LeBron, Defensive Player of the Year?

[GameTime_3]

LeBron is a monster but he isn't winning it. I would give it to Larry Sanders! The due has been a monster.

[Heat_Fan_87]

marc gasol will get it, or timmy D

[DefenseWins]

I don't remember anything so significant thinking LeBron should be DPOY... like someone else said, he had a better case last year.

[MiamiRadio]

I don't remember anything so significant thinking LeBron should be DPOY... like someone else said, he had a better case last year.

Name me one time this year that whoever Lebron was guarding went off? or had a good game? And if you can name me one then name me 2? 3?

Who else is averaging 1.7 steals a game and 0.9 blocks?
If Lebron had a clone playing in the NBA, 4th quarter of the NBA finals 5 seconds left, who would you pick to guard Lebron? anyone other than, Lebron ?

[DefenseWins]

I don't remember anything so significant thinking LeBron should be DPOY... like someone else said, he had a better case last year.

Name me one time this year that whoever Lebron was guarding went off? or had a good game? And if you can name me one then name me 2? 3?

Who else is averaging 1.7 steals a game and 0.9 blocks?
If Lebron had a clone playing in the NBA, 4th quarter of the NBA finals 5 seconds left, who would you pick to guard Lebron? anyone other than, Lebron ?

I think LeBron is our best defensive player and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Of course I'd want him on the opposing team's best player. He arguably anchors our team defense as well.

Also that article is deceiving, it just talks about the players who finished ahead in the voting LAST YEAR (Chandler was the best story, the Knicks TEAM defensive rating was why he got it). If there is going to be an article that stats why LeBron should win and compares them to the other front runners of this year such as Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan and Paul George, then okay, I'd agree LeBron should be awarded DPOY.

I'd like to see this comparison as well to this year's candidates :

Of the eight defensive play types tracked by Synergy Sports, which include defending the pick-and-roll, post-ups and isolations, James rates as excellent or very good in half of them.

Rates good/excellent in half... what about the other half? How does that compare to the others once again?

I just went on Synergy Sports and I don't see this whole "good/excellent" thing. Certain areas LeBron owns, others he doesn't, but it's a REALLY small sample size in the areas he ranks high for compared to other players. Really depends on the position too. Also wow this tool shows video possessions that are recorded

Thaddeus Young averages 1.71 steals, tied with LeBron and has .8 blocks. Wade has 1.88 steals, .8 blocks... yeah it's no .9 but does it really make a difference? That is a famous ESPN microstat to make things seem more like a big deal when they aren't.


sigh I just sounded like a LeBron hater or something, but conclusion : better case last year. He wasn't asked to guard people individually this year as much either, once on Melo as I recall in the 4th in our only win against the Knicks (where he did shut him down). One on Hinrich who he did shut down... but still lost. His defensive rating was in the top 10 as well, this year it isn't. This year our win streak took over everything else. LeBron is the MVP but does he have a CASE for DPOY? I do not believe so. I also never said he shouldn't get it, I want this team and LeBron to get ALL the awards this season, but just no clear evidence on why he should get DPOY (without being a homer).


I went to look around for "nba dpoy 2013" articles on what other thought. There's articles on Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan, and Larry Sanders lol. I think Paul George has a case but who knows, his age and the fact he is going up against more respected players, he might not get it.

[SweetTouch]

Looking at steals/blocks to see how good you are defensively is a NO NO
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/906 ... revolution


The Heat have three of the best wing defenders in the league in Shane Battier, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, and the latter two are among the NBA's most gifted pure athletes. James can mimic DeRozan's hyperactive ghost in a way no other player can, Rucker says. "LeBron basically messes up the system and the ghosts," Rucker says. "He does things that are just unsustainable for most players."

[Sarry Landers]

Larry Sanders will win it

[DivineFury]

There is a lot of teams with better defense than us this year, at least in the regular season. Pretty sure someone from one of those teams will win it. Lebron wants a ring not a regular season trophy.

[TheChosen618]

LBJ's man to man defense was better last season, but his overall help defense has been better. This is mainly because he is asked to do more and play more positions. He isn't asked to lock down one player a la Tony Allen, Andre Iguodala does. He is asked to pretty much rotate and guard practically every player for a short duration mainly because he switches between forward positions often throughout the game.

The only player Lebron has shut down this season completely was Carmelo Anthony, but Melo is also the only player Lebron has guarded for an entire half.

LBJ could win DPOY, just because there is no stand out. Noah was the stand out but he has missed too many games to remain in contention or as the frontrunner.

[GreenHat]

As others have said he had a better case last year.

Our slip as a team defensively this year certainly doesn't help his case.