Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Saw a thread comparing him the other day and I've always been a big fan of his. Check out this resume and tell me what you think.
* NBA Champion: 2004
* 4× NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
* 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
* 6× All-NBA Defensive Team:
* First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
* Second Team: 2007
* 5× All-NBA:
* Second Team: 2003, 2004, 2006
* Third Team: 2002, 2005
* 2× NBA regular-season leader, rebounds per game: 2002 (13.0), 2003 (15.4)
* NBA regular-season leader, blocks per game: 2002 (3.5)
* 2× NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 2001 (1052), 2003 (1026)
* NBA regular-season leader, total defensive rebounds: 2001 (749)
* 2× NBA regular-season leader, total offensive rebounds: 2003 (293), 2006 (301)
* NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 2002 (278)
He's 1 of 2 players in league history with 4 DPOY awards.
I'm going to vote yes. Mainly because he made Detroit such a dominant defense almost singlehandedly. Think about the line up. Himself and Tashaun Prince were the only very good defenders on the Pistons and they were quite possibly the best defense of all time. If I recall correctly statistically they were greater than the Bad Boys of the 80's.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clippersfan86
Saw a thread comparing him the other day and I've always been a big fan of his. Check out this resume and tell me what you think.
* NBA Champion: 2004
* 4× NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
* 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
* 6× All-NBA Defensive Team:
* First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
* Second Team: 2007
* 5× All-NBA:
* Second Team: 2003, 2004, 2006
* Third Team: 2002, 2005
* 2× NBA regular-season leader, rebounds per game: 2002 (13.0), 2003 (15.4)
* NBA regular-season leader, blocks per game: 2002 (3.5)
* 2× NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 2001 (1052), 2003 (1026)
* NBA regular-season leader, total defensive rebounds: 2001 (749)
* 2× NBA regular-season leader, total offensive rebounds: 2003 (293), 2006 (301)
* NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 2002 (278)
He's 1 of 2 players in league history with 4 DPOY awards.
I'm going to vote yes. Mainly because he made Detroit such a dominant defense almost singlehandedly. Think about the line up. Himself and Tashaun Prince were the only very good defenders on the Pistons and they were quite possibly the best defense of all time. If I recall correctly statistically they were greater than the Bad Boys of the 80's.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
If there was a DPOY award back in the 50s and 60s, Bill Russell would probably have more than 10. Shit, I wouldn't even be surprised if he won that award all 13 seasons.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThaSwagg3r
If there was a DPOY award back in the 50s and 60s, Bill Russell would probably have more than 10. Shit, I wouldn't even be surprised if he won that award all 13 seasons.
Doubt it, Chamberlain was a better defender than Russell.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThaSwagg3r
If there was a DPOY award back in the 50s and 60s, Bill Russell would probably have more than 10. Shit, I wouldn't even be surprised if he won that award all 13 seasons.
Ok. After Russell then. Remember.. Russell didn't have to guard anyone besides Wilt. It was a weak era. In this league.. Wallace had to guard guys like Duncan, KG, Shaq... you name it and on a regular basis. He's guarded and done well against almost every big and flat out shut a lot down during his prime. He's the only guy I've seen hold Shaq in check when Shaq was still pretty dominant.
Last edited by Clippersfan86 : 03-07-2011 at 05:09 PM.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuckey
he's top 10 for sure
there's a lot of players i rather have over him
KG for one
Wow you must be a new Pistons fan. You'd take KG's defense over freaking WALLACE!? Wallace wasn't just a great shot blocker guys. He was the best man defense big by far. His interior man D was MUCH better than current day Kendrick Perkins to give you an idea AND he had elite shot blocking to go with it which Perkins doesn't. To top it all off he's only 6'8 240 pounds playing Center most of his career. All of this from an undrafted player who when traded for Grant Hill.. was mocked. It was supposed to be the most lopsided trade in league history quite possibly. Funny thing is Detroit got the better of the deal.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clippersfan86
Ok. After Russell then. Remember.. Russell didn't have to guard anyone besides Wilt. It was a weak era. In this league.. Wallace had to guard guys like Duncan, KG, Shaq... you name it and on a regular basis. He's guarded and done well against almost every big and flat out shut a lot down during his prime. He's the only guy I've seen hold Shaq in check when Shaq was still pretty dominant.
Hold Shaq in check? I think it is very clear you don't have a damn idea of what you are talking about.
27 ppg and a FG% of 63% (Shaq's Stats in '04 Finals) is not something I would call "hold in check."
Shaq was terrific against the Pistons in the '05 playoffs too. The stats for the 04-05 season aren't available though, so I can't find them.
Worm absolutely has a case. I wasn't making it sound like the answer is a clear cut yes. I just think his side carries more weight because he was an undrafted nobody that nobody gave a damn about.
Re: Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThaSwagg3r
Hold Shaq in check? I think it is very clear you don't have a damn idea of what you are talking about.
27 ppg and a FG% of 63% (Shaq's Stats in '04 Finals) is not something I would call "hold in check."
Shaq was terrific against the Pistons in the '05 playoffs too. The stats for the 04-05 season aren't available though, so I can't find them.
Did I say he held Shaq in check during the finals? I just said in general. Wallace gave Shaq problems when they matched up more than a couple times which is amazing considering Shaq's dominance at the time.
Is Ben Wallace the best defender in league history?
