Nitro

I'm going with Splitter as well. He impressed me against the USA in yesterday's matchup with his polished skill around the basket and athleticism. Definitely will be a great fit on the Spurs alongside Duncan and should really make the Spurs a pretty dangerous team if everyone is healthy.

Since this has been the closest battle so far, can we have some more voters?

I've let Chicks Love Hakeem Nicks know he can post his entry first since Confidence is taking his sweet time. If he doesn't reply by the deadline (Friday, 12am) he'll automatically be disqualified. BTW, Confidence can still post first if he wants.

I move in tomorrow for my sophomore year of college. Classes start Wednesday. Ugh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qdyuwRX1_A Amazing. It's a mix blend off 2Pac Duets.

I don't see how they are underachievers. Melo has been out of the first round only once, but led the Nuggets out of the depths of the lottery to the playoffs each and every season and has been in the extremely tough Western Conference. JJ, a true 2nd option, has been a 1st option on a team that has gotten out of the first round twice the last 2 seasons.

He's a one-trick pony in that all he really offers is low-post scoring. However, his post skills are among the best in the league. He makes great use of proper footwork, from his spin moves to drop steps. Jefferson is a rare breed in that regard, and as long as he stays healthy and gets comfortable in the Jazz system, he can really be an effective player on a darkhorse contender.

Apparently Melo ain't the only dude who hates this [expletive]. Check out some of the Game's tweets toward her this week (LINK)

Fish was more creative/clever, so... Fish- 5 Hawks- 2

I'll keep voting open until Friday. Confidence, get yours up so we don't have to delay that.

He's a $17M expiring contract...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5504907 My bad for not posting it originally, was in a rush and forgot.

While I agree he's better suited as a bench player, why can't Reddick be a starter on a half-decent team? He's a smart player who can shoot the lights out and pass well. He's not a good defender but he's decent enough to get by. Anyway, I think Billups could be a pretty valuable pick-up for a few teams. I actually think Memphis would be a very good destination for him if the Nuggets' asking price is reasonable. Memphis is one of those teams that could use a good PG and veteran leader.

Just like LeBron, right?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5504907 Tisk tisk...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYfKMIdoJL0 Even though it's not a battle, Big L makes Jay-Z look Soulja Boy. BTW this is from 1995.

It's all about a smooth release. When my release is smooth and I'm not thinking too much about aim, it goes in. When I'm just about to release the ball and question the dynamics of the shot, the release is jerky and won't go in. As for my technique, I keep my right foot on the line with my left foot about a foot behind it, I take two dribbles, spin the ball and release.

I don't see why people are questioning if the Heat will be a great defensive team next season. Do you want to know why?... THEY ARE THE MIAMI FREAKING HEAT!!! Ever since Riley joined the organization in 1995-1996 they've been top 10 in defensive rating all but two seasons. The first was in 2007-2008 when the team only won 15 games, and the other was in 2008-2009 when they were ranked 11th with a completely revamped lineup as bad as the 2005-2006 Lakers. Losing Jermaine O'Neal hurts defensively, but they got one of the best defensive SF's in the league in LeBron, upgraded defensively at the PF position (say what you want, Bosh is a much better defender than Beasley), got one of the best post-up defensive C's in the league with Illgauskas, added another good defender in Juwan Howard, and with a reduced offensive role Wade should be better defensively as well. Personally, I think the Heat are going to be a really tough team defensively, and the 3 best teams in the league (Lakers, Heat, Celtics) will have the 3 best defenses as well.

Not anymore. Duncan has absolutely no explosiveness or speed anymore (not saying he was Amare Stoudemire at any point in his career, but physically he's not the same as he once was), and can't bring a great offensive game night-in, night-out. He still has all the beautiful post moves and bank shots, and his passing is still terrific for a PF/C, but he just can't bring it every night anymore.

Just a reminder to everyone participating that the matchups have been posted, so let's try to do this in relatively quick fashion.

Then we have a very different view on how this list should be made. Give me Battier's consistently great defense, hustle, charges and intangibles over a guy who switches to lockdown mode only in certain situations. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, Kobe is not as sound of a defender as Battier and is easily prone to over-reacting and playing below average off-ball defense (he turns his head on his man and attacks double teams way too often IMO, and I don't think I've ever seen him take a charge). Let me rephrase- When Kobe didn't have world class players around him, his defense suffered. Kobe was the most overrated defender in the league those few years (04-08). He got those nods based on his reputation from the 3-peat years of being a consistent lockdown defender. My point in bringing up Wade and LeBron being on the All-Defensive teams in that topic was to show they aren't "average" defenders like kingfish said. If I was that much of a hypocrite, one of those two would be in my top 5. Yes. Battier has 2 inches on Kobe and isn't as easily juked by pump and ball fakes, and won't get caught fouling Durant on that swing-through move where he draws fouls on the jumper. I think Artest is the perfect defender against Durant because of his physicality, though. Bingo. How we value defense and what makes a great defender is definitely different so this arguement is futile.

You're talking like Battier's some stiff. He has adequate enough quickness to guard swingmen, and even though he isn't Ron Artest physical, he's a guy that gets under your skin (much like teammate Chuck Hayes). Even though he doesn't have Kobe's speed or athleticism, he understands positioning and angles so well that it's very difficult to cleanly get by him. I'll just post this video since it's going to be a my word vs. your word thing (I would have picked the video where Kobe misses the shots with Battier defending him, but there weren't many clips in the video. This video shows just how difficult Battier makes things for a guy like Kobe, nothing more can be done defensively on most of those plays)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG3T2_ARZMM&feature=related That's just one scenario of the game. Over the course of the game, Battier does a lot more on the defensive end than Kobe does...he's consistent, one of the best in the league at contesting shots, great at taking charges, makes all the hustle plays, etc... Kobe makes too many defensive lapses over the course of the game to put him over Battier on my list. Basketball is a team game and I rank these defenders in that context. When Kobe has the help of a great defensive supporting cast, he flourishes. When he doesn't, his defense suffers. Same with Artest. Same with Battier. Same with EVERY great perimeter defender (and to a lesser degree interior defender). Put these guys on an island and have them play the best offensive players in the league one-on-one and they'll get roasted more often than not. Help defense is key. Great defenders do what they can individually (like Battier does), and properly funnel the players into the help defense. That's what makes a great defensive team, and I guess that's why I value Battier so high. Eh...they'd put Ariza on Westbrook and Battier on Durant. Comparing Battier to Artest is a lot more fair than comparing Battier to Kobe. If you take Kobe off the Lakers and enter, say, Joe Johnson, the Lakers probably wouldn't be putting Artest on Westbrook either.

To call two All-Defensive team players average is stupid, and that's my point. If you want me to use examples, check out LeBron shutting down Paul Pierce in the conference semi's, or Wade's 2.2SPG/1.3BPG in 08-09 and very good opponent counterpart stats on 82games.com. Wade and LeBron are very good defensive players. Neither are in my top 5, but they are way above average. 1) Let me rephrase- Bringing up Bosh's lankiness is pointless because KG was/is exactly the same. I was NOT implying Bosh is the defender KG is or was. 2) I wouldn't call it turning on a switch, but yes, Bosh will without a doubt be a better defensive player next season. There's 3 extremeley important things that a player who's not known for defense needs to become proficient in that area- A defensive minded coach (which Spoelstra is), a good defensive supporting cast (which he will have), and energy to exert on that end of the floor (which he will have now that he doesn't have to drop 24PPG). If you watched the 2008 Olympics, you will see when Bosh puts his mind to it, he's a quality defender. And now that he will actually get to play PF as opposed to C, things will be even better than what we're accustomed to from last year's Bosh. More specifically, Udonis Haslem, the dude that shut Dirk Nowitzki down and will be on the Heat this upcoming season. But nice try, though.

That goes for ANY perimeter defensive player. Kobe wasn't the same defender back in the mid-2000's, and the increased offensive load was only part of it. Artest wasn't as effective with the Kings as he was with the Pacers, Rockets and Lakers. It's because good offensive players that can take you off the dribble and shoot will beat a great individual defender more often than not. Help defense is key to any great perimeter defender, and it's why great defensive big men are more valuable (IMO). Secondly, even before last season Yao played in only a little more than half the games Battier played on the Rockets. Artest had virtually no impact on his defense as Battier was an elite defender dating back to his Memphis days through his first 2 years on the Rockets. Battier's defense fell off a bit last season because he had some injuries and the roster went from being defense-oriented to offense-oriented in the matter of about a year. That has to do with an entirely new roster and coach with an offensive philosophy. You're right, he does need help to have maximum effectiveness, but if we're make this list with the assumption everyone is healthy, Battier is virtually the exact same defender as a few seasons ago. First off, Battier is a FANTASTIC on-ball defender. Just because he doesn't necessarily rough you up like Artest doesn't mean he's not as good/better. Artest's strengths are his toughness, size and quick hands. However, even now he doesn't have the lateral speed that Battier has, doesn't have as good of positioning/footwork, gambles more than Battier and doesn't contest shots as well as Battier. Trust me, watching both on the Rockets last season, Battier's the better, more consistent on-ball defender. As for Kobe...eh. He doesn't put the effort in all the time, he's an average to poor help defender (always seems to over-commit to double teams and at times looks lost), and he over-reacts with his on-ball defense. However, when he chooses to lock someone down, he's damn good at it.

Billups isn't the same defender he was a few years ago. While he's still better than Nash in that regard, he's not an elite defender at the position anymore. Nash wins this by a mile and it isn't even close. Lightyears better as a passer/playmaker, a far more efficient scorer from all ranges, and I'd say he's the more clutch player as well... http://www.82games.com/0910/CSORT11.HTM