The Best Defenders

The best defenders in the history of professional basketball by position: Center- Bill Russell- Probably blocked more shots before blocked shots were counted in official statistics than anyone has since they began to count. Russell had a remarkable ability to block and control the ball. Power forward- Ben Wallace- strong enough to prevent any player from posting him up and agile enough to defend anyone on the perimeter. Small forward- Dennis Rodman-another one through five defender who could cover every opponent. Scoring guard- Michael Jordan- Great all-around defender and great at stealing the ball. Point guard- John Stockton- best ever on the ball defender and all-time leading steals man. Second team: Center- Hakeem Olajuwon- a great shot blocker who also was tremendous at stealing the ball. Power forward- Bobby Jones- one of the first defenders capable of guarding any opponent from the largest center to the quickest point guard and did so without ever resorting to dirty play. Small forward- Scottie Pippen- another defender who could cover anybody. Scoring guard- Casey Jones- a two guard who was not a prolific scorer but a good enough defender to make that lack of scoring inconsequential. Point guard- Jason Kidd- a great all-around player who could really "guard". Third team: Center- Dikembe Mutombo- he controlled the lane by blocking a lot of shots. Power forward- Kevin McHale- the strongest defender in the Celtics eighties dynasty. Small forward- Michael Cooper- The 1980s era Lakers best defender, generally coming off the bench to shut down the opponent's biggest offensive threat. Scoring guard- M.L. Carr- If the Celtics perimeter defenders were taking a beating, Carr would come in with his surpassing energy and excellent defensive skills to lift Boston up. Point guard- Gary Payton- he earned the appellation "the Glove". Note- Point guards Maurice Cheeks and Dennis Johnson and scoring guard Clyde Drexler were excellent defenders in their own right and just about as good as those on my all-defense teams.