Ben Wallace was announced this week as the defensive player of the year for the fourth time in five years.  Though Wallace is a tenacious rebounder and shot blocker he is not the player who is given the assigment of guarding the other team's best player night in and night out.

Bruce Bowen, on the other hand, not only guards the other team's best player, but consistently shuts that player down.  Though Bowen does not measure up to Wallace on the stat sheet, one must look beyond the numbers.  It is a matter of examining the numbers of an all-star player when his team faces the Spurs. 

Bowen specializes in pestering and throwing the other team's biggest offensive threat out of rythym.  His ability to do this better than almost anyone in the league makes him an invaluable asset to San Antonio.  As an on the ball defender, he was the best in the league this year.   With Ron Artest missing a large portion of the season with the situation in Indiana this left only one other logical choice for the award: Bowen.

Big Ben's season averages make the decision for the award seem to be an easy one.  However, the question isn't how good the numbers are, but simply, who is the best at shutting down the players that he is asked to defend?  The answer is Bruce Bowen.  Wallace plays a position that doesn't require the athleticism Bowen must possess.  Wallace, more or less, sits in the low post crashing the boards and getting a hand up to block shots.  Bowen is constantly using his hands while sprinting, and fighting through screens.

The difference of degree of athleticism required to defend the players that Bowen guards as opposed to Wallace is what should be the deciding factor here.  Bowen is, like I said, the best on the ball defender out there.  Not to take away from Ben Wallace or what he brings to the Pistons, but I just feel that what Bowen does makes him the man who deserves the award.