Is Ben Wallace still the best Defensive Player of the NBA?

What do you guys think?

With AK-47 out for the rest of the season i have to say yes it is him , TD coudl've been the closest thing too him but hes injured too , so i give it to Big Ben.

If he wins the award it will almost be a "by default" selection. He's still got nice numbers but they aren't quite as impressive as they were in his back to back DPOY seasons.

No, that title goes to none other than Ron Artest.

Ya but if u're gonna count Kirilenko and Duncan out cause they're not currently active then Artest is out too. Therefore it's all Ben right now...

Ya but if u're gonna count Kirilenko and Duncan out cause they're not currently active then Artest is out too. Therefore it's all Ben right now...

The thread is about the best defensive player not who will win the defensive player of the year award.

Ya but if u're gonna count Kirilenko and Duncan out cause they're not currently active then Artest is out too. Therefore it's all Ben right now...

The thread is about the best defensive player not who will win the defensive player of the year award.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Defensive Player of the Year Award usually go to the best defensive player?

At the beginning of the season Kirilenko was a beast on defense, but now with pretty much all the other "nominees" being injured I would have to say it is Ben Wallace.

Ben Wallace will probably claim it again.....as far as his numbers go, the presence of Rasheed have something to do with that

what about Shawn Marion?
U cant count him out.

Ranks #4 in the NBA in Steals Per Game(2.07)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Rebounds Per Game(11.3)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Defensive Rebounds Per Game(8.3
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Steals(141.0)

He also is averaging 1.4 BPG.

Plus he can play both perimiter and interior defense, The Beast spends his time playing interior D.

larry hughes, dwyane wade, shawn marion and lebron james have my vote for DPOY

I don't see any of them for DPOY... Marion's a stretch but the rest, they're good but not DPOY material.

Prince

I don't see any of them for DPOY... Marion's a stretch but the rest, they're good but not DPOY material.

Chris Webber maybe.

I don't see any of them for DPOY... Marion's a stretch but the rest, they're good but not DPOY material.

Chris Webber maybe.

Can't argue with that sac-1 probably thinks the same...

Last edited by Keo on Tue Mar 29, 2005 5:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

As someone who watches the Wizards, Hughes is a good defender, but to tell the truth, he's not a DPOY type player, he's not a shut down defender, or someone who's defensive presence changes the whole face of the teams defense. The biggest impact defender on the Wizards is actually Brendan Haywood.

I don't think Ben is the best defensive player, while he's very good, his man to man defense has never been better than just above average. He's a great help defender, and rebound, but one on one, he's no an elite defender. Duncan is overall a better defender because he can block shots, and also play very good man to man defense.

whilst i agree on that, Ben Wallace changes the face of the entire game. Whereas a guy like Artest shuts down 1 player, Wallace affects all 5. He's not bad on the perimeter either with the pick & roll D.

So in essence, he may not be the best defensive player but his defense has most impact.

its matter of preference..
who has more impact on a game: a player like ben wallace or a player like artest who can shut down 4 positions?

histrorically, voters have had a bias towards big men

I'm pretty sure Ben Wallace will win, just because voters are going to favor him.

Larry Hughes should be considered the defensive player of the year. He gets around 3 steals per game and has a natural instinct.