Ben Wallace in the small-ball era

As versatile as Draymond Green is on defense, Ben Wallace was the anchor to one of the greatest defenses in league history and was a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year. I think Bill Russell, Dikembe Mutombo, and Hakeem Olajuwon would be the only guys I’d feel comfortable placing above Wallace in terms of overall defensive impact.

As versatile as Draymond Green is on defense, Ben Wallace was the anchor to one of the greatest defenses in league history and was a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year. I think Bill Russell, Dikembe Mutombo, and Hakeem Olajuwon would be the only guys I’d feel comfortable placing above Wallace in terms of overall defensive impact.

I don’t think the two are comparable defensively. Like it was said above, Green is a very versatile defender, but he’s no anchor like Wallace was. 

Wallace was undersized for his position, but he was arguably the strongest player in the league. He had freakish upper body strength (dude was a fitness freak) and with the way he just outworked guys, it was hard to get great position against him on the block. Throw in the fact he was an elite athlete. I remember reports that he had a 40+ inch vertical. He also had great timing (on the ball and from the weakside) and just a great awareness/understanding of where to be and positioning. He had good enough foot speed to switch on smaller players and defend pick and rolls too. 

I don’t think the two are comparable defensively. Like it was said above, Green is a very versatile defender, but he’s no anchor like Wallace was. 

Wallace was undersized for his position, but he was arguably the strongest player in the league. He had freakish upper body strength (dude was a fitness freak) and with the way he just outworked guys, it was hard to get great position against him on the block. Throw in the fact he was an elite athlete. I remember reports that he had a 40+ inch vertical. He also had great timing (on the ball and from the weakside) and just a great awareness/understanding of where to be and positioning. He had good enough foot speed to switch on smaller players and defend pick and rolls too. 

Green is good, but shaq would drop 50 on him easy. Ben was able to keep Shaq under his average. Maybe Draymond could guard wings better but what people want to believe how good DeAndre Jordan is on D, Ben is even better than that. My honest opinion, after Pippen I would go Ben as the greatest DPOY. 

Green is good, but shaq would drop 50 on him easy. Ben was able to keep Shaq under his average. Maybe Draymond could guard wings better but what people want to believe how good DeAndre Jordan is on D, Ben is even better than that. My honest opinion, after Pippen I would go Ben as the greatest DPOY. 

 Wallace was a paint protector, truly a center albeit a small one. Draymond protects the paint very well but not in the same way. While Wallace was a fantastic shot blocker Green simply bodies you up and makes every shot a really tough one. Green also is laterally much faster making him able to guard virtually every spot on the floor . Ben Wallace had amazing anticipation around the rim so he’d typically stay in there instead of switching onto a guard. Green however isn’t as strong as Wallace and while for maybe for a possession or two he could body up Shaq and use his length and quickness he can’t really guard a guy like that long term, just too small to deal with that level of physicality. When the W’s played the Grizz they put Green on Gasol because he could play the height and Gasol operates in the high post. Z-Bo would have been worse for him as he would been caught in a pushing war. So Bogut went on Z-Bo and subsequantly outsized him. Wallace in that series would have been on Z-Bo as taking him away from the rim diminished his value. Wallace was a very quick though, he was pretty much the perfect defensive big man you could ever have. Draymond is pretty much the same thing but not as purely a big man but more as a swiss army knife. And that is arguably not as impactful as a purely dominant rim protector, or it could be. Depending on how much you value each. 

 Wallace was a paint protector, truly a center albeit a small one. Draymond protects the paint very well but not in the same way. While Wallace was a fantastic shot blocker Green simply bodies you up and makes every shot a really tough one. Green also is laterally much faster making him able to guard virtually every spot on the floor . Ben Wallace had amazing anticipation around the rim so he’d typically stay in there instead of switching onto a guard. Green however isn’t as strong as Wallace and while for maybe for a possession or two he could body up Shaq and use his length and quickness he can’t really guard a guy like that long term, just too small to deal with that level of physicality. When the W’s played the Grizz they put Green on Gasol because he could play the height and Gasol operates in the high post. Z-Bo would have been worse for him as he would been caught in a pushing war. So Bogut went on Z-Bo and subsequantly outsized him. Wallace in that series would have been on Z-Bo as taking him away from the rim diminished his value. Wallace was a very quick though, he was pretty much the perfect defensive big man you could ever have. Draymond is pretty much the same thing but not as purely a big man but more as a swiss army knife. And that is arguably not as impactful as a purely dominant rim protector, or it could be. Depending on how much you value each. 

 02-03 would try to avg 20 rebiunds per game today.

 02-03 would try to avg 20 rebiunds per game today.

 Draymond Green is a very versatile forward who was able to defend the C spot in the finals when Steve Kerr went smallball. But a lot of Green’s impact last season was with Andrew Bogut alongside him and Green defending the perimeter more.

Big Ben whilst roughly the same height as Green was a different type of player, he was a good 20lbs heavier and worked on his bulk to give him extra strength against the taller leaner opposition players. He was able to guard Shaq 1 on 1 despite being 6 inches shorter and probably outweighed by 70 to 100lbs depending on what we take Shaq’s weight to be – the official 325lbs or possible 350lbs.

In 2007 play offs Don Nelson put Stephen Jackson on Dirk Nowitzki to great effect to try and combat Dirk’s midrange and 3 point game. Draymond would have been very effective doing a similar role and in today’s NBA you see more mid range big man than the older post dominated game.

 Draymond Green is a very versatile forward who was able to defend the C spot in the finals when Steve Kerr went smallball. But a lot of Green’s impact last season was with Andrew Bogut alongside him and Green defending the perimeter more.

Big Ben whilst roughly the same height as Green was a different type of player, he was a good 20lbs heavier and worked on his bulk to give him extra strength against the taller leaner opposition players. He was able to guard Shaq 1 on 1 despite being 6 inches shorter and probably outweighed by 70 to 100lbs depending on what we take Shaq’s weight to be – the official 325lbs or possible 350lbs.

In 2007 play offs Don Nelson put Stephen Jackson on Dirk Nowitzki to great effect to try and combat Dirk’s midrange and 3 point game. Draymond would have been very effective doing a similar role and in today’s NBA you see more mid range big man than the older post dominated game.

 Ben Wallace was he strongest dude in the league by far, so it was hard to move him off his spot. Add to the fact that he was just insane vertically going up, and had the patience and know-how to play good D, and it was a wrap. The guy would easily be one of the top 5 centeres in todays game, and would be what everyone wants Drummond and Green to be. Think Triston Thompson in LeBrons Body, but stronger. He would easily average 8-15-2-3 in todays NBA. 

Does anyone else remember his pregame routine? Big Ben never actually shot a real basketball before games. He would shoot with a basketball sized medicine ball which weighed atleast 50 pounds. Think that over for a second…

 Ben Wallace was he strongest dude in the league by far, so it was hard to move him off his spot. Add to the fact that he was just insane vertically going up, and had the patience and know-how to play good D, and it was a wrap. The guy would easily be one of the top 5 centeres in todays game, and would be what everyone wants Drummond and Green to be. Think Triston Thompson in LeBrons Body, but stronger. He would easily average 8-15-2-3 in todays NBA. 

Does anyone else remember his pregame routine? Big Ben never actually shot a real basketball before games. He would shoot with a basketball sized medicine ball which weighed atleast 50 pounds. Think that over for a second…

 I think tat Artest (World Peace) would be more efective as in todays small ball than BWallace

 I think tat Artest (World Peace) would be more efective as in todays small ball than BWallace

 There will be more defensive specialists in the nba like rodman and wallace.

The pre requisite is that you have to be REALLY good at defense to overcome having no offensive ability 

 There will be more defensive specialists in the nba like rodman and wallace.

The pre requisite is that you have to be REALLY good at defense to overcome having no offensive ability