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I was looking for the great defenders that weren't recognized always as great players. Looking for criteria, I decided that a player had to have 5 All-Defense (1st or 2nd, NBA or ABA) awards, and no more than 1 All-NBA (or All-ABA) award.

Surprisingly, this leaves out Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutumbo who I thought would define the category. But, in the weak center period, even a complete offensive incompetent like Wallace could get All-NBA status while in other periods or at other positions, you had to be a great defender and score 20+ ppg to get nominated. (For example, Nate Thurmond never made an All-NBA team and Kevin McHale only had one all-NBA season).

So, here are the players that qualify as defensive specialists by the admittedly artificial above criteria, rated by position roughly in the order I would draft them:

C
Nate Thurmond
Mark Eaton

PF (easily the outstanding position!)
Kevin McHale
Bobby Jones
Dennis Rodman
Dave Debusschere
Dan Roundfield
Paul Silas

SF (notice the lack of SFs, traditionally a scorer's position)
Bruce Bowen

SG
Jerry Sloan
Michael Cooper
Don Chaney

PG
Maurice Cheeks
Norm Van Lier
Alvin Robertson
Mookie Blaylock
Don Buse

How would you rate them (the PFs particularly - - weak rebounding but high percentage scoring Kevin McHale and Bobby Jones v. non-scoring board monsters Dennis Rodman and Paul Silas v. solid all around Dave DeBusshere and Dan Roundfield . . .interesting)

Very strange to see McHale here. I really can't think of him as a defensive specialist.

Rating them? Well if I have to pick a guy only for his defense, I'm going to pick a Mark Eaton type guy over people from any other position. If defense is the primary concern but I'd like strong offense as well, I pick McHale or Jones.

I was surprised to see McHale too; or for that matter DeBusschere, but they weren't All-PROs when they were playing, just All-Defense team players.

And go ahead and rate them for both defense and overall or just for defense as you wish . . . I was thinking overall rating because it is tough to separate out things like defensive rebounding from defense for a PF and the superior scoring of a McHale or a Bobby Jones balances the superior rebounding of a Rodman or a Silas.

Wait... Kevin McHale only made one all nba team? thats crazy in itself

He is one of those guys whose rep has gone way up since he retired. Very efficient scorer (though he benefitted from single coverage playing next to Parish and Bird which almost no comparable scorer can say), weak rebounder, not a great passer, good post defender, I always rated him roughly even with Buck Williams giving the edge to McHale for his championships.