The NBA All-Defensive Team was announced today. This is an award voted on by all of the league's coaches. Here's my opinion on their selections:
Kobe Bryant: There is no doubt that he can lock down on defense when he wants to. But does he put forth the effort all game long? If you watch a lot of Laker games, you can see Kobe "take off" certain possessions on defense, ala Randy Moss. But when he wants to turn it on, he's about as good as it gets on the defensive end. So I can't argue this selection.
Kevin Garnett: A no-brainer. Last year, Boston had a mediocre (at best) defense. This year, they were probably the best in the league. What changed between last year and this? Kevin Garnett (no, Ray Allen did not help their team defense). The Celtics defense has become a quick and swarming machine, and Garnett is at the hub. James Posey deserves a mention for Boston's improvement as well.
Bruce Bowen: I thought Bruce took a small step backwards this year. He is still one of the best perimeter defenders in the game, just slightly less quick. He is still deserving of this honor. It's great to see that the coaches around the league still hold him in such high regard, despite the bad-mouthing he receives from so many fans. The only reason that fans don't appreciate Bowen for all he does? He's not on their team.
Marcus Camby: Last year's defensive player of the year deserves a spot, right? Nope. Camby has always been a great weak-side help defender. But his strong suit has never been guarding anyone 1-on-1. He plays for arguably the WORST defensive team in the league. Yet he's up for defensive first team? I don't buy it, and neither should anyone else. Marcus, help to hold your opponents under 100 on occasion, then call me. I would have voted in Shane Battier, long before Camby.
Tim Duncan: I'm slightly amazed that Duncan has received this honor yet again. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but because he puts his game on cruise control for the regular season. As evidenced by the Phoenix series, and his last two healthy games versus New Orleans, there isn't a better defender in the paint than the Big Fundamental. Kudos to the NBA coaches for recognizing Timmy's defensive prowess, even when he's just going through the motions of the 82 game haul.
Let me preface my blog with this statement. I am a fan of the San Antonio Spurs. A big fan. I pay for NBA League Pass so that I can watch every game up in NY. When I'm out of town visiting the in-laws, I take the laptop so I can still watch the games over broadband. I know this team inside and out and am on the edge of my seat hanging on every shot, even during the regular season. But, I am secretly hoping that they do not win the title this year.
Why, you ask? Why would a hardcore fan wish for their favorite team to fail? I'll tell you.
The Spurs dominance over the past decade has been great. It really has. But as much as I love my team, we don't have a great future unless we have a great league. And we won't have a great league unless we share the wealth. And by that, I mean that other cities need to win the title in order to promote this game that I love. I'm not saying they should lose on purpose or anything. They are a great team, but they are certainly beatable this year.
Ratings have been on the decline. I don't blame the Spurs style of play, or fan disenchantment for the low Nielsens. Even when San Antonio doesn't make the Finals, the ratings have been poor. I blame the fact that there are a billion other channels to choose from nowadays, and way more things to spend your time on than TV. Back when we were watching Magic vs. Bird, many people still only had 4 channels. Ratings are never gonna go crazy again. Even the promise of LeBron "Witness" James couldn't bring in viewers last year. You may see a ratings spike here and there in the future, but they will never be where they once were ever again. David Stern has recognized this and is now marketing the game outside of the United States. It's a savvy business move.
But to keep the NBA popular here at home, the Spurs have to lose now and then. And they've done that with their "every other year" pattern. If they obtain the elusive back-to-back titles that they've been looking for, it will not be good for the league. Sure, it will certainly be good for me and my fellow Spurs fans. I'll be as happy as the next guy. But people are growing tired of seeing us win. The average NBA fan wants new blood. And NBA fans in cities across the country are crying out for a title for their particular team. No offense to fans of other teams out there, but some of you are total pricks. And I think that if your team had just one title, you could revert to being good, friendly people. That's my hope anyway. Would Utah fans throw things at the players on the court (like last year) if they had won a title with Stockton and Malone? Would Phoenix fans still cry about the refs after every single loss if Barkley had brought them a title years ago? Would Dallas fans still have a full head of hair if they had finished off that series with Miami?
The bottom line is that the NBA needs diverse success. People are tired of seeing the Spurs win, just like everyone that wasn't a Patriots fan was begging for a Giants victory in the Super Bowl. And we Spurs fans have experienced enough joy from the success that we've been fortunate enough to have. I'd love another title to cement this dynasty, but I would also love to see the joy in another fan's face when they experience their team's first NBA championship*. I love this team, but I love the game more.
It's time to spread the wealth.
* Disclaimer: I will take no joy in a Suns championship. Fans of that team have squandered all of my good will with their pathetic behavior over the past few years. (Although it would be nice to see Steve Nash finally get over that hump)
It was announced on 4/27/07 that Marcus Camby won the defensive player of the year award in the NBA. I admit that he is a great shot-blocker. But it's not an award for most blocks in a season. It's an award for best defense/defender. To make my point, here's a quote from Bill Walton's commentary during the ESPN Game 3 broadcast of Nuggets vs. Spurs:
(and to set the scene, it's a fairly close game with just a few minutes to go in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs are bringing the ball up the floor)
"Can Nene stop Duncan in the paint...They got the switch now and Camby on the ball defense against Duncan. Not the strength in his game."
Nene was guarding Duncan for pretty much the whole game, and did a decent job by the way. When Camby got stuck on him when there was a switch on defense (at a very important part of the game), the color commentator felt the need to point out that Duncan had a big advantage because he just got stuck being defended by the DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR.
So my question is, what business does this guy have being the defensive player of the year? Yes, he's a great shot-blocker. Yes, he's a great help-defender. But if the experts calling the game think you are a lesser 1-on-1 defender than Nene Hilario...how are you the best defender in the league?
I'm a Syracuse basketball fan and have loved Carmelo Anthony as a basketball player every since his freshmen year at the school. Forget the fact that he showed up in "Stop Snitchin", a DVD aimed at police informants who rat out the criminal element. I let that slide. This guy just sucker punched a fellow basketball player, and promptly backpedalled himself to safety. Whether it was a sucker punch or not is debateable, but you can't say that Collins could be expecting a punch at that point of the melee. If he so strongly felt the need to defend his teammate, sure, go ahead and throw the punch. If you REALLY need to throw it, go for it and face the consequences. But DO NOT throw that bunch and run away like a little b*tch. I have now lost all respect for the guy.
With Kobe being a possible raplst, Dwyane Wade and 'Melo were the brightest stars in the NBA's future. Now Wade stands alone as the main star that kids can look up to in the NBA.
This blogger is a New Yorker, born and raised. I'm a huge sports fan, following pretty much every major sport out there. Sadly, this does not include hockey, NASCAR, or boxing. Hockey lost my affection during the lockout, NASCAR is not a sport, and boxing has become incredibly boring since the dawn of MMA. If you want to talk football, baseball, basketball, or MMA, then I'm your man. I could also debate NASCAR with anyone, but we would probably end up just going around in circles...
