - Bill Russell
F - Dennis Rodman playing out of position
F - Kevin Garnett
sg - Paul Pierce playing out of position
pg - Marcus Smart

bench
Avery Bradley
Pippen
Jordan
Wilt
Mark Eaton
Mutumbo
Shaq
B Bowen
Anthony Davis

[jambr380]

Russell
KG
Bird
Artest
Big O

I know the popular choices at SG and SF are Jordan and Pippen, but as a pure defender in his prime, Artest was ridiculous. Bird was just the smartest defender ever even though he wasn't as fleet of foot.

The only two I am 100% sure about are KG and Russell and I think it's weird that everybody's list doesn't obviously include them.

[moiso]

  Wallace Russell Rodman Jordan Frazier

Ben or Rasheed?  Not Gerald for sure!

[Eja117]

Payton Jordan Pippen KG Wilt seems right on first blush.

Also this would double as the best trash talking team ever and they would win everything ever.

Gimme Russell, Bird, Magic, K McHale, and Dennis J and I'd take that team right down.

[GreenFaith1819]

Bill Russell
Kevin Garnett
Reggie Lewis
Dennis Johnson
Gary Payton

Reggie Lewis?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni7t4swtdYw

Yes Sir!

He was on the way to becoming a special player.

[D.o.s.]

Payton Jordan Pippen KG Wilt seems right on first blush.

Also this would double as the best trash talking team ever and they would win everything ever.

Gimme Russell, Bird, Magic, K McHale, and Dennis J and I'd take that team right down.

Depends, do I get the Jordan referees?

[D.o.s.]

  Wallace Russell Rodman Jordan Frazier

Ben or Rasheed?  Not Gerald for sure!

that's almost certainly Ben.

[Eja117]

Payton Jordan Pippen KG Wilt seems right on first blush.

Also this would double as the best trash talking team ever and they would win everything ever.

Gimme Russell, Bird, Magic, K McHale, and Dennis J and I'd take that team right down.

Depends, do I get the Jordan referees?

You got me there. If that happens I'm sure Bill Russell would "accidentally" run into one. And I'm sure Bird would "accidentally" pass a ball into one of their faces.

[ram]

didn't any of you ever see Dave Cowens play? Cowens could switch to any player in the league and also guard giants like Jabbar.

You put Cowens at PF along side Russell and the other team would be lucky to score 70 points.

Also, KC Jones was the best shutdown guard of all time. Don Chaney was great also.
Dennis Johnson was as good as anybody.

[GreenFaith1819]

Russell, KG, Scottie, Moncrief, DJ.

EDIT: I'm thinking that Hakeem was probably the better all around defender ONLY because he could guard the great Shaquille O'Neal in his prime.

Shaq would outweigh poor Russell by quite a bit in a head-head competition.

Shaq was probably closer to an unofficial 320 pounds even in his prime, even though it was reported that he was 300. I'm thinking that Bill was only maybe 240 max?

which adds weight to the choice above for wilt. he may be a richly hated non-celtic, but he was an incredible defensive player.

let's count rebounds as part of defense, and wilt averaged 22.9 rebounds a game for his CAREER, with a one season high of 27.2 r/g.

blocks? no records kept back then but you know he would have lead the league along with russell year after year.

size? 7' 1" and 275 pounds. and wilt was known for his strength. wilt would have been able to handle o'neal down low.

Hard to argue with you on that.

Shaq was a LOAD.

Only other center besides Wilt I'd mention here is perhaps A-Train? Artis Gilmore was physically strong as well.

[KG Living Legend]

Bill
Kevin
Scottie
Michael
Marcus Smart boom!