RealGM

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/s ... iem-090415

Not surprisingly HOU players get a lot of ink here. In fact there is at least a mention of a Rockets player (or ex-Rocket in Rafer's case) at every position.

My thoughts:
-Rafer is very good defensively at his position, as most (knowledgable) fans noticed. However I believe Lowry is a defensive stud (w/ more potential than Rafer) as well but he hasn't gotten the heavy minutes to warrant consideration.
-Artest and Battier get props, of course. Nice to see regardless.
-Hayes and Yao have some crazy defensive +/- numbers. Hayes' defensive abilities everybody on this board already know but hopefully people can now see the light on Yao that he is fundamentally a great defensive player. He has make defensive strides this season but his crazy +/- is likely a product of Deke no longer being his main back-up. There are certain match-ups of course where Yao does become a liability but Hayes' for example, who everybody can pretty much agree is a great defensive player, has problems with certain players as well (e.g. KG).

Hollinger's.... / of credibility and thread.

His opinion never had meaning to me and probably never will.

Suprised He knew about chuck hayes.

Mahamute over Sucky is a crime. Suck Hayes is the second coming of Wes Unseld.

This is what I like about Hollinger. He actually approaches the game without biases. His analyses are usually 60% personal observation and 40% stats. Unlike 90% of other "analysts", he actually gives credit where it is due, rather than just get excited over highlight reels, box scores, and marketable players like Kobe.