TheReff
Rod Griffin
- Joined
- May 15, 2011
- Messages
- 6,479
- Reaction score
- 585
Power forward #1 all defensive team
Tim Duncan
First Team: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Second Team: Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls
Honorable Mention: Chris Bosh, Miami Heat; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder; Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors
If RPM had a Defensive Player of the Year vote, it would go to Duncan. While Sanders and Garnett have rated better on a per-possession basis, Duncan's superior durability gives him more defensive value by this measure. To even have Duncan in the discussion at nearly age 38 is, of course, remarkable. He's learned to compensate for declining athleticism with superior positioning and discipline.
The other reserve All-D pick is Gibson, a possible Sixth Man Award winner. Few players are better at defending on the perimeter after switches (an area where teammate Joakim Noah also excels), and Gibson does a remarkable job of protecting the rim for a power forward. Ibaka, for all his shot-blocking prowess, lags in RPM (+2.6), and the Thunder's defensive swoon has probably ruined his chances at Defensive Player of the Year. Bosh is quietly key to a Heat defensive scheme that asks more of its big men than any in the league, while Johnson deserves the most credit among players for Toronto emerging as a top-10 defense.
Tim Duncan
First Team: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Second Team: Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls
Honorable Mention: Chris Bosh, Miami Heat; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder; Amir Johnson, Toronto Raptors
If RPM had a Defensive Player of the Year vote, it would go to Duncan. While Sanders and Garnett have rated better on a per-possession basis, Duncan's superior durability gives him more defensive value by this measure. To even have Duncan in the discussion at nearly age 38 is, of course, remarkable. He's learned to compensate for declining athleticism with superior positioning and discipline.
The other reserve All-D pick is Gibson, a possible Sixth Man Award winner. Few players are better at defending on the perimeter after switches (an area where teammate Joakim Noah also excels), and Gibson does a remarkable job of protecting the rim for a power forward. Ibaka, for all his shot-blocking prowess, lags in RPM (+2.6), and the Thunder's defensive swoon has probably ruined his chances at Defensive Player of the Year. Bosh is quietly key to a Heat defensive scheme that asks more of its big men than any in the league, while Johnson deserves the most credit among players for Toronto emerging as a top-10 defense.