Okafor for All-NBA Defensive Team

thruthefire · Post #1 » by **thruthefire** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:02 am

Ok, so Mek's not going to make first-team all-defensive, but I think he should be on the second-team.

Let's take a look at the numbers:

- 5th in rebounds per game
- 4th in total rebounds
- 12th in blocks per game
- 10th in total blocks

And the Bobcats are 7th in defensive efficiency!

So, how 'bout it?

Liver_Pooty · Post #2 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 3:07 am

Would be nice, but I doubt it happens.

Post #3 » by **BigSlam** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 4:08 am

It's funny because his defensive impact on the game seems to have diminished each season.

I remember when he once told Hammer to "let them drive past you, I'll take care of the rest" (or something to that effect). Sure, I'll never question his intention to challenge a shot and be willing to be dunked on, in fact, I applaud him for it, but his effectiveness just doesn't seem to be what it once was on the defensive end IMO.

JMillott · Post #4 » by **JMillott** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:24 pm

Perkins or Okafor should get the second team unless they're going to actually admit that Duncan plays center.

Dexmor · Post #5 » by **Dexmor** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:47 pm

Absolutely not. If there was a third team then maybe. He's not even a big time shotblocker anymore and he doesn't score so he should be getting boards. Maybe if he was playing the 4 he could get in but not at the 5, he is not that great defensively with his height disadvantage every night which is why he often gets 25 minutes a game.

thruthefire · Post #6 » by **thruthefire** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:56 pm

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/s ... iem-090415

"Point Guards

Honorable mention: Kirk Hinrich (-6.09) re-established himself as one of the league's better defenders in the backcourt after missing some time with an injury, though you wish he wouldn't leave his feet quite so much. I've never thought quite as highly of Andre Miller (-4.40) or Raymond Felton (-2.36), but each defended both backcourt spots more than adequately and their strong adjusted plus-minus numbers warrant a shout-out here, too."

"Centers

Honorable mention: The leader in adjusted plus-minus this season was Portland's Joel Przybilla (-8.86), who seemingly blocks as many shots at the rim as anyone in the league and no longer goaltends two for every one he rejects. It's tough leaving him off the top three, but ultimately I have to for three reasons: (1) He didn't play a lot of minutes; (2) the Blazers as a whole weren't a particularly good defensive team, which would be an unlikely outcome if he were a truly dominant defensive center; and (3) look at the other three guys on this list and tell me which one you'd bump down.

It's always tougher at center, unfortunately, which is why two other favorites of mine -- Charlotte's Emeka Okafor (-3.94) and Indiana's Jeff Foster (-5.21) -- also didn't crack the list despite very strong campaigns and outstanding plus-minus numbers. Nor did Yao Ming (-6.92) -- though he's a liability in some matchups, the Rockets use him very effectively as a deterrent in the rim area and his adjusted plus-minus was monstrous."

thruthefire · Post #7 » by **thruthefire** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:59 pm

"Small Forwards

Honorable mention: Always a spectacular athlete, Gerald Wallace (-5.75) toned down the gambling and had a crazy good adjusted plus-minus, though I think part of that may have stemmed from the awfulness backing him up.

It kills me to leave Paul Pierce (+1.07) out of the top three -- he has basically become overrated and underrated at the same time, with his offense getting far too much credit and his resurgent D far too little -- but I can't put him ahead of the other three guys on this list.

Tayshaun Prince (+4.87) has been a fixture on this team in past years, but his adjusted plus-minus was terrible and it sure seemed as though guys had an easier time scoring on him than in the past."

"Power Forwards

Honorable mention: The biggest problem at this position, as you'll see, is finding guys who were upright the whole season. The four best defenders at this position all played fewer than 2,100 minutes. Kenyon Martin (-1.40) is a good example -- he was the Nuggets' best defender but played only 65 games and checked out of several of those early due to injuries. He'd be in the top three if he'd played all 82, because his intensity and ability to guard multiple positions were at least as important to the Nuggies' D as the more heralded contributions of Mr. Big Shot.

Chuck Hayes (+0.91) is an absolute beast when he plays, but hardly sees the court because he can't score. Ben Wallace (-6.88) re-emerged as a defensive force as well, but injuries and scoring woes kept his minutes down too.

Boris Diaw's (-2.56) adjusted plus-minus stats have been so good for so long that I'm wondering if it's a mistake to leave him out of the top three; he doesn't do anything that jumps off the chart visually, but he can guard multiple positions and he's stronger than he looks. Ditto for Lamar Odom (-7.01), who has developed into a pure 4 who can defend the post or switch onto guards with equal skill.

Josh Smith's (-0.32) defensive consistency was far better this season and he's really become an off-the-ball force with his shot-blocking, plus another year of weightlifting has made him more capable of guarding 4s on the block; Smith was the only Atlanta starter with a negative adjusted plus-minus."

Post #8 » by **Walt Cronkite** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:22 am

I love Hollinger's annual defensive grades, thanks for posting those TTF.

thruthefire · Post #9 » by **thruthefire** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:32 pm

Make that our entire starting five!

"Shooting Guards

Honorable mention: I'm not ready to put Delonte West (-6.26) in with the elites yet, but his adjusted plus-minus numbers were outstanding this season. The Cavs really missed him when he was injured. He's clearly putting a lot more effort into the proceedings than he did as a younger player, when his primary tactic was letting the player drive past him and then trying to block the shot from behind. He's since graduated to higher-percentage maneuvers.

I thought Raja Bell (-1.58) lost half a step, but he's still tough as nails and was a big reason the Bobcats made such big strides on defense this season -- they were a surprising No. 7 in defensive efficiency. Bruce Bowen (-3.52) certainly lost a step, in addition to his starting job, but he still could make things hell for opposing scorers in short bursts. Boston's Tony Allen (-4.36) is a train wreck on offense, but really brings it on D -- I thought the Celtics missed him more than they let on in the second half of the season.

I had a hard time leaving Kobe Bryant (+2.44) out of the top three -- he's been a regular on my teams the past couple years -- but we had a strong crew at the 2 this season and his adjusted plus-minus was much weaker than past seasons."

Benjamin Linus · Post #10 » by **Benjamin Linus** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:31 pm

I'd love to see Okafor make an All-Defensive team, and I think since we've become a pretty strong defensive team this year we'll get a little more consideration than we have had in the past. But who knows? I've actually been thinking that maybe even Wallace might have a decent shot a making it since he's probably our most notable player, the guy that makes the highlight reels and stuff. Just some stats to throw out, Wallace this year was...

#1 of all small forwards in rebounding
#1 of all small forwards in steals
#2 of all small forwards in blocks
#6 overall in the league in steals

But I'd love to see any of our guys make it, even if Raja makes it again I would be thrilled. If there was an NBA All-Defensive 3rd team I bet at least two of our guys would be on it.