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Do you all think that Bowen could win the award?
I think Carter and Allen made a good case for Bowen.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Pistons: Notebook
Wallace craves defensive honor
Another NBA Finals appearance would rank higher, but player of the year has a nice ring, too.
By Terry Foster / The Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/2005/pistons/...H03-151619.htm
AUBURN HILLS -- The Ben Wallace watch is in full throttle.
About this time every year, debates center on whether Wallace should be named NBA defensive player of the year. His chances look good this season, although he faces stiff compe ion.
Wallace is enjoying one of his finest defensive seasons, and almost as important, he doesn't have to worry about a campaign by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle for suspended Ron Artest, who won the award last season.
But Wallace will be challenged by Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan of the Spurs, Larry Hughes of the Wizards and Marcus Camby of the Nuggets.
Wallace said his principal focus is to repeat as an NBA champion, but he admits the award is important to him.
"Yeah, it means a lot, but it is not something I am going to hang my hat on," he said. "Getting back to the Finals is our main focus. If it (the defensive award) happens, I will definitely cherish it. I would love to win it."
During the Pistons' 103-94 victory over the Magic on Wednesday night, Wallace surpassed 100 blocks and 100 steals for the fifth consecutive season. The Pistons trail only San Antonio (89.9) for fewest points allowed per game, and they lead in the NBA in rebounding.
Wallace is second in the league in rebounding (12.1 average), behind Kevin Garnett of the Timberwolves, fifth in blocks (2.37) and in the top 25 in steals (1.44).
Wallace's statistics are not as impressive as in 2002 and 2003, when he won the award, because he now plays alongside Rasheed Wallace instead of Cliff Robinson. Ben Wallace said opponents are taking a different approach to scoring with the Wallace gang inside.
"Guys are starting to figure out we got two or three shot-blockers in the paint," he said. "Sometimes it is better to pull up for a 15-foot jumper rather than get your shot blocked. They are taking floaters and doing all those other things. As long as we cause them to do different things, we will live with the results."
Do you all think that Bowen could win the award?
I think Carter and Allen made a good case for Bowen.
Honestly? I think Duncan deserves it more than Bruce, and neither deserve it as much as Wallace.
I vote for Nocioni
Bowen hasn't injured enough people this year to have the pub necessary for this award.
Why do you give Wallace so much credit? Just his rebounding?I think Duncan deserves it more than Bruce, and neither deserve it as much as Wallace.
He's only sixth in the league in blocks, so I know that's not it.
Bowen is, however, starting to get some love and might make a run at the award. Marc Stein wrote that he will (or would) vote for Bowen as DPOY. Marty Burns has Bruce second (behind Ben Wallace).
I think it's just so hard to quantify defense for guys who don't play in the post. There's just a quantum difference between post defense and perimeter defense in terms of how much ground a defender must cover and the help that the offense can provide to an individual player to try to free him up. That difference also creates numerical differences that make statistical comparisons useless.
Because Bruce is on the perimeter so much (and because guys he defends tend to settle for jump shots), he'll never rebound much. He doesn't block shots. He doesn't roll up crazy numbers of steals, either. But there's no other defender in the league who seems to get in the heads of those he plays against. There's no other perimeter guy in the league this season who plays effective defense by just playing good positional defense. Other guys look effective on paper, because they overplay or rely on occasional double teams. Bruce is effective by just staying in front of people and making the lives of scorers ridiculously difficult.
I haven't seen him play much this year, but his defense against the Spurs in the game Duncan got hurt was beyond smothering. I think he gets less blocks because he has fewer people taking it at him, but he changes the game so much.
I think Duncan changes it the same way, but Tim missed a good amount of time. And I think Tim and Bruce in tandem are incredible, especially when you through Manu in there, but neither is as good on their own.
Marc Stein just picked Bowen (look in the other thread). He's the third or fourth national writer I've seen pick Bowen.
He doesn't have Duncan or Wallace in his top 3.
Just goes to show you how the voting for this thing goes. Bowen played better defense the past 2 years. He's been great this year, but not as great. And NOW he's picked to win it?
It would have been all moot if Kireninko had stayed healthy.
Bruce is due.
Wallace would be the lazy vote... unfortunately, laziness plagues the vote for this award almost every year, like the last two times Dikembe won it.
Sometimes the DPOY has to wait more than a season for the respect he deserves. Ben Wallace was playing monster defense before he won the award and was going unnoticed. It took winning a blocked shots le for people to recognize his name.
Bowen hasn't played worse defense this year at all. He's shut down just about everyone. Just because he had 2 bad games against Ray and one against TMac doesn't say anything. His D is just as solid this season. Look at the stretch of games that he played when he won Player of the Week. Look at the stretch of games that he played from the last week of March through the game against the Lakers. He shut down guys night after night after night.
Bruce's D only looks worse because of the new rules and everyone's scoring being up.
Relative to the other players in the league, he's just as good.
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