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Kevin Pelton over at Basketball Prospectus fired up his nerdly abacus and put the chalk to the blackboard, selecting his Every Play Counts All-Defensive Team.

Rondo and Garnett earn First Team honors while Pierce earns an Honorable Mention at small forward. Garnett, Pelton further explains, is his

goods looks bbj

Similar news from Hollinger:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/ ... nse-080410

Thats interesting that rondo is #1 among PG.

Rondo is the difference maker defensively.

So...is Rondo the best defensive PG in the league?

I think on ability yes Rondo is the best. At this point I think he still lacks some savy but I don't think there is a combo of length, speed, and instincts like him in the league.

Wow, Hollinger is really showing the Keltic love.
Pierce 3rd team
Rondo 1st team
KG 1st team

TA gets an Honorable mention as "Allen (4.06) was absolutely ferocious the three times I saw him in person, but the effort didn't seem quite as consistent in the TV games I watched, and he didn't play as much as the guys in the top three." --Seems like TA could have made the 3rd team if he had been more consistent.

Perk gets an Honorable mention as well.
Perkins (7.42) has been the perfect complement to Kevin Garnett; he's a physical, dirty-work guy who will bang against the league's bigger post players, and he cares not a whit how many touches he gets at the other end. He can overdo it with the physicality at times, but he's an overlooked factor in the Celtics' success.

wigglestrue wrote:So...is Rondo the best defensive PG in the league?

by the standards of EPC, yes

i would say rondo is getting there, but as many of us who watch all the time have noted, his defensive ability still outweighs his defensive experience and, not intelligence, but savvy, because he knows how to make plays, its the nuances he is still working out.

by the end of next year there is no question in my mind he will be the best defensive point in the league, making the same kind of impact on defense chris paul does on offense

TheCelticTruth wrote:by the standards of EPC, yes

i would say rondo is getting there, but as many of us who watch all the time have noted, his defensive ability still outweighs his defensive experience and, not intelligence, but savvy, because he knows how to make plays, its the nuances he is still working out.

by the end of next year there is no question in my mind he will be the best defensive point in the league, making the same kind of impact on defense chris paul does on offense

If he's not the best defensive PG in the NBA right now...who is?

Well that is what is really scary about Rondo. The other guys considered good defenders at the point are generally guys who have SG size at the point but get toasted by the really quick guys.

Just from watching guys and not based on any kind of statistical breakdown I would say Devon Harris is certainly up there as one of the best defenders at the point, though he has had trouble with injuries this season so I don't know how it has played out.

Most good defenders at the position just don't have enough game on the offensive end to be starters.

I feel these statistical rankings are good, but shouldn't be used alone to say who's the "Best" at something... because I feel Garnett's presence on the floor helps others gain points in these stats, and Rondo's one of them. Not to say he doesn't have good defensive skills, because he obviously does. He's a turnover waiting to happen for the opposition defensively, and he does stick to his man most often to challenge shots. But, I feel he still gets overpowered by some of the stronger PGs in the NBA and still has a hard time fighting through picks to keep up with the faster PGs in the NBA. If he gains more strength, those weaknesses won't be as visible. I think right now, the best PGs defensively are Billups, Kidd, and Baron Davis, mainly because they are quick (although Billups is losing some of that nowadays), but still strong to go with their fundamental skills. Rondo's certainly on his way, IMO, but he still has some strength to gain and more honing of his skills to stand back and call him "the Best" in the NBA. Just my opinion.

Defense is the hardest quality of basketball to quantify.

The normal candidates for best defensive PG such as Payton, Kidd etc are either out of hte league or have lost a step.

I would guess the argument would be between Billups, Paul (lots of steals help, see Iverson A.), Harris, maybe Parker with the under rated thing.

Rondo would have to be up there, and a good showing in primetime will get him the recognition