<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Emeka Okafor, NBA defensive player of the year? That would have been a reach not so long ago, but based on his start this season, he belongs in the discussion. He leads the NBA in blocked shots (4.1 per game). He is third in rebounding (12.3 per game). And his five steals against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday showed he's about as disruptive as a defender gets in this league. His quick hands, long reach and anticipation have some in the league comparing him to a young Alonzo Mourning. "He's a big kid. He can jump, he's athletic. He's always there to contest, to bother the shots," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News. "I don't know if all the misses I had in the layups were because of him, but he's a good presence down there." That's what coach Bernie Bickerstaff hoped for when he told Okafor to focus on shot-blocking this season -- a presence that would leave shooters worrying where he was. The goal is to change as many shots as he actually blocks. If Okafor has a signature block so far this season, it's rejecting a dunk by Tim Duncan on Wednesday. Duncan is so quick, so precise, that shot is an automatic -- and probably draws a foul -- unless Okafor has perfect timing.</div> Source
Okafor has been playing great big man basketball so far..he's rebounding, blocking shots left and right, scoring.. the man is a walking double double on any given night when healthy.
