But why is Kobe the only "elite defender" without good defensive stats?
Defensive first teams (Defensive rating, DBPM)
2008:
Kevin Garnett 94, 4.7
Bruce Bowen 105, 2.1
Kobe Bryant 105, -0.3
Marcus Camby 98, 6.6
Tim Duncan 97, 4.1
2009:
Kevin Garnett 98, 3.7
Chris Paul 103, 2.1
Kobe Bryant 106, -0.2
LeBron James 99, 3.6
Dwight Howard 95, 4.3
2010:
Kobe Bryant 104, -0.1
LeBron James 102, 2.8
Gerald Wallace 100, 2.9
Dwight Howard 95, 5.0
Rajon Rondo 103, 1.3
2011:
LeBron James 102, 2.1
Dwight Howard 94, 3.9
Kevin Garnett 95, 4.1
Kobe Bryant 105, -0.9
Rajon Rondo 100, 1.7
I went ahead and bolded the worst numbers in each year to make it easier for you. It's probably confusing that a lower number is better in defensive rating while a higher number is better in DBPM. Why does this keep happening? Should we assume that Defensive Rating and DBPM are meaningless numbers like FG% and PER that were designed specifically to discredit Kobe while somehow harming no other players in process? Please advise.[/B]