Insider Request: C'mon, Doc; Jordan's not DPOY

[navy]

Thanks in advance.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12457815/why-deandre-jordan-deserve-dpoy-nba-insider-daily

[JerrySeinfeld]

DeAndre Jordan has always come across as very overrated to me after the media was comparing him to Bill Russell last year.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

C'mon, Doc; Jordan's not DPOY
Despite his coach's campaigning, the Clips' center isn't the NBA's top defender
By Tom Haberstroh | ESPN Insider

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2014/1218/la_u_jordan_d1_576x324.jpg
The full scope of DeAndre Jordan's stats prove he's not a leading DPOY candidate.


Of all the annual awards, the defensive player of the year race appears to be the most difficult to peg.

Joakim Noah, the reigning recipient of the top defender award, has been hobbled all season and the Chicago Bulls have disappointed on that end. A pair of Warriors might split votes in defensive studs Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut. It's hard to reconcile Anthony Davis' block totals with New Orleans' bottom-five defensive ranking. Rudy Gobert might be the league's best rim protector, but has only recently started for his own team. Serge Ibaka is a perennial candidate. Tim Duncan is Tim Duncan.

It's an extremely tough ballot this season. But if you ask Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, the choice is an easy one: DeAndre Jordan.

"He's clearly the defensive player of the year," Rivers said on Sunday. "If anybody else gets that award, we need to have an investigation. ... What he's doing defensively, if he was doing that offensively, he would be recognized as the MVP or one of them, but because it's defense, no one notices."

Maybe "no one notices" because there's just not much that stands out. Rivers has been known to get out the pom-poms for his players. In fact, Rivers already had launched the Jordan DPOY campaign in June, saying, "100 percent, I think that's what he will be" when all is said and done in 2014-15. A few days ago, Rivers claimed that "D.J. is the best defensive player in the league. I just really believe that."

Unfortunately for Rivers, Jordan's DPOY case isn't much of a case at all. This screams confirmation bias on Rivers' part more than anything. All evidence suggests Jordan is a good defensive player; not a great one, and certainly not the best. Let's run through all the reasons.

Blocks don't equal rim protection

Jordan's r

[qrich]

Of course not.

Marc Gasol is.

[Smoke117]

The Clippers are too much of a mediocre defensive team to even entertain the possibility of him being DPOY. His impact just isn't there at that level.

[T_L_P]

Of course not.

Marc Gasol is.

Not even close.

[LoneyROY7]

Yo OP, hold this D.

http://33.media.tumblr.com/6c4e53b6ae90f5aed934d613144e808b/tumblr_mn8ec3J2fr1ssqlj3o1_r2_400.gif

[navy]

Not even close.
Who is?

[SyRyanYang]

Warriors have the best defense in the league. Bogut is really great but he doesnt play enough minutes and games, so I'll give it to draymond.

[T_L_P]

Who is?

Bogut if he played more games. Right now I'm torn between Draymond and Duncan, but I'm probably leaning towards Green.

Kawhi, Gobert (from what I've seen of him) and Allen round out the top tier.

Then the next set of players include: Chandler, Noah, Gasol, Ibaka, Jordan and Davis.

[Al Thornton]

the problem with tom is that he trusts these stats 100% and doesn't take into account what he sees on the actual court. sportvu doesn't account for every single wing defender on the clippers being really bad or blake griffin literally not trying once on defense this season. if u swapped bogut for deandre on the clippers i guarantee all the numbers are exactly the same or maybe worse.

and why do other coaches around the league say deandre is the best defensive center in the league if he is so average? scott brooks just said it, the grizzlies coach has said it too

[Al Thornton]

he's right about deandre just taking every single uncontested defensive rebound there is but without him they can't rebound at all. if u watch just a minute of the hawes/big baby lineups u would see that.

[Al Thornton]

The Clippers are too much of a mediocre defensive team to even entertain the possibility of him being DPOY. His impact just isn't there at that level.

they are average right now and would be in the bottom five without him. that is a pretty big impact. take green or bogut off the warriors and they are still top 5 for sure.