Who'd have a better shot at defending Kevin Durant?

[westsideozzie]

A. Scottie Pippen
B. Michael Jordan
C. Lebron James
D. Kobe Bryant
E. Michael Cooper

[Demitri98]

Pippen would give Durant some serious problems.

[DonDadda59]

Probably Pippen because of his size, length, athleticism. Especially if he's allowed to actually touch him.

[AirTupac]

LeBron? He would let Battier guard Durant :oldlol:

[DonDadda59]

LeBron? He would let Battier guard Durant :oldlol:

Good idea seeing as how Battier is the better defender as he proved yet again last time the Heat played the Thunder. Bron got scorched by KD the previous meeting, then the next game Shane put the clamps on him.

[ImKobe]

Tie between MJ & Pippen because of their athleticism. KD went off on Lebron in the Finals.

[red1]

pippen then lebron then jordan

[red1]

Tie between MJ & Pippen because of their athleticism. KD went off on Lebron in the Finals.
lets be real for a second. durant would torch anybody

[Mass Debator]

Rodman

[westsideozzie]

The only shot a defender would have stopping KD is to get up on him like Avery Bradley, Alvin Robertson, Pippen, and Jordan and take away the drive and make him shoot over the top everytime.

[ImKobe]

lets be real for a second. durant would torch anybody

The only way to stop him is to deny him the ball. I feel like MJ & Scottie would be best at it.

[SsKSpurs21]

Bruce Bowen - Karate kick him and take him out! :banana:

[LoneyROY7]

Pippen would touch Durant up BIG time.

[Demitri98]

Bruce Bowen - Karate kick him and take him out! :banana:
:rockon:

[SCdac]

Which rules? ... 80's-90's rules when you could be pretty physical or today's breathe on a perimeter player and it's a foul rules? .... I'd like to see prime Pippen on him, either way

[westsideozzie]

I dont think Kevin Garnett has the lateral quickness to stay with Durant.

[Just2McFly]

Peak KG would give him fits.


Peak Marion.

Young Dennis Rodman.


Rick Fox.

i actually agree with the first three

[Bob Dole]

None. Cant stop a scorer like him one on one. Takes a team effort to slow him down.

[Heavincent]

Pippen seems like the obvious choice here.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Out of those 5, I'd go with Pippen followed by Cooper..

I say Pippen because of height, length, athleticism, mentality and of course defensive skills/fundamentals. Would be an amazing matchup to watch. Pip could focus on his man defensively while playing some great off-ball and team D too. Scottie could trouble Durant like no else, of course KD is just a beast of a scorer.

Cooper also had lots of length (and was around 6'6''), very athletic, while being just a great defensive player, who was maniac about stopping the best scorers and studied his opponents like crazy, knew every trick in the book, was a major trash-talker and very physical (can he touch Durant, or not? :rolleyes: :lol). He liked to keep his weight "down", and that gave him lots of mobility and the ability to get through smaller spaces, let's say, big advantage when staying on his man like a blanket and going through screens/picks. He was also was pretty strong for his size but against Durant that's not all that important so that's also one of the reasons I'd pick him - the "thing" you'd really need against Coop was a big body, a great/good post-game while taking him down-low and being physical.. and he still knew what to "do".
Of course nobody can stop a player like KD but Michael would give him hell.
Coop still is underrated/overlooked af though :facepalm

The 5 guys, all-time, that I would pick to guard KD, that would give him the most trouble imho, would be: Bobby Jones, Scottie Pippen, young/peak-overall-defensively Dennis Rodman, Michael Cooper and Bruce Bowen.
Peak Ron Artest, young Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Dan Roundfield, Rodney McCray, Gus Johnson, peak Tayshaun Prince and Andrei Kirilenko, Michael Jordan... also some great choices.

[aboss4real24]

melo

[LONGTIME]

:oldlol: None of them would.

[westsideozzie]

Out of those 5, I'd go with Pippen followed by Cooper..

I say Pippen because of height, length, athleticism, mentality and of course defensive skills/fundamentals. Would be an amazing matchup to watch. Pip could focus on his man defensively while playing some great off-ball and team D too. Scottie could trouble Durant like no else, of course KD is just a beast of a scorer.

Cooper also had lots of length (and was around 6'6''), very athletic, while being just a great defensive player, who was maniac about stopping the best scorers and studied his opponents like crazy, knew every trick in the book, was a major trash-talker and very physical (can he touch Durant, or not? :rolleyes: :lol). He liked to keep his weight "down", and that gave him lots of mobility and the ability to get through smaller spaces, let's say, big advantage when staying on his man like a blanket and going through screens/picks. He was also was pretty strong for his size but against Durant that's not all that important so that's also one of the reasons I'd pick him - the "thing" you'd really need against Coop was a big body, a great/good post-game while taking him down-low and being physical.. and he still knew what to "do".
Of course nobody can stop a player like KD but Michael would give him hell.
Coop still is underrated/overlooked af though :facepalm

The 5 guys, all-time, that I would pick to guard KD, that would give him the most trouble imho, would be: Bobby Jones, Scottie Pippen, young/peak-overall-defensively Dennis Rodman, Michael Cooper and Bruce Bowen.
Peak Ron Artest, young Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Dan Roundfield, Rodney McCray, Gus Johnson, peak Tayshaun Prince and Andrei Kirilenko, Michael Jordan... also some great choices.


the best cogent and thought out response I have seen on this board. Great insight and inclusion of some all time great BARBER shop names!

:cheers:

[SHAQisGOAT]

the best cogent and thought out response I have seen on this board. Great insight and inclusion of some all time great BARBER shop names!

:cheers:

:cheers:

[inclinerator]

none of them, they would get called for foul

[CavaliersFTW]

Bill Russell

[Rocketswin2013]

Bill Russell
Bill Russell was a stupid good straight line runner for a center but laterally...
http://replygif.net/i/926.gif

[bballnoob1192]

prolly prime rodman

[Pointguard]

Michael Cooper, young KG, Bruce Bowen all would have gotten in his head and Jersey. If he could really be touched Lebron could do a good job as well.

[lebron06]

No one can defend Durant refs won't let you..

[pauk]

Lebron & Pippen only.

They would do a better job than any of those other guys, Jordan & those other guys would be able to stay infront of KD just as well but they would not have the length to "bother" his jumpshot a bit better... but lets be serious, KD is pretty much unguardable due to his pure shooting ability at essentially 7 feet..... if you see how Lebron guards him, like the moments when Lebron completely cuts him of from going inside he just shoots... right over him, with utmost ease.... and again, this guy is a pure shooter with the most ridicilous length... he is almost shooting open jumpshots over anybody.... and even if you are a horrible defender he sometimes just randomly pulls up from deep anyways... swish.... there is nothing you can do with KD, you can stop him from the paint entire game if you want but he will get his jumpshots more comfortably than maybe any SF in NBA history due to his length & shooting accuracy....

[red1]

Pippen only.
fixed

[pauk]

fixed

What kindof logic makes you believe a smaller guy with less athleticism aswell will be able to contest KD's jumpshot better? Staying infront of KD is not the big problem for an elite SG/SF defender.... you can go with Jordan & the rest of those players OP mentioned in that department aswell, no problem.... THE problem is KD's length, his jumpshot...

[red1]

What kindof logic makes you believe a smaller guy with less athleticism aswell will be able to contest KD's jumpshot better? Staying infront of KD is not the big problem for an elite SG/SF defender.... you can go with Jordan & the rest of those players OP mentioned in that department aswell, no problem.... THE problem is KD's length, his jumpshot...
we already know that lebron can't guard kd. I doubt that pippen could either but its safe to assume that he would do better than bron

[Genaro]

Lebron had his chances and didn't deliver.

The thing with Durant is you can't let him get the ball so it must be a strong player with a great ball denial but he must be big so people don't lobby him. Once he gets the ball the defender have to be both big to contest his shots and quick to stop the penetration.

Under this facts I would go with Pippen, Garnett or prime AK47.
Though I think Cooper is being madly underrated here. Bird himself told that he was his best defensive opponent.

[Warfan]

Scottie
Cooper
Lbj
Mj
Kobe

EDIT: Found a vid of lbj playing some good defense on kd in Miami this year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPBeQybtvbA

I do remember that he got burned a few times though, and kd was just bombing deep shots at the end of the 3rd

[Marlo_Stanfield]

Good idea seeing as how Battier is the better defender as he proved yet again last time the Heat played the Thunder. Bron got scorched by KD the previous meeting, then the next game Shane put the clamps on him.
what is your dumb ass even talking about?? Duchoke was 2-9 on LeGod

[pauk]

we already know that lebron can't guard kd. I doubt that pippen could either but its safe to assume that he would do better than bron

I dont know how safe that is though, even if Pippen manages to stay infront of KD more often than Lebron would it doesnt matter because again thats NOT the biggest problem, seriously..... its KD's length with that shooting ability, we have seen occasions where Lebron stops KD from going anywhere near the rim from around the 3PT line and KD is all like "meh... *shoot right over* swish...." Often KD doesnt even try to drive against Lebron, he doesnt even have to dribble the ball, just raises up in his grill and shoots comfortably with his height advantage & that quick HIGH release.... to contest that shot well Lebron would have to jump with all his might, but there you risk fouling KD as it could be just one of his headfakes (or rip throughts :P).......

Unless ofcourse you think Pippen somehow manages to jump up higher & quicker while momenteraly somehow growing taller than Lebron aswell at that very instant.... then sure, he would very safely be the better guy... but again, compared to Lebron its just as good of a choice really against specifically KD as Pippen has more length than the rest of those guys OP mentioned while maintaining a great athleticism aswell.... Pippen or Lebron, whatever you wish, ill go with those, against KD you need an elite perimeter defender with as much length as humanly possible...

[pauk]

Lebron had his chances and didn't deliver.

The thing with Durant is you can't let him get the ball so it must be a strong player with a great ball denial but he must be big so people don't lobby him. Once he gets the ball the defender have to be both big to contest his shots and quick to stop the penetration.

Under this facts I would go with Pippen, Garnett or prime AK47.
Though I think Cooper is being madly underrated here. Bird himself told that he was his best defensive opponent.

A prime/young Kevin Garnett would be an amazing choice! He could move like a guard

[red1]

I dont know how safe that is though, even if Pippen manages to stay infront of KD more often than Lebron would it doesnt matter because again thats NOT the biggest problem, seriously..... its KD's length with that shooting ability, we have seen occasions where Lebron stops KD from going anywhere near the rim from around the 3PT line and KD is all like "meh... *shoot right over* swish...."

Unless ofcourse you think Pippen somehow manages to jump up higher & quicker while momenteraly somehow growing taller than Lebron aswell at that very instant.... then sure, he would very safely be the better guy... but again, compared to Lebron its just as good of a choice really against specifically KD as Pippen has more length than the rest of those guys OP mentioned while maintaining a great athleticism aswell.... Pippen or Lebron, whatever you wish, ill go with those, against KD you need an elite perimeter defender with as much length as humanly possible...
You know what. After reading your post Im starting to think that kd is a better player than lebron. Thanks pauk

[pauk]

You know what. After reading your post Im starting to think that kd is a better player than lebron. Thanks pauk

Not a better player, but definitely a more unstoppable JUMPSHOOTER/SCORER.

You are welcome. :)

[J Shuttlesworth]

I would go with Pippen, then MJ or LeBron

[Keno]

Not a better player, but definitely a more unstoppable JUMPSHOOTER/SCORER.

You are welcome. :)

stop it. durant is not a better scorer than lebron. definitely a better jump shooter tho, except when the pressure is on (see: durant vs memphis and lebron vs. boston game six)

[pauk]

stop it. durant is not a better scorer than lebron. definitely a better jump shooter tho, except when the pressure is on (see: durant vs memphis and lebron vs. boston game six)

Well, jumpshooter "slash" scorer... with that i mean specifically his jumpshooting is what definitely is more unstoppable in the scoring department compared to Lebron (and imo arguably more unstoppable compared to any perimeter player in NBA history?)....

Everybody keeps talking about Lebrons physique/athleticism being unfair.... but man... KD.... a ~7 feet tall perimeter player.... with that shooting ability.... is probably the most unfair thing ever. :P

[DonDadda59]

what is your dumb ass even talking about?? Duchoke was 2-9 on LeGod

:durantunimpressed:

http://media.fyre.co/S2eiHp6WQNi33K2M7r1O_jjgfj.png

Durant had LeBron slipping and sliding all over the court this year, just draining shot after shot in his eye. This includes the ASG. The only time the Heat contained Durant was when they put Battier on him as the primary defender.

Servant took the Kang's lunch money in their head to heads this year.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Under this facts I would go with Pippen, Garnett or prime AK47.
Though I think Cooper is being madly underrated here. Bird himself told that he was his best defensive opponent.

As usual, like I've said in my first post here. He didn't win dpoy playing off the bench for nothing...
Coop gets underrated/overlooked left and right, as seen on this thread.


Thinking about it, if I had to pick one player in NBA history to guard KD, it would probably be Bobby Jones, another player that's massively underrated/overlooked, and it's really sad.
Bobby was just as tall as Durant, and had insane length also, he was strong but not big which is not that "necessary" against KD. He was very athletic with premier defensive skills and instincts, just went about his business and gave everything he had while playing. He played amazing ball-denial, he was one of those guys who could block jumpshots straight up while guarding you, he'd lead you into charges, he was great at stripping the ball, he could defend any type of forward, even guards and centers - he was also a very clean player, didn't like to resort to cheap tactics or fouls to stop anyone, so that's great against Durant and the refs :D.. Sort of like a mixture between AK47 and Tayshaun Prince, but better than either defensively, overall.
8 all-defensive 1st team selections in 10 NBA seasons, and if DPOY was awarded back in 1977, he would've walked away with it, most definitely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NxCr-3L8J4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV68p3CZba8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7nxOhaqZlE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO1UvhQMnRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHefdEkUq6s

So ****ing underrated :facepalm

[Warfan]

:durantunimpressed:

http://media.fyre.co/S2eiHp6WQNi33K2M7r1O_jjgfj.png

Durant had LeBron slipping and sliding all over the court this year, just draining shot after shot in his eye. This includes the ASG. The only time the Heat contained Durant was when they put Battier on him as the primary defender.

Servant took the Kang's lunch money in their head to heads this year

???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXJtf-OEDxY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrhDBsE2vNM

I already posted a vid of lbj playing some good defense on kd.

First game Lbj guarded KD more than KD guarded Lbj, and KD outplayed him. Next game KD guarded Lbj more than Lbj guarded KD, and Lbj outplayed him.

Lol at the ASG.

[HoopsFanNumero1]

:durantunimpressed:

http://media.fyre.co/S2eiHp6WQNi33K2M7r1O_jjgfj.png

Durant had LeBron slipping and sliding all over the court this year, just draining shot after shot in his eye. This includes the ASG. The only time the Heat contained Durant was when they put Battier on him as the primary defender.

Servant took the Kang's lunch money in their head to heads this year.

That was their first matchup, and it looks pretty even from that image, asides from Lebron guarding him on a lot more possessions.

I can't find the defensive stats for their second matchup, but I know for a fact that Lebron killed him whenever Durant was defending him.

[deja vu]

Pippen, then Jordan.

[deja vu]

lets be real for a second. durant would torch anybody
Any all-time great would torch anybody. So what's your point?

[pmj]

How about Rodman?

[red1]

Any all-time great would torch anybody. So what's your point?
that neither of the two would be able to guard him. was it really that hard to figure out?

[The-Legend-24]

Lebron
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3930855/KDfire3.gif

http://i.minus.com/ioiABROaUysQl.gif

http://media.giphy.com/media/tBb19f6xqZ82HomZOoM/giphy.gif

[JellyBean]

I got Coop, Rodman, and Pippen.

[westsideozzie]

Durant would kill Bruce Bowen.. I think you have to be at least a solid offensive player to at least make him work on defense as well. But Pippen would probably do the best job.

[riseagainst]

Russell Westbrook.

[absalom]

I go with prime motivated sheed. Dude was a defensive monster. Durant can't back him down and his length and quickness would definitely bother Durant. Sheed could contest Dirk's jumper, I bet he would also slow down Durant.

[Nikola_]

pistons rodman

[J Shuttlesworth]

:durantunimpressed:

http://media.fyre.co/S2eiHp6WQNi33K2M7r1O_jjgfj.png

Durant had LeBron slipping and sliding all over the court this year, just draining shot after shot in his eye. This includes the ASG. The only time the Heat contained Durant was when they put Battier on him as the primary defender.

Servant took the Kang's lunch money in their head to heads this year.
Where are the stats from the last head to head? Why did you ignore the last head to head?

[russwest0]

Where are the stats from the last head to head? Why did you ignore the last head to head?

yeah, or ignore the 2012 finals where Durant couldn't be stopped aside from foul trouble.

using a one game sample size to prove shit is just :facepalm

[J Shuttlesworth]

yeah, or ignore the 2012 finals where Durant couldn't be stopped aside from foul trouble.

using a one game sample size to prove shit is just :facepalm
Durant wasn't even covering LeBron that series. Sefolosha was. And Spoelstra's game plan was obviously to let Durant score, and shut down the rest of the team.

[thelucifer69]

Prime Tayshaun Prince

[DonDadda59]

Correct Answer: Tony Allen AKA Mr. Mind Rape AKA Rent Free

http://mans-womans.com/images1/tony-allen-3.jpg

[Just2McFly]

Correct Answer: Tony Allen AKA Mr. Mind Rape AKA Rent Free

http://mans-womans.com/images1/tony-allen-3.jpg
:roll: :roll: :roll: aka rent free

that has me WEAK

[K Xerxes]

Just the thought of Pistons Rodman on Durant. :lol Only way he'd catch the ball is at half court.

Durant series stats: DNP - shat his pants

[PizzamanIRL]

His mother is doing a great job defending him.

[inclinerator]

His mother is doing a great job defending him.
:applause: :applause:

[tmacattack33]

Pippen, Lebron, MJ, Kobe in that order

Maybe Prime Kobe would do better than 2009 Kobe though, but Durant would post Kobe easily when they matched up in the playoffs.

[hitmanyr2k]

From seeing what Tony Allen can do just by denying Durant from catching the ball I have no doubt Pippen being longer and stronger would give him fits.