FWIW, Mark had a defensive rating of 108 when he was 24-26 years old. Now 98. Sometimes it takes big guys a few years to develop.
The team had a DRTG of 110 when he was at 108, and is at 100 while he is at 98. A similar range of being better than the team. Taken by itself, DRtg doesn't mean a ton.
It's hard to find a statistical metric that measures defense. PER against is decent, but even that doesn't account for switching and zone defense. For defense, I think one pretty much has to take the scouts' word on it, as well as respect from the rest of the NBA.
When defense becomes playing zone, and the best C only has to stand near the hoop and be big and tall, why wouldn't Gasol deserve consideration?
Congrats to Marc Gasol. By the way, Max Kellerman said on the radio that Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol are the two best big men in the league. Better than Marc. Aldridge wasn't mentioned.
I find it weird that the award mindlessly goes to a center so many years. It takes a Jordan type raising a fuss about his overlooked defense to change it. Who seriously considers Gasol a more impactful defender than LeBron? Artest, Garnett, and Payton should have a few of them.
Presumably it's a recognition of the fact that he "anchors" their defense. Like a goalie in "soccer", he's in charge of barking orders at the other players. It's nice for once that it's not simply about blocked shots but also about working as a team. Of course, it helps him that he has great perimeter defenders. Or maybe the voters just figured that if Memphis had good paint defense it had to be Gasol's doing because it certainly couldn't be Zach's.
In 2007, we drafted Greg Oden #1, Josh McRoberts #37, Derrick Byars #42, and Taurean Green #52. If only we had added Marc Gasol, who went #48 to the Lakers.
