Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

[AlexBrady]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

I actually like a lot of those alternative picks you presented. I noticed that you replaced a lot of big men with perimeter players. Do you think that big men have been overvalued as defensive presences over the years? Or that perimeter defenders are rarely given enough credit for contributing to a good team defense?


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Oh no, absolutely not, great defensive bigs are the rarest commodity in basketball. I just don't think the bigs who won the DPOY were deserving. In grading big men the positives I consider are alert/physical baseline rotations, tough low post defense, and mean/active shows on high screen/rolls.

[ojandpizza]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Well deserved DPOY, he's the best perimeter defender in the league and by a good margin by my eyes.

I've still got him in the 4-5 range for MVP. I understand he does other things well, but you don't have to game plan to stop Kawhi the way teams do LeBron, Durant, Westbrook.. And that alone shows their value IMO.

Giving him MVP would be somewhat similar to giving it to a guy like Dumars or Pippen when they were scoring around 20ish a game.. I just can't justify it.

He's definitely a great fit in their offense, and if was relied upon more for generating a larger chunk of the teams offense I could see a case for him. As it stand now he gets a lot of open looks, NBA.com shot tracking has it had 49% of his shots being "open or "wide open", which in also plays part in his 3 percentage. He doesn't create a lot of plays for others, at times struggles when forced into the role of creating his own shot.

I'm never a fan of the swap player argument but if KD or LeBron were on San Antonio I feel as if they would be in the same position, fighting for a 1-2 seed.. I don't believe Kawhi would have the same impact for their teams with the roles reversed. I think the Cavs are like 3-14 or something when LeBron sits (can't remember the exact number) and OKC missed the playoffs completely without KD a year ago.


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[23]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Block comment had nothing to do with Leonard and I'm not trying to discount anything the Spurs have done this year. (they did go out and get Portland's best player also)

And I've always said that about individual awards in teams sports, btw.

To me it's border line trolling I have no idea why you would come into a defensive player of the year award thread talking about team sport

[23]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

This is not an mvp thread

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Lol no shade from my end for this one time. I actually don't have a problem with Kawhi so he's good in my book.

Everybody else on the other hand.....

[PabloLFC]

Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

I gave the Mavs credit for Dirk when they made it against the Heat so I'm doing the same for the Spurs. And if you wanna argue the later ones I will go Kawhi, who became a superstar in that finals by shutting Lebron down.

Is this 2014? When LeBron averaged 28/8/4 and shot 57/51/79. Kawhi is a great defensive player and he's improver especially as he's gained more muscle and is better suited to defend someone like LeBron now but he has never shut LeBron down in the Finals. That's not homerism from me, it just didn't happen.

I don't wanna turn this into a Bron thing though. Kawhi is exceptional, the best two way player I've seen since I started watching the NBA and he could be the difference between the Warriors or the Spurs going to the Finals.

[J_Posse]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Oh no, absolutely not, great defensive bigs are the rarest commodity in basketball. I just don't think the bigs who won the DPOY were deserving. In grading big men the positives I consider are alert/physical baseline rotations, tough low post defense, and mean/active shows on high screen/rolls.

Your supposed "alternate" picks are hilarious since the greatest defender never to win a DPOY award isn't mentioned once. And I see you are impressed with hollow defensive statistics that don't matter with a few of those choices, too. To think that Tony Allen (who I love, by the way), Shane Battier and Shawn Marion would be multiple time DPOY winners if left up to you, but somehow Leonard is "questionable" is hilarious.......

from Spurs Nation/Bills Backer HQ

[AlexBrady]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Your supposed "alternate" picks are hilarious since the greatest defender never to win a DPOY award isn't mentioned once. And I see you are impressed with hollow defensive statistics that don't matter with a few of those choices, too. To think that Tony Allen (who I love, by the way), Shane Battier and Shawn Marion would be multiple time DPOY winners if left up to you, but somehow Leonard is "questionable" is hilarious.......

from Spurs Nation/Bills Backer HQ

Tim Duncan has never been an above average straight up defender, though his baseline rotations have always been outstanding. Allen, Battier, and Marion were better defenders than Leonard currently is.

[ojandpizza]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Battier was never a better defender than Kawhi is right now.


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[PabloLFC]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

there's something irritating about people who present their opinion as fact, not as their opinion, especially when you're the only guy in the world who thinks Shane Battier is a better defender than Kawhi.


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[Hassan Darkside]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Your supposed "alternate" picks are hilarious since the greatest defender never to win a DPOY award isn't mentioned once. And I see you are impressed with hollow defensive statistics that don't matter with a few of those choices, too. To think that Tony Allen (who I love, by the way), Shane Battier and Shawn Marion would be multiple time DPOY winners if left up to you, but somehow Leonard is "questionable" is hilarious.......

from Spurs Nation/Bills Backer HQ

Not to mention a rookie Shawn Marion that only played 25 mpg in 51 games...

[AlexBrady]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

Battier was never a better defender than Kawhi is right now.


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Battier was, I believe, a slightly better defender. Tougher to get away from his chest, better anticipation, made better decisions in the team defense.

there's something irritating about people who present their opinion as fact, not as their opinion, especially when you're the only guy in the world who thinks Shane Battier is a better defender than Kawhi.


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I watch these guys closely and trust my judgement.

Not to mention a rookie Shawn Marion that only played 25 mpg in 51 games...

Marion was a rookie phenom. And that is a considerable amount of playing time.

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

[23]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

There is absolutely no way to prove this, and I cannot agree because when Utah was smaking the Rockets all over the place in the playoffs Shane Battier wasn't stopping anyone.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Defensive Player of the Year: Kawhi Leonard

There is absolutely no way to prove this, and I cannot agree because when Utah was smaking the Rockets all over the place in the playoffs Shane Battier wasn't stopping anyone.

Not so, Battier was denying entry passes, helping out, and even blocking shots in those games against Utah. Utah didn't get many of those cross-cut/ back-cut scores because of Battier's presence. The reason Houston lost was due to Boozer's domination of Ming and McGrady's poor clutch play.