I'd like to nominate pre-broken foot Kevin McHale. 6'10" barefoot & 235 pounds, with a 96-inch wingspan and a gargantuan standing reach. Kevin was quite mobile before wrecking his foot. He was a smooth, fluid, and flexible mover with quick feet and jumping, great rotational mobility (flip hips, 180-degree recoveries), solid lateral and backward movement, and a sturdy, barrel-chested, wide-bodied frame, with a penchant for physicality.
Kevin's unique blend of size and athleticism gave him a startling degree of front-court defensive versatility. He effectively guarded FWDs as short as 6'4" to 6'5" (Dantley, Barkley) and PF & Cs as big as 7'2" to 7'4" (Kareem, Sampson*). Technically, he guarded 7-foot-7-inch Manute Bol, but that's no tough assignment. I've watched games where Kevin defended Dr. J, Barkley, and Moses at different points. Or, Bernard King and Moses.
*Ralph was listed as 7'4" but was more like 7'2".
His 1986 Playoffs were quite remarkable, on both ends. He locked down Woolridge in the first round, blocking him about a million times. Held him to 40.3% FG (-9.2) and 45.9% TS (-10.1). He then shut down Dominique better than I've ever seen anyone in the ECSF.—39.8% FG (-7.0) and 49.4% TS (-4.2). After that, it was Terry Cummings in the ECF; Kevin held him to 40.3% FG (-7.1) and 43.9% TS (-6.4).
And to finish off, he made life hell for Ralph while helping out in spurts on Hakeem. Sampson shot 43.8% FG (-5.4) and 48.7% TS (-2.9) while Olajuwon did 47.9% FG (-4.7) and 52.6% TS (-3.4).
Numbers in brackets indicate how much below their 1985-86 RS average.
From what I've seen, McHale (pre-injury) was genuinely one of the best PF/Cs at guarding out on the perimeter. I'd liken him to Joakim Noah (6'10" barefoot, 7'1.25" wingspan) with nearly a foot more of wingspan and at least half a foot of standing reach.
Here are some GIFs of McHale's defensive versatility:
Defending 76ers Charles Barkley:
Dipper 13 wrote:Biddy77 wrote:Nobody should EVER advocate giving Barkley ground in the paint.
Yes, considering Barkley is perhaps the best interior finisher in NBA history that would be a bad strategy. Not the best in terms of artistry or high flying, but rather efficiency. He went up strong with two hands almost every single time, thus reducing the chance of him missing easy shots every now and then. I can't even recall him doing a one handed dunk outside of his first couple years or so. Everything around the basket was a powerful two handed finish. However I will agree that McHale definitely defended Barkley the best due to his size and reach. He could sag off him a few feet on the perimeter to prevent the drive and still be in position to challenge the jump shot.
Below in the 100 game sample from Barkley's prime years he was shooting 81% (537/663 FG) within 2-3 feet of the basket.
http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=41130091#p41130091
Dipper 13 wrote:I don't understand ranking Barkley so high as a low post scorer. Maybe he's the most impressive low post scorer, due to his height
He ranks ahead of all the great centers all time (who were no slouches) in terms of post efficiency. He may not have had the same volume of post plays but he was the best in terms of efficiency, drawing fouls, and finishing through contact. Also as a finisher around the basket, he is certainly the best I have seen. Not in terms of artistry or high flying, but effectiveness. He went up strong with two hands almost every single time, thus reducing the chance of him missing easy shots every now and then. I can't even recall him doing a one handed dunk outside of his first couple years or so. Everything around the basket was a powerful two handed finish. I will say however that while Barkley is among the most unstoppable offensive players to ever play, the only player I ever saw give him some difficulty was McHale due to his size and reach. He could sag off him a few feet and still be in position to challenge the shot.
84 Game Sample
http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1274519" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
At Rim: 537/663 FG (81.0%)
Post Up: 228/298 FG (76.5%)
-1.64 PPP
-Drew Fouls 28.3% Rate
-Finished Through Contact (And-1) at 29.5% Rate
Explosive SF Orlando Woolridge (all from one playoff game):
Bonus: defending Michael Jordan in the clutch:
