Greatest Defenders Ever (Sports Illustrated - Top 10)

[ArbitraryWater]

MJ, Payton, Pippen, and LeBron are obviously too high... There are a good amount of other bigs who simply have a higher defensive impact.



The list is from a book SI published at the end of last year I think, called "Sports Illustrated Basketball's Greatest"

[fpliii]

Nate Thurmond should be a lock, but even for those who aren't high on older players, excluding Robinson is indefensible. Yikes.

[greatest-ever]

Pretty embarassing list, guys like Payton, Lbj and Pippen are in no way more impactful defenders than guys like Mutumbo, Kg and David Robinson.

I like lebron but his defense is seriously overrated. He's not a top 30 defender ever let alone top 10.

[RightTwoCensor]

MJ, Payton, Pippen, and LeBron are obviously too high... There are a good amount of other bigs who simply have a higher defensive impact.



The list is from a book SI published at the end of last year I think, called "Sports Illustrated Basketball's Greatest"

Name'em.

[SugarHill]

Kobe too high

[Psileas]

Jesus, half of these players are non bigs.
That's like compiling a list of the GOAT shooters with half of them being bigs.

[jlip]

Embarrassing list

[ArbitraryWater]

Name'em.

Thurmond (not even mentioned wow)
Jabbar
Wilt
Wallace (though he was on there already)
Robinson
Howard
Cowens (?)


LeBron/Pip/MJ/Jones/Moncrief can be somewhere below those... at the top for perimeter Players.

[inclinerator]

Kobe too high

[bizil]

I almost feel like you need two separate lists for big men and perimeter players. U have too many great defenders who brought different things to the table. For perimeter guys, how about guys like Moncrief, Walt Frazier, Dennis Johnson, Hondo, and Michael Cooper? In terms of versatility on the perimeter, guys like Bobby Jones and Kirilenko were among the most versatile defenders of all time.

So that list is ok, but A LOT of the top defenders of all time weren't HOFers. It just seemed like they took the premier defenders who are already HOFers. When in reality, u have some guys who were great defenders BUT NOT in the HOF. That's why if anything they should have separated big men from perimeter players.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Extremely shitty list, nough said...

My top3 all-time defensive players by position would be-

PG:
1. Payton
2. Frazier
3. DJ (more of a SG at his peak though)

SG:
1. Moncrief
2. Jordan
3. Cooper

SF:
1. Pippen
2. Rodman (more of a SF at his defensive best)
3. Bowen

PF:
1. KG
2. Timmy
3. Bobby Jones (could also be at SF)

C:
1. Russell
2. Hakeem
3. (can't pick a definitive one here)


It's hard to rank an overall top10 but, in terms of defensive impact, you'd most likely only have bigmen... So yea, my list would be EXTREMELY different from that, and I don't find that one even plausible.

I mean, Jordan at #2? Lebron in the top10 and over someone like KG? It goes on... Gimme a ****in break, that's terrible

[JonatanRey]

Jesus, half of these players are non bigs.
That's like compiling a list of the GOAT shooters with half of them being bigs.

I don't get the face palm. If you are little you are supposed to be a worse defender? Honestly, if you really watched Pippen, you would consider he is too low. Anyway, putting Lebron in a top 10 all time defense its laughable. This list is a joke. MJ is too high, Pippen should be over him. Miss Big Ben.

[fiddy]

SI=joke

[T_L_P]

Name'em.

Ben Wallace, Rasho Nesterovic, etc.

[jzek]

6 players from 80s to 90s (start of modern era)

3 players from 00s to today (current era)

1 player from 50s to 70s (old/weak era)


There you have it folks. Goes to show which era is the "best" (quotation marks because 'best' is subjective).