Kawhi is too good on offense to win DPOY

[Wildcat67]

Think about it every year it seems to go to someone a pretty good defender that has fatal flaws on offense save a few exceptions. Guys like DeAndre Jordan, Tony Allen, Tyson Chandler, Ben Wallace. It's like people think in order to be the best defensive player in the league you need to be a specialist.

I really can't believe it every time I hear someone talking about DPOY candidates and they don't even mention Kawhi.

[DMC]

He missed too many games I think.

[spursparker9]

But MJ did won before...

[spursparker9]

Overall it is still very very rare for a guard/wing to win DPOY. About 90% it will be a big.

The only guard/wing to win DPOY that I can think of is MJ, Payton and Artest

[Raven]

the times they are changing.. right now DPOY is heavily influenced by analitics, so much so, that marc gasol won it strictly because of his defensive rating..

[SpursFan86]

He missed too many games I think.

This. If he hadn't missed almost 20 games, he'd be my DPOTY pick.

And plenty of players have won DPOTY while still being a main factor on offense. Dwight, KG, Hakeem, Mourning, D-Rob, MJ...Kawhi's offense isn't what will keep him from winning MVP :lol He just needs to stay healthy for an entire season. Voters eat up things like steals/blocks and Kawhi leads the league in steals per game.

[Old School 44]

I actually think Kawhi will get it. Who else is there? Jordan?

[KL2]

Need to make a highlight reel, stripping all sorts of stars which he's done this year, it'd grab some attention. I want to make highlights but just don't know how.

[spursparker9]

Think DeAndre Jordan or Anthony Davis gonna win it

[Raven]

Think DeAndre Jordan or Anthony Davis gonna win it

neither is in the conversation according to advanced stats tbh...

[Malik Hairston]

Tom Rivers has campaigned harder for his player than any coach I have ever seen, tbh..he has a lot of influence around the league, which would make it very surprising if Jordan doesnt get it IMO, despite being just a good defender, far from great..

[james evans]

the whole nba defense awarding system is flawed. How many years straight did kobe make first team while not guarding the best wing on the other team? It has become a popularity contest. Expect to see Durant and Currry make a few teams in the future.

[apalisoc_9]

Jordan is going to win it despite other deserving players..

It is what it is..Ultimately, you already hear people saying Kawhi is one of the best players in the league. Last night was 4th from a non spur commentator not named Barkley...

[Malik Hairston]

the whole nba defense awarding system is flawed. How many years straight did kobe make first team while not guarding the best wing on the other team? It has become a popularity contest. Expect to see Durant and Currry make a few teams in the future.

Analytics has helped change that, tbh..

While defensive analytics are still flawed and a work in progress, it's still far more accurate than the "eye test", especially considering as Pop has said, head coaches barely have time to "game plan" and scout opposing teams during the regular season, it's just basic stuff..a lot of head coaches don't even submit their own votes IIRC, which led to guys like Kobe making all-defensive teams..

Fortunately, new media and advancements help defensive selections..for example, somebody like Harden, that was mocked all year for his defensive lapses, would have never received any backlash had he played in a previous era where Youtube and new media wasn't prominent, tbh..Kobe would have never made an all-defense team in today's era IMO..

Somebody like DeAndre Jordan will always benefit from hype, though, as he is a good defensive player, and he has Tom Rivers campaigning for him..

[apalisoc_9]

Can someone give me a detailed analysis of Middleton's game?..I haven't really watched him play that much this year.

kawhi, Draymond and Middleton are monsters on advanced stats.

I understand kawhi and Draymond...surprised with Middleton.

[james evans]

Analytics has helped change that, tbh..

While defensive analytics are still flawed and a work in progress, it's still far more accurate than the "eye test", especially considering as Pop has said, head coaches barely have time to "game plan" and scout opposing teams during the regular season, it's just basic stuff..a lot of head coaches don't even submit their own votes IIRC, which led to guys like Kobe making all-defensive teams..

Fortunately, new media and advancements help defensive selections..for example, somebody like Harden, that was mocked all year for his defensive lapses, would have never received any backlash had he played in a previous era where Youtube and new media wasn't prominent, tbh..Kobe would have never made an all-defense team in today's era IMO..

Somebody like DeAndre Jordan will always benefit from hype, though, as he is a good defensive player, and he has Tom Rivers campaigning for him..
kobe just made all 2nd team in 2012 as duncan was left off the list.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

David Robinson won it when he scored 25 ppg.

[Blake]

Alonzo mourning....Ron Ron.....

[still.focused]

Zo, DRob, MJ, KG, GP, Hakeem, Marc Gasol
Dwight was a 20 ppg scorer when he won
We done here?

[spurraider21]

Can someone give me a detailed analysis of Middleton's game?..I haven't really watched him play that much this year.

kawhi, Draymond and Middleton are monsters on advanced stats.

I understand kawhi and Draymond...surprised with Middleton.
He's a 6-8 shooting guard who actually commits to defense. Has really made his 3pt shot into something good, and is a more comfortable scored than Danny.

Defensively he doesn't have the quickness Danny does to switch onto PG'S but he does quite well against 2's with his length. He's one of my favorite 2's in the league. He's another guy in the mold of Danny and Klay

[Raven]

Can someone give me a detailed analysis of Middleton's game?..I haven't really watched him play that much this year.

kawhi, Draymond and Middleton are monsters on advanced stats.

I understand kawhi and Draymond...surprised with Middleton.

well he's fairly old, other than that i don't see any weak spot in him. Role player mentality, winning type of player, solid jumper, 3 could be better, he is an oversized sg which makes him a matchup nightmare, he has solid wingspan but not really great, however he doesn't get beat off the dribble much, making him a potential defensive stud. All in all, he is Danny Green if he was a long jumper specialist instead of a three point nuclear weapon.

[scanry]

Only four come to mind - MJ, KG, Dream and David. And KG won the award when Pierce had the reigns on offense.

[ThomasamohT]

Kawhi's biggest obstacle for winning DPOY is Duncan. Advanced stats say Duncan is still an elite defender and DRPM says hes even better than Kawhi. That will cause enough votes to be split that someone else will win it.

[doobs]

In addition to having Duncan as an inside presence, Kawhi also has Danny Green helping him on the perimeter. And when he's healthy and trying hard, Splitter is no slouch defensively.

Just writing those two sentences made me excited for the playoffs.

[loveforthegame]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/claw-school-kawhi-leonards-defensive-master-class/

Article about his defense.

[still.focused]

Kawhi's biggest obstacle for winning DPOY is Duncan. Advanced stats say Duncan is still an elite defender and DRPM says hes even better than Kawhi. That will cause enough votes to be split that someone else will win it.

This is only really a factor judging by stats
As Spurs fans were basing out DPOY vote actually game footage
How disruptive he is on the floor and how hard his assignment have to work for anything are unfortunately not quantifiable by stats but OBVIOUS to the eye
I think the real obstacle will be voters not watching him play on a nightly basis

[barbacoataco]

That award rarely goes to the right player.

[Malik Hairston]

Kawhi's biggest obstacle for winning DPOY is Duncan. Advanced stats say Duncan is still an elite defender and DRPM says hes even better than Kawhi. That will cause enough votes to be split that someone else will win it.

RPM is biased towards big men and taller players, tbh, unlike RAPM..

[Arcadian]

Tom Rivers has campaigned harder for his player than any coach I have ever seen, tbh..he has a lot of influence around the league, which would make it very surprising if Jordan doesnt get it IMO, despite being just a good defender, far from great..

What exactly does he do to campaign?

[ThomasamohT]

RPM is biased towards big men and taller players, tbh, unlike RAPM..

This brings us back to the fact that very few wing players have won the award because the stats don't show the impact of good defense. Current defensive stats (the ones that ALL the media look at) only show steals, blocks and rebounds which is why post players have won the award 25 out of the 32 times it has been awarded. What is even crazier to note is that 5 of the first 6 DPOY awards went to wing players.

Until the newer stats get widely recognized (or a wing player campaigns for the award) it will continue to go to a post player.

[spurraider21]

Can someone give me a detailed analysis of Middleton's game?..I haven't really watched him play that much this year.

kawhi, Draymond and Middleton are monsters on advanced stats.

I understand kawhi and Draymond...surprised with Middleton.
and suddenly he's a pipe dream

[apalisoc_9]

I watched a few replay of his games this week.

- Not as good as Danny and Kawhi Defensively, but he's is very good.

- Good three pointer

- Good IQ

- Willing team player...

- Just great overall feel for the game.

[Clipper Nation]

Somebody like DeAndre Jordan will always benefit from hype, though, as he is a good defensive player, and he has Tom Rivers campaigning for him..

DJ's a poor example, tbh. He's a middling defensive player according to the metrics, but he's piling up raw box-score stats in a contract year and somehow getting hype for it in 2015 :lol

[spurraider21]

I watched a few replay of his games this week.

- Not as good as Danny and Kawhi Defensively, but he's is very good.

- Good three pointer

- Good IQ

- Willing team player...

- Just great overall feel for the game.
agreed

[lefty]

BUMP imo