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Where would Peak Mutombo rank overall in todays league?

Great rebounder. Stone feet. No range. Completely incapable of handling modern guard play. Immediately hunted on D by every backcourt. He would be far less effective in today's game. Sad, because I loved Deke and heckled refs over the stupid taunting rule but still.

There is no way he could switch in today's NBA

Would fit in on the warriors where he didn't have to score and could just focus on d. I can't remember if his passing was good enough to be like bogut though.

GrindCityHustle wrote:There is no way he could switch in today's NBA

Would fit in on the warriors where he didn't have to score and could just focus on d. I can't remember if his passing was good enough to be like bogut though.

There are still giant centers with great defensive impact, why would he not be able to switch?

Hmmmm...reminds me of a thread where I mentioned Mark Eaton in the context of contemporary play

tsherkin wrote:Great rebounder. Stone feet. No range. Completely incapable of handling modern guard play. Immediately hunted on D by every backcourt. He would be far less effective in today's game. Sad, because I loved Deke and heckled refs over the stupid taunting rule but still.

I strongly disagree about feet, young Mutombo was more than capable of switching to perimeter. Mutombo athleticism is very underrated in general.

70sFan wrote:I strongly disagree about feet, young Mutombo was more than capable of switching to perimeter. Mutombo athleticism is very underrated in general.

I don't remember Denver or Atlanta Mutombo inspiring me with mobility. I maintain that, regardless of how you view the semantics of my phrasing, he'd get obliterated on the perimeter by fast guards in high switches today. He was a very good under-rim presence and he had excellent anticipation, but he always seemed plodding to me. Love Deke and he was an outstanding player in his day, but he'd have a lot of trouble today IMHO.

Similar to peak Gobert on defense but offensively he has worse hands. Fringe top 20 maybe but the league is so stacked particularly at guard that I'm not sure I'd take him over another fringe top 20 guy like Haliburton.

Great post defender in a league with weak post play.

He might be a better offensive player vs todays bigs than he was vs 90s big men. Not having to play DRob, Hakeem, Ewing, Shaq, Zo, Kemp and K Malone almost half the season wont hurt his stat line. I do question his effectiveness when he would have to guard in space instead of at the rim. Deke seemed to be at his best when he had Leattner at the PF. That was a very underrated Hawks team with a great backcourt.

Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

I don’t think he’s even top 20.

In no order,

Jokic/LeBron/Curry/Giannis/Embiid/Davis/Tatum/Brown/Ant/Morant/Durant/Booker/Sabonis/Dame/Kawhi/George/SGA/Luka/Harden/Halliburton/Adebayo/Butler/Trae

That’s more than 20

NO-KG-AI wrote:Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

Good point about Lopez

I think mutombo could have adapted but even as smart as he was i don't see the three ball in his arsenal.

He did play to like 41 so he understood the game well enough to stay on the court. Does he close games in the modern NBA. Probably not.

NO-KG-AI wrote:Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

35 year old Brook Lopez isn't a threat to be the best defender on his team.

OhayoKD wrote:

NO-KG-AI wrote:Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

35 year old Brook Lopez isn't a threat to be the best defender on his team.

Wow, great point. He should be benched. Unplayable in today’s super sophisticated game.

NO-KG-AI wrote:

OhayoKD wrote:

NO-KG-AI wrote:Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

35 year old Brook Lopez isn't a threat to be the best defender on his team.

Wow, great point. He should be benched. Unplayable in today’s super sophisticated game.

nice backtrack ig

OhayoKD wrote:

NO-KG-AI wrote:Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

35 year old Brook Lopez isn't a threat to be the best defender on his team.

Yet he is a threat to win DPOY, what's your point?

70sFan wrote:

OhayoKD wrote:

NO-KG-AI wrote:Guys with lack of mobility have found ways to be passable and even very good defenders. You can hunt guys on defense, but only to an extent. If your team allows guards to get a switch with a C on every single play, your defense is going to fail, no matter who you are. There is not a C in the league that can guard ball handling guards full or even 50% of the game.

35 year old Brook Lopez is a threat to win DPOY this year, and wasn't even considered a good or even decent defender in his athletic prime.

35 year old Brook Lopez isn't a threat to be the best defender on his team.

Yet he is a threat to win DPOY, what's your point?

You are aware dpoy is supposed to go to the best defender in the league, yes?

You know full well what my point is. No poster here has claimed Mutembo would not be a good defender. So unless you and NO-KG-AI legitimately think Brook has a best defender in the league case, maybe stop "arguing for the sake of arguing".

kendogg wrote:Similar to peak Gobert on defense but offensively he has worse hands. Fringe top 20 maybe but the league is so stacked particularly at guard that I'm not sure I'd take him over another fringe top 20 guy like Haliburton.

Mutombo is 10x the rim protector Gobert is. And I don't think he would be any worse on the perimeter.

OhayoKD wrote:

70sFan wrote:

OhayoKD wrote:35 year old Brook Lopez isn't a threat to be the best defender on his team.

Yet he is a threat to win DPOY, what's your point?

You are aware dpoy is supposed to go to the best defender in the league, yes?

You know full well what my point is. No poster here has claimed Mutembo would not be a good defender. So unless you and NO-KG-AI legitimately think Brook has a best defender in the league case, maybe stop "arguing for the sake of arguing".

I think he's one of the best defenders in the league and that he's a very worthy DPOY candidate.

70sFan wrote:

OhayoKD wrote:

70sFan wrote:Yet he is a threat to win DPOY, what's your point?

You are aware dpoy is supposed to go to the best defender in the league, yes?

You know full well what my point is. No poster here has claimed Mutembo would not be a good defender. So unless you and NO-KG-AI legitimately think Brook has a best defender in the league case, maybe stop "arguing for the sake of arguing".

I think he's one of the best defenders in the league and that he's a very worthy DPOY candidate.

Which takes us back to him not being the best defender on his own team, reflected in a massive team-level defensive drop-off in the years where he has anything resembling a case as the anchor