Logo
The Ticker
4 hours ago

5 Questions With Kemba Walker

I had a chance to talk with Bobcats rookie Kemba Walker prior to the Celtics game against Charlotte on Tuesday night.  Here is what the UConn star, who is averaging 12.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game had to say. 1. How much communication have you had with Michael Jordan this year? Walker: [...]

1
1 day ago

I Am Awesome!

Yes. This is a “pat myself on the back” post because a) I’m a jackass and b) I predicted something correctly. Back on January 8th, I predicted that the next ten games will tell us everything we need to know about this Celtics’ team. If they struggled, it was time to blow it up. If [...]

1
1 day ago

Pierce Wins Eastern Conference Player Of Week

One day before he’s scheduled to pass Larry Bird for second on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list, Paul Pierce won the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. Pierce averaged 22 points, 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds in four Boston wins, playing point forward in Rajon Rondo’s absence. Pierce is only 9 points behind Bird [...]

1
2 days ago

Garnett’s Wondrous 3-point Rant

Via ESPN Boston’s Chris Forsberg, who knows a great, playful rant when he hears one, here’s Kevin Garnett discussing his not-so-newfound aptitude for three-point shooting after the C’s took down the Grizzlies. “When I walk around the streets, y’all stop acting like y’all shocked that I can shoot 3’s. Everybody in Boston, everybody in the [...]

3
2 days ago

5 Questions With O.J. Mayo

I talked with Memphis guard O.J. Mayo prior to the Celtics-Grizzlies, Super Bowl Sunday game at the Garden.  Here is what the 4th year man out of USC, who is averaging 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game had to say. 1. You started every game your first two years in the league, [...]

2
4 days ago

5 Questions With Landry Fields

I talked with New York starting guard Landry Fields prior to the Celtics-Knicks game at the TD Garden.  Here is what the 2nd year man out of Stanford, who is averaging 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists had to say. 1.  I’m sure you guys are frustrated with your record to this point of [...]

2
Browse Archives by:

The Best Defender of the Decade…and Ever?

There might not be a human being alive who watches more NBA basketball than Kelly Dwyer, so it means something when he says a certain player is the best at something. And today, he anointed KG the best defensive player of the last ten years.

Here’s Dwyer:

1. Kevin Garnett(notes)

KG stands alone because he pitches nearly as many perfect games, while combining Tim Duncan’s length and frame with a guard’s ability to move his feet. Garnett has become a bit more showy about things after getting traded to the Boston Celtics, but his time spent toiling for those awful Minnesota teams prior to that, and his years spent dominating on some solid-to-great Timberwolves teams prior to that were the work of a defensive genius. He just guarded everyone, every play, every feint, every drive, everything. And then he’d get the rebound. Pity that nobody seemed to be paying attention.

Like all of Kelly’s top 10 lists this week, the whole thing is a must read. And he’s right about KG.

It might be time to ask the question: Is Kevin Garnett the greatest defensive player in NBA history? Is that blasphemous to ask, given that this is a Celtics-themed Web site, and a certain Celtics center with more rings than hand digits is widely considered the greatest ever?

I’d contend it’s a fair question, given KG’s incredible versatility. And Dwyer is right to throw in the “and then he’d get the rebound” bit at the end of his post. Because, in addition to all the feet-moving and feint-giving, all the jostling in the post and showing on screen-rolls, KG has been the best defensive rebounder of the last decade. He led the league in DRB percentage for four consecutive seasons (2003-04 through 2006-07), and he is still a top five DRB man even as his minutes climb toward the 40,000 mark.

Is he the best defender ever? I think it’s a fair question.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>