on ball perimeter defense: the most unappreciated aspect of basketball stat geeks

[QUOTE=Rubio2Gasol]

Lebron going down the same road, no way in hell does he deserve to be all defensive ahead of guys like Smith and Iguodala.
[/QUOTE]

Interesting, since Lebron holds his opponents to lower overall production than both of those guys.

Kobe used to be a very good defender (though not as spectacular as his accolades suggest).
Now he's become a liability. And it's not because he's old or slow, strangely enough it's because he doesn't seem to try anymore and makes simple mental mistakes, often forgetting where his opponent is.

Incidentally, I would say off the ball defense is both more important and more unappreciated than on the ball defense.
Losing track of a player you're supposed to guard, not contesting the passing lane, gambling and allowing him to make a backdoor cut, rotating to the wrong player, not rotating at all, not hedging on pick'n'rolls for big men... Those kill teams.

Kobe is a ridiculously overrated defender who constantly forgets his man, is clueless on spacing, makes dumb mistakes all the time (and then yells on his teammate when he's the one screwing up).

But anyway Kobe fans are like religious fanatics, the more they hear the truth the more they try to ignore it so...yeah keep living in your dream world.

If anyone really thinks that Kobe Bryant really earned all those 1st All defensive first teams they need their head examined.

[QUOTE=LAClipsFan33]This.

I watch about 40-50 games though[/QUOTE]

doesn't matter how many games you watch

if you don't know what you're looking at

now let's see . . . . . . nba coaches, or

.

.

.

you

[QUOTE=StateOfMind12]Kobe's defense has been incredibly inconsistent since 2009. It reached liability standards in 2011 though.[/QUOTE]
His defense was pretty bad in his two high scoring seasons (2006 and 2007) Kobe stans always forget that fact.

He put in quality effort in 2008, and the results shows. He echoed his defensive abilities from 2000, 2001, and 2002 in that season.

2009 and 2010, he did it when he wanted to ... not consistently, but when he was focused he could lock people up.

See his series changing defense on Westbrook in the 2010 playoffs, when Russ had OKC on the verge of an upset given how he was abusing Fisher.

2011 on he hasn't been much of a defender, period. Even in the Olympics, without having to score or playmake, he wasn't much of a defender either.

[QUOTE=kennethgriffin]
one of the greatest to ever do it. constantly disrespected. constantly overlooked. constantly underrated. [/QUOTE]

:bowdown: Bruce

[IMG]http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1019335/BRUCEBOWENDEFENSE.jpg[/IMG]