RealGM Top 100 List #43

[penbeast0]

VOTE: Dwight Howard
Howard 10 years, 768 games, 35.9minute per game
18.7reb 2.2ast 4.5to 26.5pts per 100 possessions @ .599ts%
18.7 2.0 4.9 28.3 @.613 for his playoff career
3xDPOY, 4x All-Defense 1st, 1x All-Defense 2nd


McHale 12 years 31.0mpg
11.4reb 2.7ast 3.0to 27.8pts per 100 possessions @ .605ts%
10.9 2.4 2.8 27.6 @ .618 for playoffs
3x1st All-Defense, 2x 2nd All-Defense

Mutombo 16 years (+2 partials) 30.8mpg
17.6reb 1.8ast 3.1to 16.7pts per 100 possessions @ .573ts%
17.2 1.4 2.7 16.4 @ .587 for playoffs
4x DPOY 4x1st All-Defense 3x2nd All-Defense

Just wanted to put the box score numbers up. Except for longevity, Dwight Howard seems to have the edge, Mutombo certainly has the edge there. Howard also played the most minutes during his prime. He did have a system tailored to maximize his impact in Orlando and really ugly A/T numbers, but also plays in an era where the rules have been slanted more to favor perimeter players. Deke had some nice playoff series but Dwight carried less talent farther. I do have some maturity concerns with Dwight that do not exist for any of the others but overall I favor Dwight of these 3 despite the passing which really hurts him.

. . . .

Reed v Cowens v. Beaty

All three shared some things in common . . . undersized, mobile centers with good range and good defense. Reed is the strongest, Cowens the most physical, Beaty has a Bill Laimbeer/Vlade Divac rep for annoying opps with a lot of dirty/veteran tricks.

All had shortened careers, Reed played only 7 years over 20 games in a season, Cowens played 10 but with increasing missed games plus a half year attempted comeback in Milwaukee, Beaty played 12 seasons (2 as reserve) but 2 were cut short by his recurring knee injuries; it's not a coincidence that his best season (72 in Utah) came after being forced to sit out a year. Beaty is considered a step down from Reed and Cowens but seems a reasonable comp to show their strengths.

Prime numbers

Reed (67-71) 20.5ppg 13.5reb 2ast .540ts%
Cowens (72-76) 19.5ppg 15.5reb 4ast .495ts%
Beaty* (65-69) 20ppg 12reb 1.5ast .535ts%
*(using NBA numbers only)

As the numbers show, Cowens was the best passer and rebounder, but the worst shooter. Reed is slightly better than Beaty in all areas but only slightly (and the NBA had expansion in these years so Reed was playing against slightly inferior competition). Beaty has the longevity edge. Very comparable players if you consider their defensive abilities roughly equal. I didn't use Beaty's ABA years because I don't want to get into a debate about how much to discount them.

Right now I think the best wing left is Alex English, a bit above Dantley, Nique, or Richmond. I am open to arguments for Sam Jones or Paul Arizin but the comps we had 2 threads ago had them looking like a bit below Dolph Schayes who I don't have up with the best bigs left, though I am open to being convinced.

There are also a lot of short career prospects. The shortest and greatest peak would be Walton; others would include Connie Hawkins, Tracy McGrady, or Sidney Moncrief..

Willing to listen . . . .

[ronnymac2]

Seriously considering Willis Reed after reading this and watching the tape.

http://deadspin.com/video-finally-surfaces-of-willis-reed-fighting-the-enti-1649175530

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXk_aGXTsyM[/youtube]

[NinjaSheppard]

Don't mean to interrupt or anything and I like the discussion but I was just wondering if anyone could either explain or more likely link to posts that made people sour on Dwight so much. He was higher on the previous list and he has added more seasons since. I figure it is more than just public perception that lowered his standing

[Basketballefan]

Don't mean to interrupt or anything and I like the discussion but I was just wondering if anyone could either explain or more likely link to posts that made people sour on Dwight so much. He was higher on the previous list and he has added more seasons since. I figure it is more than just public perception that lowered his standing

Different voters back then. Pierce, Dwight, Tmac and Wade all went lower than last time. And 3 of them have added quality seasons since then.

Dwight probably gets viewed as a whinner, diva etc by some posters. Which is unfair and has nothing to do with his basketball ability.

[Doctor MJ]

So, I thought Dwight would be the favorite last time, and hence I really think of him as the favorite now. He'd be a reasonable choice.

Guy I'd most like to see discussed in more detail: Kevin McHale. Do you see him as a superstar in his own right who just lacked longevity (but still had plenty compared to the other bigs being bandied), or do you see him as something more limited?

[penbeast0]

Don't mean to interrupt or anything and I like the discussion but I was just wondering if anyone could either explain or more likely link to posts that made people sour on Dwight so much. He was higher on the previous list and he has added more seasons since. I figure it is more than just public perception that lowered his standing

Different voters back then. Pierce, Dwight, Tmac and Wade all went lower than last time. And 3 of them have added quality seasons since then.

Dwight probably gets viewed as a whinner, diva etc by some posters. Which is unfair and has nothing to do with his basketball ability.

I'm one of his supporters, but it is fair. His last year in Orlando, like Carmelo's last year in Denver, was a circus mainly because he and everyone else around him was more focused on getting out of town and putting together the next superteam than playing winning basketball. LeBron, despite the stupid "Decision" TV show, handled it a lot better his last year in Cleveland (and his last year in Miami). I think it's fair to say his last year in Orlando and his year in LA made him LESS valuable than he was before those 2 years though last year in Houston was a positive for his legacy.

[SactoKingsFan]

Probably voting for Dwight unless I see some really compelling arguments for McHale or McGrady.

[JordansBulls]

Thoughts on Tmac or Grant Hill here?

[john248]

I'm likely to vote for Dwight here since he's one of 2 guys on my list still not voted in yet with the other being Ray Allen who I have at this spot on my own. I do have a cluster of guys I want to sort through after: McHale, Gasol, McGrady, Wilkins, Ginobili, Reed, Grant Hill, Iverson, and Mutombo.

Dwightmare and skittles aside, he is an accomplished player and was considered a top 5 player in the league, 3x DPOY, good defensive player, good finisher. His presence in the middle does attract attention even if you think poorly of his post game as we saw in Orlando where the game plan becomes a combination of PnR, kick it out, pass it around for a 3, lob to Dwight, have him run in transition for more lobs, and have him grab offensive rebounds. Knock on him is I don't think he quite gets how tough it is to score in the post...oh, and the FTs, turnovers, passing. Other knock is is lack of range pretty much keeps him close to the basket. We saw how him and Gasol weren't meshing very well in a way another center with a mid-range shot would help. Still though, his scoring comes as the 1st option but not the 1st option meaning while he's getting his 20ppg, he does it on a dozen shots...use the attention he gets to get shots somewhere else.

Defensively, strong player. Not sure if he's at an all-time level but certainly one who can lead a team defense to be one of the better ones in the league where both adj DRTG and team rebounding is better with him.

Vote: Dwight Howard

[Basketballefan]

Thoughts on Tmac or Grant Hill here?

For me neither have enough longevity.

[Doctor MJ]

Don't mean to interrupt or anything and I like the discussion but I was just wondering if anyone could either explain or more likely link to posts that made people sour on Dwight so much. He was higher on the previous list and he has added more seasons since. I figure it is more than just public perception that lowered his standing

Well, just speaking for me:

The last 3 years have basically been a wash. 3 years that aren't "prime Dwight" worth before you even count him screwing up 2 franchises.

Then there's the matter that I feel the need to re-calibrate how I saw his '10-11 season. I made comments about this at the time, but gave him more benefit of the doubt: '10-11 represented his peak impact as a basketball player...precisely because his posturing made the team so desperate that they made some terrible trades which made the team worse but made the team need Dwight more than ever. He was my choice for MVP then, and technically that's just as accurate as ever, but I'm very reluctant to reward a guy that kind of off-court effect.

Additional RAPM data has become available, and it seems to make it all the more clear that his impact in general was a bit exaggerated. Because the current landscape of NBA superstar, Dwight existed as the lone young superstar big, which made his salience as high as anyone other than LeBron & Kobe. But when you compare him with the far less attention-grabbing Zo, who played in a time where he couldn't stand out so clearly by position, it's tough to argue that Dwight was a more meritorious candidate.

But with all of this, I still think Dwight's only going to end up falling about 5 spots, despite the fact 2 young guys have clearly surpassed him and Mikan was included this time. Take those guys out of the mix, and he's within spitting distance of where he was before.

[ronnymac2]

Don't mean to interrupt or anything and I like the discussion but I was just wondering if anyone could either explain or more likely link to posts that made people sour on Dwight so much. He was higher on the previous list and he has added more seasons since. I figure it is more than just public perception that lowered his standing

Speaking only for myself:

Dwight Howard's on-court ability has seriously degraded since 2010 as a result of his desire to have the offense run through him in the post.

After reevaluating Howard's career, I now think of Howard's peak as being in 2010 instead of 2011. 2011 was fool's gold in the sense that his USG% and scoring volume increased to career-high levels while his effect on a team's offense went from super useful (historic offensive rebounder, amazing pick-n-roll finisher + vacuum effect, attacks in transition with full-court speed + pindown power, foul draw god) to borderline negative (poor passer, takes other teammates out of rhythm, using more possessions where fewer players are incorporated in a play). This was not the optimal way to use Dwight Howard.

Orlando was the 4th-best offensive team in the league in 2010 thanks in part to a super 53.6 eFG%, which trailed only Steve Nash's historic Suns in that category. This is with Dwight Howard taking the second-least amount of field goal attempts in his career, but taking shots that allowed him to lead the league in eFG%. His give-and-take with his teammates was as beautiful as it was frighteningly unstoppable in the sense that he was their ultra-efficient finisher who instilled feared in the opponents' defense when he was off-ball, sucking defenders to him with his horizontal movements and vertical finishing capabilities. I mean, it's as good as an assist for Howard if his off-ball dive off a pick-n-roll sucks two defenders in and Nelson fires a pass to Carter for an open 3.

The likelihood of Carter or Shooter X getting that open 3 decreases if you simply supply Howard with post-up possessions, because he's not a great passer, he doesn't read defenses quickly, and he doesn't demand triple teams that great post players of the past did.

But 2011 came, and as Howard's USG% and scoring volume ramped up, Orlando's ORTG (14th) and eFG% (52.1) swung downward. You see the gaudy scoring/efficiency in the playoffs that year, but also the 5.5 turnovers to just .5 assists. Orlando's playoff offense stunk, too.

Unfortunately, 2011 was fool's gold which Howard latched onto, as those same on-court problems have persisted the following 3 years. Quite frankly, it's depressing for me. Howard could have been the most dangerous off-ball C in history with his phenomenal athletic ability and spatial awareness. He's perfectly suited to be a moderate-volume super Tyson Chandler with a little bit of iso-scoring in spot situations thrown in. Combine that with DPOY defense and superstar minutes and you've got what should be a top-3 player in the game year in and year out.

Instead, his offense is neutral, and in my opinion perhaps a negative for the past 3-4 seasons, and his defense has slipped a tad as well. And it's completely tied to his desire to get away from being a pick-n-roll threat in the halfcourt and instead be a halfcourt post player.

Let me be clear: I have no problem with his power post arsenal. He's pretty efficient as an iso threat when he shoots. But delivering him the ball stymies ball movement, doesn't help anybody else, doesn't incorporate other players, and is a risky strategy as far as turnovers are concerned. He loosens a defense up much more as an off-ball player.

His direct sabotage of his team's optimal offensive/overall results, as a consequence of his on-court mindset and attitude, hurts his longevity in my eyes. These are not prime Dwight Howard seasons on the order of 2009 or 2010.

[ronnymac2]

Spoiler:

Bigs: Dikembe Mutombo, Nate Thurmond, Dwight Howard, Willis Reed, Dave Cowens, Ben Wallace, Bob Lanier, Bob McAdoo, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish

Worms: Dennis Rodman

Wings: Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Paul Arizen, Alex English, Dominique Wilkins, Penny Hardaway, Manu Ginobili, Sidney Moncrief

Point Guards: Nate Archibald, Kevin Johnson, Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams, Mark Price

Really thinking about Carter vs. McGrady right now, and if those 2 are really my favorites for this spot. I can go for a big as well. There's a lot of them.

[Notanoob]

Bill Walton-MVP, Finals MVP, 6th man of the year, 2x First All Defensive Team, 1st Team All NBA and 2nd Team All NBA, 4xDRB% leader, 2xTRB% Leader, lead league in both blocks and rebounds per game in '77

Although Walton was a terribly fragile player, Walton has absolutely the best peak of any player remaining. Walton was an excellent contributor in every facet of the game- he's one of the best passing centers ever, having averaged 5 assists per game in 78. He was a high-motor guy who really dominated the glass, especially on defense. Additionally, he was an extremely active defender who was noted for contesting every shot possible, a la Bill Russel- even if he couldn't block every shot, he certainly could alter it. I'd also like to point out just how hard it is to lead the league in both rebounds and blocks- contesting shots as much as he did constantly dragged Walton away from the basket and out of rebounding position, yet he still managed to get his paws on all of those defensive rebounds. Walton was a mobile guy who really had a huge effect on his team's defense in his short prime. Walton also contributed in scoring- although he was not a volume scorer by trade, Walton had a complete skill set. He was a capable post scorer, and also featured a solid jump shot. He used these skills mostly to space the floor and distribute the basketball under a 'spread-the-wealth' system in Portland. Still, he averaged 18.8ppg on 55.6TS% in his two prime seasons, which is not shabby at all.

Tracy McGrady- 7x All Star, 2x 1st Team All NBA, 3x 2nd Team and 2x 3rd team, 2x PPG leader and 2 top 5 MVP finishes.

TMac features the second highest peak of any of the remaining players- his 2003 campaign was right up there with Kobe's 2006 season. McGrady was a tremendous scorer and playmaker who also did a good job avoiding turnovers (that handle!), but was terribly unfortunate. In his best season his playoff matchup was the loaded Detroit Pistons, who he singlehandedly took to 7 games. McGrady was one of the least lucky guys to ever play the game, really. His healthy prime years were spent on some truly abominable Magic squads which relied on him too much, and when he started to get decent teammates around him in Houston, he or Yao were always injured, and ended up with kryptonite matchups- namely the Jazz. His lack of a great playoff run really wasn't his fault. He had some exceptional postseason moments, most obviously the 13 points in 33 seconds against the Spurs. In an alternative universe where he ended up on half decent teams, or the Raptors kept Chauncey Billiups, Doug Christie, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Marcus Camby together, we'd be talking about McGrady a lot differently. I believe that he's one of the few remaining players who could lead your team to a title as the man- he was really talented, but overburdened.

Grant Hill- 7x All Star, 1st-Team All NBA and 4x 2nd Team All-NBA, 5 top 10 MVP finishes including one top-3 finish.

A tremendous, beautiful scorer with a nasty crossover and nice dunks to finish, came with excellent playmaking and rebounding. Top 10 in triple doubles all time entirely on the strength of his first 5 seasons-it's really, really impressive. LeBron and Kidd are the only two guys ahead of Hill who didn't benefit from a much faster pace- and Hill only had 6 prime seasons to do it in, unlike those other two who have had excellent health. Hill really had an all-around game. He was not a great defender, but was solid on defense, and contributed everywhere-scoring, shooting, ballhandling, rebounding getting steals...he was LeBron before LeBron. Also, for people who knock his longevity, do you realize that he played 17 seasons? This guy made the all star game in the 05 season after basically 4 straight years ruined by injuries at age 32, putting up 20.3ppg on 56TS%, and went on to be a good starter for the Suns and playoff performer until he hit age 39. I know he lost a lot of years in Orlando, but he still had an excellent, long career as a contributor for a contender. It isn't like Walton who basically had two seasons where he was healthy for the playoffs-Grant Hill played a lot.

Dennis Rodman- 5x NBA Champion, 2xAll Star DPOY and 3rd Team All NBA, 7xFirst Team All-Defensive, 7x leader in Offensive rebounds, RPG, ORB%, DRB%, 8x leader in TRB%.

All-time great man defender, especially in his Pistons days when he was lighter and chased around perimeter players regularly. Some viewed him as the GOAT man defender at the forward position IIRC. After a rough transition in San Antonio, he became the GOAT rebounder, save for Wilt, and was a major contributor to the Bull's second 3-peat. His sheer offensive glass-crashing prowess kept him from being a total negative on offense in those years. There really isn't a lot to talk about here, just that he was an absurdly good defender and rebounder, better than just about anybody at those two things.

Paul Arizin- 10xAll Star, Champion, 3x 1st Team All NBA, 1x 2nd Team All NBA, 3 top 5 MVP finishes (including 2nd place), 2x scoring champ.

Probably peaked in 52, scoring 25.4ppg on 54.6TS%, along with 11.3RPG and 2.6APG. Nicknamed 'Pitchin Paul'. Along with Shayes, Cousey and Mikkelson, he's probably the last guy to get in from the 50s. Went from 13th in SRS to 2nd when he joined them his rookie season. Their offense went form 1st to last in the league when he left for Korea, then jumped back up to 6th, 1st and 1st when he returned. I don't know enough about the team to really say how much of this was his impact and not other guys leaving or whatever, but I think he had a pretty sizable offensive impact.

Sam Jones- 3x All NBA 2nd team, 5xAll Star, 11xChampion, 1 top 5 MVP finish.

Jones scored on relatively good efficiency considering his team's strategy and the era. The team improved a lot when he replaced Cousy in the starting line up. He'd probably be listed at 6'5" or 6'6", which is pretty nice for a guy who spent some time at every perimeter position.

[Jaivl]

(...)

Exactly my thoughs. I value '10 Howard more than any other version.

Vote: Dikembe Mutombo

-Better defensive player than Howard at everything.
-Better longevity than Howard.
-Can use him as your #2, your #3, your sixth man... in almost every team. Much more portable.
-No ego concers or off-the-court antics.

[Joao Saraiva]

(...)

Exactly my thoughs. I value '10 Howard more than any other version.

Vote: Dikembe Mutombo

-Better defensive player than Howard at everything.
-Better longevity than Howard.
-Can use him as your #2, your #3, your sixth man... in almost every team. Much more portable.
-No ego concers or off-the-court antics.

The gap Mutombo has on Howard on D is nowhere near the gap Howard has on the other side of the court over Mutombo. Come on now, Mutombo is a negative player on offense a ton of times in his career! Howard has proven he can be a solid 1st option.

Dwight will take weaker casts deeper into the playoffs, and even got that 09 Magic team to the NBA finals. Mutombo is nowhere near that.

I really hope Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard and Allen Iverson get voted in before Mutombo. I'm not even sure if Mutombo has what it takes to be a top 50 player. (My opinion of course, I see you're high on Mutombo and you must have your reasons, I just don't agree)

[Joao Saraiva]

Bill Walton-MVP, Finals MVP, 6th man of the year, 2x First All Defensive Team, 1st Team All NBA and 2nd Team All NBA, 4xDRB% leader, 2xTRB% Leader, lead league in both blocks and rebounds per game in '77

Although Walton was a terribly fragile player, Walton has absolutely the best peak of any player remaining. Walton was an excellent contributor in every facet of the game- he's one of the best passing centers ever, having averaged 5 assists per game in 78. He was a high-motor guy who really dominated the glass, especially on defense. Additionally, he was an extremely active defender who was noted for contesting every shot possible, a la Bill Russel- even if he couldn't block every shot, he certainly could alter it. I'd also like to point out just how hard it is to lead the league in both rebounds and blocks- contesting shots as much as he did constantly dragged Walton away from the basket and out of rebounding position, yet he still managed to get his paws on all of those defensive rebounds. Walton was a mobile guy who really had a huge effect on his team's defense in his short prime. Walton also contributed in scoring- although he was not a volume scorer by trade, Walton had a complete skill set. He was a capable post scorer, and also featured a solid jump shot. He used these skills mostly to space the floor and distribute the basketball under a 'spread-the-wealth' system in Portland. Still, he averaged 18.8ppg on 55.6TS% in his two prime seasons, which is not shabby at all.

Tracy McGrady- 7x All Star, 2x 1st Team All NBA, 3x 2nd Team and 2x 3rd team, 2x PPG leader and 2 top 5 MVP finishes.

TMac features the second highest peak of any of the remaining players- his 2003 campaign was right up there with Kobe's 2006 season. McGrady was a tremendous scorer and playmaker who also did a good job avoiding turnovers (that handle!), but was terribly unfortunate. In his best season his playoff matchup was the loaded Detroit Pistons, who he singlehandedly took to 7 games. McGrady was one of the least lucky guys to ever play the game, really. His healthy prime years were spent on some truly abominable Magic squads which relied on him too much, and when he started to get decent teammates around him in Houston, he or Yao were always injured, and ended up with kryptonite matchups- namely the Jazz. His lack of a great playoff run really wasn't his fault. He had some exceptional postseason moments, most obviously the 13 points in 33 seconds against the Spurs. In an alternative universe where he ended up on half decent teams, or the Raptors kept Chauncey Billiups, Doug Christie, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Marcus Camby together, we'd be talking about McGrady a lot differently. I believe that he's one of the few remaining players who could lead your team to a title as the man- he was really talented, but overburdened.

Grant Hill- 7x All Star, 1st-Team All NBA and 4x 2nd Team All-NBA, 5 top 10 MVP finishes including one top-3 finish.

A tremendous, beautiful scorer with a nasty crossover and nice dunks to finish, came with excellent playmaking and rebounding. Top 10 in triple doubles all time entirely on the strength of his first 5 seasons-it's really, really impressive. LeBron and Kidd are the only two guys ahead of Hill who didn't benefit from a much faster pace- and Hill only had 6 prime seasons to do it in, unlike those other two who have had excellent health. Hill really had an all-around game. He was not a great defender, but was solid on defense, and contributed everywhere-scoring, shooting, ballhandling, rebounding getting steals...he was LeBron before LeBron. Also, for people who knock his longevity, do you realize that he played 17 seasons? This guy made the all star game in the 05 season after basically 4 straight years ruined by injuries at age 32, putting up 20.3ppg on 56TS%, and went on to be a good starter for the Suns and playoff performer until he hit age 39. I know he lost a lot of years in Orlando, but he still had an excellent, long career as a contributor for a contender. It isn't like Walton who basically had two seasons where he was healthy for the playoffs-Grant Hill played a lot.

Dennis Rodman- 5x NBA Champion, 2xAll Star DPOY and 3rd Team All NBA, 7xFirst Team All-Defensive, 7x leader in Offensive rebounds, RPG, ORB%, DRB%, 8x leader in TRB%.

All-time great man defender, especially in his Pistons days when he was lighter and chased around perimeter players regularly. Some viewed him as the GOAT man defender at the forward position IIRC. After a rough transition in San Antonio, he became the GOAT rebounder, save for Wilt, and was a major contributor to the Bull's second 3-peat. His sheer offensive glass-crashing prowess kept him from being a total negative on offense in those years. There really isn't a lot to talk about here, just that he was an absurdly good defender and rebounder, better than just about anybody at those two things.

Paul Arizin- 10xAll Star, Champion, 3x 1st Team All NBA, 1x 2nd Team All NBA, 3 top 5 MVP finishes (including 2nd place), 2x scoring champ.

Probably peaked in 52, scoring 25.4ppg on 54.6TS%, along with 11.3RPG and 2.6APG. Nicknamed 'Pitchin Paul'. Along with Shayes, Cousey and Mikkelson, he's probably the last guy to get in from the 50s. Went from 13th in SRS to 2nd when he joined them his rookie season. Their offense went form 1st to last in the league when he left for Korea, then jumped back up to 6th, 1st and 1st when he returned. I don't know enough about the team to really say how much of this was his impact and not other guys leaving or whatever, but I think he had a pretty sizable offensive impact.

Sam Jones- 3x All NBA 2nd team, 5xAll Star, 11xChampion, 1 top 5 MVP finish.

Jones scored on relatively good efficiency considering his team's strategy and the era. The team improved a lot when he replaced Cousy in the starting line up. He'd probably be listed at 6'5" or 6'6", which is pretty nice for a guy who spent some time at every perimeter position.

Great post. I did not follow much of Bill Walton's career but you seem to make a very good argument for him. Also he's the only MVP + FMVP guy left right? That's got to make a case for him too.

[Texas Chuck]

I haven't voted in the last couple lists because the 2 guys I feel most strongly about have been getting little to no support: Deke and Cowens. And because of how few total voters we had I didn't want to be unduly influencing the results in voting for a guy I didn't feel strongly about. But maybe that was the wrong approach so...

Official Vote: Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo

I think his defense provides the highest and most meaningful impact of anyone left on the board. This is a guy who is imo clearly the best defensive anchor left on the board.

He was both a great man defender and a great help defender. Best shot-blocker, rim protector, intimidator of his era. Not a force offensively obviously which is the only reason he's not already voted in, but in his prime he was getting you 18-20 points per 100 possessions and doing so very efficiently.

[Texas Chuck]

A brief look at Deke's role in one of the biggest PS upsets of all-time: the 8th seeded Nuggets over top-seeded Seattle in round 1 in 1994

First his averages for the series:

39 mpg 13/12 with over 6 blocks per game Held Kemp to 15/10 on 37% shooting

After losing the first two games in Seattle, Denver won the final three games of the series. Deke did this:

Game 3. 41 minutes 19/13 with 6 blocks.
Game 4 44 minutes 10/16 with 8 blocks
Game 5 45 minutes 8/15 with 8 blocks

Then, took a very tough Jazz team with prime Mailman/Stockton/Hornacek to 7 games in the next round with Deke putting up 14/12 with 5.4 blocks per game


And for those of us old enough to have watched those games, those gaudy block numbers don't begin to tell the story of what a factor he was defensively in those series.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U4nDxhejdA&list=PL70BD3E601913E3AA[/youtube]

You can watch the whole series on youtube starting with the above.

[colts18]

Then there's the matter that I feel the need to re-calibrate how I saw his '10-11 season. I made comments about this at the time, but gave him more benefit of the doubt: '10-11 represented his peak impact as a basketball player...precisely because his posturing made the team so desperate that they made some terrible trades which made the team worse but made the team need Dwight more than ever. He was my choice for MVP then, and technically that's just as accurate as ever, but I'm very reluctant to reward a guy that kind of off-court effect.

Additional RAPM data has become available, and it seems to make it all the more clear that his impact in general was a bit exaggerated.

This is not true at all. Neither is your bashing of his 2011 season. In 2011 Dwight Howard actually lead the league in xRAPM. This is xRAPM ranks during his prime:

08: 4th
09: 4th
10: 2nd
11: 1st
12: 2nd
13: 6th

He is doing fine in that stat.