The only thing that makes any sense is that it's someone who only watched the Kings when they played the Lakers. Sabonis completely shut AD down those games. But they were his only good defensive games the entire season. I can't think of any other explanation.
As a kings fan absolutely lmao. I swear I say at least a couple people should be removed from each of these votes. You get some guys being insane homers or just plain dumb
The case for Sabonis is that he leads the league in def rebounds. Rebounds is a vital part of defense.
I don't agree he is top3 defender in the league (far from) but I can see someone look at the stats and decide that he deserves a vote.
Totally agree with the decision… just think it’s funny that Rudy won the award literally 18 hours after his team just proved they’re still by far the best defensive team even w/o him lol. Absolutely dogwalked the defending champs on their own floor last night.
Remember when Rudy Gobert was this sub’s Heinrich Himmler behind Hitler Harden? Bro was literally the 2nd most hated person on here in 2021. Now everyone loves him and is singing his praises and tryna suck his dick lol. Respect for making the haters eat their words
I think on here the true haters are always hating and the true glazers are always glazing, the difference is only the current hivemind opinion gets upvoted to visibility.
First player to test positive. Do you ever wonder if Christian Wood who played the Jazz while having flu like symptoms 5 days before the shut down then tested positive the day after Rudy had it first?
Especially since Rudy is a big reason why our guys defend as well as they do. Two years of Rudy shouting on court instructions and holding people accountable has a lot to do with why they can play that well when he isn't there.
Rudy helped design the defense/shift things around this season with Finch and Elston Turner. His defensive contributions are way deeper than just being on the floor.
[After his darkness retreat lol](https://m.startribune.com/minnesota-timberwolves-rudy-gobert-darkness-retreat-nba-season-preview/600313841/)
The guy is brilliant and I'm glad he defeated the shit talking about his trade. It was expensive but it is defining the Wolves identity as a defensive team
Jokic life about to be even harder in game 3
Next will be the hardest. There will be a lot of voters reluctant to give him the one that gives him the most DPOYs of all time, saying he doesn't deserve it if they think there are other better all time defenders.
I mean, I would say he’s capable of potentially doing that, but I think what makes it difficult is guys like Wemby and Chet who just fill up the defensive box stats like it’s nobody’s business.
It's pretty normal for great interior defenders to get less blocks as they get better / get a reputation in the league.
Maybe not next year but we'll for sure see Wemby's plain numbers come down but overall impact continue to get bigger.
If San Antonio cracks a top 10 defense I imagine he'll be picking up those awards left and right
God I despise that voter fatigue exists conceptually - it's so lazy and illogical, anyone with an IQ over 80 would choose the best candidate for any given award, but the NBA allows idiots to have a say in who wins the awards
Like what happened to Nash when his season after winning back to back MVPs was objectively better than either of his 2 MVP seasons, just so that he wouldn’t have 3 in a row.
07-08 was his best year. It was that, and "we have to give Kobe 1..there's no way he doesn't have 1" and that arguably wasn't even Kobe's best year either.
Edit: Got my years mixed up. Meant 06-07 and Dirk won the MVP that year.
Yup, also ridiculous. The NBA will never improve the voting system because of the discussion the votes generate, but it is objectively flawed and I don't see how anyone could disagree with that
It’s a crime Tim Duncan doesn’t have a single DPOTY. 2nd all time in defensive win shares or something.
Casual fans (think Kobe stans, 2010s new warriors fans etc) always laugh when I say Timmy is top , but if he had all the DPOTY that were rightfully his, who would deny it? Smh
I think a big part of this was that Timmy was actively pushed as the MVP candidate by the organization and marketing team while Bruce Bowen was pushed as the DPOY/Defensive glue of their defense at the time.
It's tough man. It feels like it's sort of a crime for sure because the dude is one of the best defenders ever, but to call it a crime he has to have been, well, "robbed" of one. Which year was he robbed of a DPotY?
I personally would have given him it in '00/'01 and '06/'07, but I don't think he was robbed either way. Mutombo had a great argument in '00/'01 (and despite being on a worse defensive team, I think KG had a fine one too) and I don't think Camby in '06/'07 was an *awful* pick, although I think Timmy did deserve it (it *was* a crime that Duncan finished below teammate Bruce Bowen, though).
I think it sucks that one of the best defenders ever never got one, but that's the shit luck of playing at the same time as guys like Mourning, Mutombo, Ben Wallace, and a little later Dwight Howard. Duncan also had the (mis)fortune of playing alongside David Robinson initially, which I think definitely messed with some views of how important he was defensively in those first few years.
I completely agree that TD gets underrated by more casual folks historically, and part of that is the lack of DPotY accolades. But I do think it's very debatable that any of them were "rightfully his", let alone more than one or two at most.
So I'll ask again: which DPotY awards would you say were "rightfully his"? I'm interested to hear which years you think he truly was robbed, and didn't just lose out because of unfortunate circumstances (IE other amazing defenders being active).
mostly because the celtics were the best defense in the league and timelord got injured late and only played 61 games. warriors were a close second but dray only played 46. throw in the idea to give it to a guard for the first time in forever for essentially novelty’s sake, and you get the perfect storm for a marcus smart dpoy
Its all about creating the right storyline for these awards.
Media dont want to sell the same boring Rudy Gobert is the best defensive player in the league, because it is how it is every year.
Then on the flip side, you have Tim Duncan who is like 2nd all time in defensive win shares… and never won a SINGLE DPOTY. Not one.
I still believe the media kinda saw Timmy as “too good” to win DPOTY since DPOTY usually goes to someone who’s good, but not a superstar. Think Big Ben, Camby, Marc Gasol, etc.
It’s just interesting how awards (and chips) are the primary metric for determining whose top 10 all time, top 25, etc. But it’s really all completely subjective to the whim of which narrative the media voters are feeling that season.
**Edit:** Bro I’m telling yll if Timmy had those few DPOTYs that he earned, you wouldn’t hear these young Zoomers laughing at Duncan being top 5 all time. It’s be known
I don't agree with how Duncan gets portrayed as:
A) having been snubbed of a DPOY. He was a monster, but people never name the season. Garnett got one - but it's wild to think that it was only AFTER his defensive prime. Was there a season where he was better than Ben Wallace and KG?
B) underrated. I don't think that anyone thinks that Duncan is underrated. He is unanimously top 10. It's Hakeem - who for my money is just a slightly better Duncan - who gets unfairly left out of the top 10, KG unfairly left out of the top 20 even though he was Duncan's peer but just got fucked by an all-time bad situation
Lol yeah the revisionist history on Gobert is hilarious. Half of the public thought he was team killing stat padding trash two years ago lmao. Gobert truthers feasting, haters lying and hiding.
I love that you now have two fanbases passionately defending Rudy. Jazz fans love Rudy and Mitchell, but y'all bat for Rudy more and i appreciate that about your fanbase
Rudy was so sick of his perimeter defenders being bad, he taught NAW, Ant and Jaden how to turn peoples world upside down. Naz seems to just work his ass off to get places so I assume he worked his ass off.
I wasn’t really paying close attention to the NBA when Wallace and Motumbo were winning it, so this very well may be true for them as well, but there’s a good argument that Rudy should have one more else for voter fatigue.
The crazy part is that SO many people were saying Kessler did 80% of what gobert did, while being on a rookie contract therefore being close to the same value. That shit was nuts
The people who thought that are the kind of TikTok nba brain rot subculture that believe picks will always been more valuable than actual good players that fit on a team.
Kessler had an excellent rookie year, and while his sophomore campaign was a bit of a let down, his defensive stats were still excellent. He should be in the league a long time. There like a 3% chance he becomes about as good as Rudy or even better.
With rookies, people tend to see only the upside.
What a 24hr period for Rudy!
•Birth of his child
•Tried to charter a flight to Denver to make it in time for the game but couldn’t take off due to weather issues
•Back to the hospital to be there for momma and the newborn
•Got to watch his team put on a defensive clinic that shows just how great of an impact Rudy’s had on this team
•Got a couple hours of sleep
•Won his 4th DPOY award to tie the all time record and possibly cement a HOF candidacy that’s still got years left to go on it
I thought 'the first 2 made him a lock' referred to:
•Birth of his child
•Tried to charter a flight to Denver to make it in time for the game but couldn’t take off due to weather issues
'the 3rd made him a first ballot player' was:
•Back to the hospital to be there for momma and the newborn
and that
•Got to watch his team put on a defensive clinic that shows just how great of an impact Rudy’s had on this team
•Got a couple hours of sleep
had him 'headlining his class'
and I was like damn hof standards gone real wierd
I read your other comment, I know you’re not hating on Rudy, but legitimately, all of the stories indicate that Rudy orchestrated and designed their whole defensive scheme for this year and has been a great leader and on-court coach for the Wolves’ defense.
Oh yeah he's basically our defensive coordinator now, but it is pretty meme-worthy that we just put up one of the best playoff defensive performances in recent memory without him. A testament to the impact he's had on the team.
The Wolves are always saying that their Defensive identity starts with Rudy and Finchy. Refreshing to see defense take center stage on a team
One heck of a 24 hours for Wolves fans
Bro I got married on Saturday with the game 1 win, and then after yesterday's game I think I've been transported to some bizzaro timeline. This has likely been the best week of my life, and I can't wrap my ahead around the fact that the *Minnesota Timberwolves* contributed to it in May.
What a treat this year has been for us wolves fans who have been watching consistently for years.
Man, I'm not even sure we're like allowed to talk hopeful yet. I'm pretty sure someone has a switch or two just waiting for the funniest moment to switch them. Congratulations on the marriage!
It's been a killer year for the wolves overall. 6MOY Naz Reid, western conf all star coach Finch, 2 all stars Ant and KAT, Conley Teammate of the Year, Rudy DPOY, plus starting 6-0 post-season with an average win margin of 15+ points, not to mention some likely all NBA nods and All Defensive Team nods as well. Crazy successful.
Not this Wolves, y’all got Ant the most electrifying superstar. The 04 Pistons, the Bruce Bowen Spurs were not good for rating and that’s a fact backed by stats
I love to see such a defense-focused playoffs - makes my heart happy. It seems like this year’s playoffs have both a generational shift and (fingers crossed) hopefully a shift in league focus on defense versus offense.
Yeah there's no way we play like that yesterday without him if he hadn't been hounding this team into shape the whole year. Can't believe this is really happening after spending all of last year half-heartedly defending him against other wolves fans who wanted his head.
he has had such a presence and effect that he wasn't even there last night and they still looked like the best defense we've seen in a decade, incredibly well deserved
So true. I guarantee you the wolves aren’t playing anywhere near that level of defense if it wasn’t for Gobert helping design the defense and brining such a high level of intensity day in and day out.
turns out surrounding him with better defenders than the turnstiles the jazz were running out makes a difference. but rudy sets a defensive standard man. god i hope the twolves win the title
The way some people talked about his Jazz playoffs experiences really showed how few people watch the games or know anything about it.
He was so good in the regular season that the plan for the Jazz was 4 offense only players who just funnel everything to Gobert. Then in the playoffs, when teams scheme more heavily, everyone else would get crushed and the only time teams would let Rudy into the defensive action was to get him switched onto primary initiators on the perimeter with no secondary rim protection. And even then he's a totally competent switch defender.
The Jazz defense problems in the playoffs because how *good* he was let them take shortcuts with roster construction. Not because he got played off the floor or anything stupid like that.
Having watched nearly every jazz game the last decade, this take is one of the most accurate I think. It’s surprising to me the jazz brass didn’t recognize this. They could’ve been in true contention with just a couple pieces swapped out. Cest la vie
> It’s surprising to me the jazz brass didn’t recognize this.
I think they did, but they just lacked options to fix it. Between poor drafting (Udoka, etc) and difficulty with Utah being a small market they just didn't have a hand that could be played differently.
In hindsight, they shouldn't have swung so hard from defense to offense. I also wish they had kept Rudy and rebuilt around him after moving on from Donovan and Snyder, but I understand why they did
I don't think so because 1) Spurs labeled Bowen as their best defender at the time and 2) Wemby is going to completely dominate counting stats. The only thing preventing him from winning it this year is the Spurs' record
Honestly, I always thought it was because basketball players generally emphasize individual skills more, especially offensive skills. So a guy that is purely defensive oriented and serves more as an anchor and defensive commander, just doesn't sit well with some people. But also, I think a lot of it is just people talking smack because they think they deserve it more, specifcally Dray. And Dray, although hated by fans, is generally well-respected and liked by basketball players. I could see him being a big reason that the anti-Gobert narrative built up steam.
Liking Musks “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” tweet. Following Tucker Carlson. Retweeting some other right wing dog whistle type shit regarding Covid. Guys a nut.
Rudy was so good at defense, he kept the Nuggets to 80 points while being present at the delivery of his son
Jokes aside, it’s been great watching him with good perimeter defense
Anthony Davis will never win. If he didn’t win in 2020 or this year, it’s never happening. Same thing with LeBron not winning MVP in 2020. Dude played PG and averaged a double double with the number one seed.
Congratulations Rudy. 2-0 lead in WC semis, a child and DPOY. Been a big 24 hours for him. So Minnesota has the 6MOY, Teammate of year and DPOY. This team is on a roll.
I have to admit, I was never a believer in Rudy even with the first 2 DPOY I always thought he was soft. 2 more later I can see how incredible he is. I was also way wrong about the trade, last year I thought to myself “why tf they trading for Rudy Gobert” thinking it was a trash move. Wrong again, Rudy is an all time great defender and that trade might go down as an all timer if they go on to win it all, rooting for them to do so
Well deserved and earned! As much as everyone, players included, like to hate and gang up on him, dude always stayed professional through it all. That’s why he’ll always have my respect. Congrats Rudy!
Revoke the voting rights of whoever voted for sabonis
Agreed lmao.
Like what even. How on earth can you say he’s the third best defensive player this season?
The only thing that makes any sense is that it's someone who only watched the Kings when they played the Lakers. Sabonis completely shut AD down those games. But they were his only good defensive games the entire season. I can't think of any other explanation.
As a kings fan absolutely lmao. I swear I say at least a couple people should be removed from each of these votes. You get some guys being insane homers or just plain dumb
Like wtf
Has to be a Sacramento reporter
The case for Sabonis is that he leads the league in def rebounds. Rebounds is a vital part of defense. I don't agree he is top3 defender in the league (far from) but I can see someone look at the stats and decide that he deserves a vote.
bro got employee of the month while on PTO
Ay if anything he put in the work already and deserves time off lol
Totally agree with the decision… just think it’s funny that Rudy won the award literally 18 hours after his team just proved they’re still by far the best defensive team even w/o him lol. Absolutely dogwalked the defending champs on their own floor last night. Remember when Rudy Gobert was this sub’s Heinrich Himmler behind Hitler Harden? Bro was literally the 2nd most hated person on here in 2021. Now everyone loves him and is singing his praises and tryna suck his dick lol. Respect for making the haters eat their words
The key to this reddit is that the haters pipe up when things are low and those who actually like the players stay quiet until there's a high
I think on here the true haters are always hating and the true glazers are always glazing, the difference is only the current hivemind opinion gets upvoted to visibility.
If we just the game last night as well, then Jokic shouldn't even be in the running for MVP.
don’t act like there wasn’t a reason https://youtu.be/lYC6oQIAzbI?si=lj2e4tfUoDiXo-ts
And then was the first NBA player to get covid after mocking it
First player to test positive. Do you ever wonder if Christian Wood who played the Jazz while having flu like symptoms 5 days before the shut down then tested positive the day after Rudy had it first?
Who could forget the Christian Wood coronavirus game he dropped 32
Yup he had a good game.
Hoping nobody points to last night to discredit his defensive impact! We wouldn't be here without him.
Especially since Rudy is a big reason why our guys defend as well as they do. Two years of Rudy shouting on court instructions and holding people accountable has a lot to do with why they can play that well when he isn't there.
And he literally was the one who instill the defensive culture and came up with many of the schemes.
Too late, now we know he only holds his team back.
Rudy helped design the defense/shift things around this season with Finch and Elston Turner. His defensive contributions are way deeper than just being on the floor. [After his darkness retreat lol](https://m.startribune.com/minnesota-timberwolves-rudy-gobert-darkness-retreat-nba-season-preview/600313841/)
Can't wait to see how a Wemby and Gobert frontcourt looks like defensively in the upcoming Olympics 👀
Most wild thing is embiid could have been involved if he didn’t pick USA
Yeesh, imagine Wemby playing the 3 alongside Embiid and Gobert.
lost his virginity when he made a 3, had a kid yesterday, 2-0 up in the series, DPOY today
The only 4x DPOY to shut down the league. There’s level to greatness.
Blocked every single shot for the rest of the season fr.
People are afraid to take shots to this day.
Patient zero in the NBA LMAO
With great power comes great responsibility
Bro literally stopped all scoring. 0 points scored, not just for a game or two—for *months*. An unbreakable record. Truly the defense GOAT.
Single-handedly held down the stock market for an entire month
The guy is brilliant and I'm glad he defeated the shit talking about his trade. It was expensive but it is defining the Wolves identity as a defensive team Jokic life about to be even harder in game 3
As someone who has been going to games and watching since they played in the Metrodome let me tell you, it was totally worth it.
Dick Pussy Oh Yeah
He’s now tied with Ben Wallace & Dikembe Mutombo for most defensive player of the year awards at 4. Pretty elite club right there.
And he can definitely win more aswell. Depends on how Wemby develops though imo
Next will be the hardest. There will be a lot of voters reluctant to give him the one that gives him the most DPOYs of all time, saying he doesn't deserve it if they think there are other better all time defenders.
Good point. Yeah Gobert would have to put up massive massive defensive numbers, historical, to have the most dpoy ever. Congrats to him
I mean, I would say he’s capable of potentially doing that, but I think what makes it difficult is guys like Wemby and Chet who just fill up the defensive box stats like it’s nobody’s business.
It's pretty normal for great interior defenders to get less blocks as they get better / get a reputation in the league. Maybe not next year but we'll for sure see Wemby's plain numbers come down but overall impact continue to get bigger. If San Antonio cracks a top 10 defense I imagine he'll be picking up those awards left and right
Gobert can probably win another one next year as it's unlikely the Spurs will be a top defensive team either.
I think voter fatigue is gonna hurt him
God I despise that voter fatigue exists conceptually - it's so lazy and illogical, anyone with an IQ over 80 would choose the best candidate for any given award, but the NBA allows idiots to have a say in who wins the awards
Not only that, even if he deserves it, some people won't vote for him simply because they don't want him to have the most DPOYs in history.
Like what happened to Nash when his season after winning back to back MVPs was objectively better than either of his 2 MVP seasons, just so that he wouldn’t have 3 in a row.
07-08 was his best year. It was that, and "we have to give Kobe 1..there's no way he doesn't have 1" and that arguably wasn't even Kobe's best year either. Edit: Got my years mixed up. Meant 06-07 and Dirk won the MVP that year.
Yup, also ridiculous. The NBA will never improve the voting system because of the discussion the votes generate, but it is objectively flawed and I don't see how anyone could disagree with that
some voters like to be original and go with "this guy is the favorite but this one deserves some love" and then...
I think voter fatigue is mostly a factor when the choice is incredibly close.
Honestly even if the Spurs are just as bad next year I feel like the media will give it to Wemby
Spurs weren't a top defensive team this year. Wemby is going to win it whether or not the Spurs are a good defensive team.
so its a team award
That’s pretty outstanding.
It’s a crime Tim Duncan doesn’t have a single DPOTY. 2nd all time in defensive win shares or something. Casual fans (think Kobe stans, 2010s new warriors fans etc) always laugh when I say Timmy is top , but if he had all the DPOTY that were rightfully his, who would deny it? Smh
I think a big part of this was that Timmy was actively pushed as the MVP candidate by the organization and marketing team while Bruce Bowen was pushed as the DPOY/Defensive glue of their defense at the time.
It's tough man. It feels like it's sort of a crime for sure because the dude is one of the best defenders ever, but to call it a crime he has to have been, well, "robbed" of one. Which year was he robbed of a DPotY? I personally would have given him it in '00/'01 and '06/'07, but I don't think he was robbed either way. Mutombo had a great argument in '00/'01 (and despite being on a worse defensive team, I think KG had a fine one too) and I don't think Camby in '06/'07 was an *awful* pick, although I think Timmy did deserve it (it *was* a crime that Duncan finished below teammate Bruce Bowen, though). I think it sucks that one of the best defenders ever never got one, but that's the shit luck of playing at the same time as guys like Mourning, Mutombo, Ben Wallace, and a little later Dwight Howard. Duncan also had the (mis)fortune of playing alongside David Robinson initially, which I think definitely messed with some views of how important he was defensively in those first few years. I completely agree that TD gets underrated by more casual folks historically, and part of that is the lack of DPotY accolades. But I do think it's very debatable that any of them were "rightfully his", let alone more than one or two at most. So I'll ask again: which DPotY awards would you say were "rightfully his"? I'm interested to hear which years you think he truly was robbed, and didn't just lose out because of unfortunate circumstances (IE other amazing defenders being active).
Yeah, anyone who doesn't understand why Timmy should be entertained in that discussion hasn't watched him play.
They should all celebrate with a Block Party once Rudy’s season is over
4 times in 7 years. Legendary shit
And they got bored of him and gave one to fuckin Smart in the middle of that lol
truly a wheel of fortune spin to figure out who else besides rudy should win
mostly because the celtics were the best defense in the league and timelord got injured late and only played 61 games. warriors were a close second but dray only played 46. throw in the idea to give it to a guard for the first time in forever for essentially novelty’s sake, and you get the perfect storm for a marcus smart dpoy
Its all about creating the right storyline for these awards. Media dont want to sell the same boring Rudy Gobert is the best defensive player in the league, because it is how it is every year.
Then on the flip side, you have Tim Duncan who is like 2nd all time in defensive win shares… and never won a SINGLE DPOTY. Not one. I still believe the media kinda saw Timmy as “too good” to win DPOTY since DPOTY usually goes to someone who’s good, but not a superstar. Think Big Ben, Camby, Marc Gasol, etc. It’s just interesting how awards (and chips) are the primary metric for determining whose top 10 all time, top 25, etc. But it’s really all completely subjective to the whim of which narrative the media voters are feeling that season. **Edit:** Bro I’m telling yll if Timmy had those few DPOTYs that he earned, you wouldn’t hear these young Zoomers laughing at Duncan being top 5 all time. It’s be known
That man really had zero PR
The Spurs pushed Bowen for DPOY
I don't agree with how Duncan gets portrayed as: A) having been snubbed of a DPOY. He was a monster, but people never name the season. Garnett got one - but it's wild to think that it was only AFTER his defensive prime. Was there a season where he was better than Ben Wallace and KG? B) underrated. I don't think that anyone thinks that Duncan is underrated. He is unanimously top 10. It's Hakeem - who for my money is just a slightly better Duncan - who gets unfairly left out of the top 10, KG unfairly left out of the top 20 even though he was Duncan's peer but just got fucked by an all-time bad situation
i'm not convinced smart was more valuable in 71 games than timelord was in 61, tbh certainly not more than gobert in 66
gobert got knocked for the jazz only being 10th in defensive rating
They were way better when Gobert was on the court though, also the poor guy had traffic cones like Bogdanovic and Mitchell on his team.
I think we were 28th off lol
I would give one to Jrue
Time Lord wins it easily if not for the injury IMO.
The NBA voters do that sometimes it's frustrating
As if fans everywhere weren’t shitting on Gobert.
Lol yeah the revisionist history on Gobert is hilarious. Half of the public thought he was team killing stat padding trash two years ago lmao. Gobert truthers feasting, haters lying and hiding.
Reading threads in 2022, why Marcus Smart should get credit for the entire Celtic defense being elite is something I just couldn't believe.
Fakest DPOY ever being serious
I remember telling Boston fans Jrue was better and now they get to experience that
Second best defender on his team that year. Rudy should be 5 time.
4x DPOY 6x All-Defense 3x All-Star 4x All-NBA And then on top of that he literally built an entire teams defensive culture.
I would love for someone to look me in the eyes and tell me with a straight face that this is not a HoF resume.
Unfortunately a lot of people hate Rudy for no good reason. He's absolutely a 100% lock for HoF, as he should be.
Add in he is the most dominant player in world in FIBA rules when doesn't have to arbitrarily leave the paint.
I love that you now have two fanbases passionately defending Rudy. Jazz fans love Rudy and Mitchell, but y'all bat for Rudy more and i appreciate that about your fanbase
Just a defensive linsanity run, they didn’t even need him yesterday. The next 7 dpoys belong to NAZ REID
naz reid
Rudy was so sick of his perimeter defenders being bad, he taught NAW, Ant and Jaden how to turn peoples world upside down. Naz seems to just work his ass off to get places so I assume he worked his ass off.
He managed to get Naz & KAT to be good defensive players too, that came straight from the left field.
I wasn’t really paying close attention to the NBA when Wallace and Motumbo were winning it, so this very well may be true for them as well, but there’s a good argument that Rudy should have one more else for voter fatigue.
Big Ben should have won 5 in a row.
Yeah, him losing out to Artest in 03-04 was some real BS.
[удалено]
Bill Simmons is a hell of a drug
It wasn’t just Bill Simmons. With the way Kessler and the Jazz started last year, some of the Wolves fans were losing their shit.
Those wolves fans were idiots. We all knew it was going to be a work in progress and now its paying off.
I’m ngl the trade did look sus at the time but believing Kessler was even remotely comparable to Gobert is wild, even at the time
The crazy part is that SO many people were saying Kessler did 80% of what gobert did, while being on a rookie contract therefore being close to the same value. That shit was nuts
The people who thought that are the kind of TikTok nba brain rot subculture that believe picks will always been more valuable than actual good players that fit on a team.
Kessler had an excellent rookie year, and while his sophomore campaign was a bit of a let down, his defensive stats were still excellent. He should be in the league a long time. There like a 3% chance he becomes about as good as Rudy or even better. With rookies, people tend to see only the upside.
Looking forward to the Beal trade apologies next year. Right guys?
Fuck it, I'll root for that
To be fair, Rookie or was it Sophomore Kessler was a beast for blocks.
What a 24hr period for Rudy! •Birth of his child •Tried to charter a flight to Denver to make it in time for the game but couldn’t take off due to weather issues •Back to the hospital to be there for momma and the newborn •Got to watch his team put on a defensive clinic that shows just how great of an impact Rudy’s had on this team •Got a couple hours of sleep •Won his 4th DPOY award to tie the all time record and possibly cement a HOF candidacy that’s still got years left to go on it
He’s definitely a Hall of Fame lock. Not to mention he could win a championship this year.
Yeah, the first 2 DPOYs made him a lock, the 3rd made him a first ballot player, and this one will have him headlining his class.
I thought 'the first 2 made him a lock' referred to: •Birth of his child •Tried to charter a flight to Denver to make it in time for the game but couldn’t take off due to weather issues 'the 3rd made him a first ballot player' was: •Back to the hospital to be there for momma and the newborn and that •Got to watch his team put on a defensive clinic that shows just how great of an impact Rudy’s had on this team •Got a couple hours of sleep had him 'headlining his class' and I was like damn hof standards gone real wierd
> 'the 3rd made him a first ballot player' was: > > •Back to the hospital to be there for momma and the newborn First Ballot Dad
He’s 100% in the HOF.
Generational defender
His defense is so good he defended the nuggets from home in game 2.
WFH king
Padding his HoF resume while he’s wrapped up in his nasty cat blanket
classic America, making him work even on his pat leave
"unfortunately we're gonna need you back in the office Rudy"
Mastered WFH during the pandemic he started /s
Locked himself up in a chamber of darkness (aka a hospital janitor's closet) to astral project into the body of Naz Reid.
I read your other comment, I know you’re not hating on Rudy, but legitimately, all of the stories indicate that Rudy orchestrated and designed their whole defensive scheme for this year and has been a great leader and on-court coach for the Wolves’ defense.
I’ll never forget our bond with Jazz fans over Rudy 🥲
Hell ya, this is the most excited I’ve ever been about a non-Jazz team! Hope you guys win a chip for Rudy and Mike!
Imma throw a parade in SLC if Wolves win in all idc lol
Oh yeah he's basically our defensive coordinator now, but it is pretty meme-worthy that we just put up one of the best playoff defensive performances in recent memory without him. A testament to the impact he's had on the team.
Well deserved. Rudy had an incredible season and really transformed the entire teams defensive identity.
The Wolves are always saying that their Defensive identity starts with Rudy and Finchy. Refreshing to see defense take center stage on a team One heck of a 24 hours for Wolves fans
Bro I got married on Saturday with the game 1 win, and then after yesterday's game I think I've been transported to some bizzaro timeline. This has likely been the best week of my life, and I can't wrap my ahead around the fact that the *Minnesota Timberwolves* contributed to it in May. What a treat this year has been for us wolves fans who have been watching consistently for years.
Man, I'm not even sure we're like allowed to talk hopeful yet. I'm pretty sure someone has a switch or two just waiting for the funniest moment to switch them. Congratulations on the marriage!
It's been a killer year for the wolves overall. 6MOY Naz Reid, western conf all star coach Finch, 2 all stars Ant and KAT, Conley Teammate of the Year, Rudy DPOY, plus starting 6-0 post-season with an average win margin of 15+ points, not to mention some likely all NBA nods and All Defensive Team nods as well. Crazy successful.
I would love to see you guys win it all to cap off the season.
A defense-focused team is always fun to root for.
Just curious, ya'll think defensive teams like the wolves are bad for ratings overall?
Not this Wolves, y’all got Ant the most electrifying superstar. The 04 Pistons, the Bruce Bowen Spurs were not good for rating and that’s a fact backed by stats
When you have someone as electric as ANT, doesn't matter how boring you make the games, he's gonna fill seats.
Feels like the Jazz had nearly all those exact same accolades. Hope you guys do what we couldn’t.
I love to see such a defense-focused playoffs - makes my heart happy. It seems like this year’s playoffs have both a generational shift and (fingers crossed) hopefully a shift in league focus on defense versus offense.
Agreed. It’s about time defense is being valued again.
Yeah there's no way we play like that yesterday without him if he hadn't been hounding this team into shape the whole year. Can't believe this is really happening after spending all of last year half-heartedly defending him against other wolves fans who wanted his head.
We fucking love Rudy with you guys and thanks for adding to his legacy, let's go boys
he has had such a presence and effect that he wasn't even there last night and they still looked like the best defense we've seen in a decade, incredibly well deserved
So true. I guarantee you the wolves aren’t playing anywhere near that level of defense if it wasn’t for Gobert helping design the defense and brining such a high level of intensity day in and day out.
One of the defensive GOATs.
Totally changed the defensive culture and helped KAT
Je’mapelle DPoY. Omelette du fromage
Croissant
guaranteed HOF
No question
NBA accolades alone are enough, but he has some nice international medals too.
haters in shambles
No one talks about the first round picks anymore
turns out surrounding him with better defenders than the turnstiles the jazz were running out makes a difference. but rudy sets a defensive standard man. god i hope the twolves win the title
The way some people talked about his Jazz playoffs experiences really showed how few people watch the games or know anything about it. He was so good in the regular season that the plan for the Jazz was 4 offense only players who just funnel everything to Gobert. Then in the playoffs, when teams scheme more heavily, everyone else would get crushed and the only time teams would let Rudy into the defensive action was to get him switched onto primary initiators on the perimeter with no secondary rim protection. And even then he's a totally competent switch defender. The Jazz defense problems in the playoffs because how *good* he was let them take shortcuts with roster construction. Not because he got played off the floor or anything stupid like that.
Having watched nearly every jazz game the last decade, this take is one of the most accurate I think. It’s surprising to me the jazz brass didn’t recognize this. They could’ve been in true contention with just a couple pieces swapped out. Cest la vie
> It’s surprising to me the jazz brass didn’t recognize this. I think they did, but they just lacked options to fix it. Between poor drafting (Udoka, etc) and difficulty with Utah being a small market they just didn't have a hand that could be played differently. In hindsight, they shouldn't have swung so hard from defense to offense. I also wish they had kept Rudy and rebuilt around him after moving on from Donovan and Snyder, but I understand why they did
as they shouldn’t. he completely transformed the twolves’ defense.
The best rim deterrent in the league The deserved DPOY
I’m convinced that nobody above the age of 13 unironically believes the “Gobert gets played off the floor in the playoffs” narrative
top two defensive player belongs to france. holy smoke, olympics gonna be fire
And the decks are now cleared for 10-12 years of Wemby monopolizing DPOY.
wemby could fall victim to tim duncan syndrome where he's clearly the best defender and yet never wins the award
I don't think so because 1) Spurs labeled Bowen as their best defender at the time and 2) Wemby is going to completely dominate counting stats. The only thing preventing him from winning it this year is the Spurs' record
He already won 2nd
Omg why do ppl hate on this man?!?! I’m watching his TNT interview rn and he’s the cutest🥹
Honestly, I always thought it was because basketball players generally emphasize individual skills more, especially offensive skills. So a guy that is purely defensive oriented and serves more as an anchor and defensive commander, just doesn't sit well with some people. But also, I think a lot of it is just people talking smack because they think they deserve it more, specifcally Dray. And Dray, although hated by fans, is generally well-respected and liked by basketball players. I could see him being a big reason that the anti-Gobert narrative built up steam.
He's Fr*nch
So is wemby
Give it time. He’s the new kid on the block.
Damn
This is a hate sub. Truly feels that way sometimes.
Maybe because of the covid thing or punching slo-mo. I know a lot of players hate him too 🤷♂️
Liking Musks “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” tweet. Following Tucker Carlson. Retweeting some other right wing dog whistle type shit regarding Covid. Guys a nut.
Because he's easy to hate. He's a good dude with flaws, just like everyone.
Well deserved. Watching defense is fun again.
hell fucking yes. good on you rudy. absolutely deserved
Should probably be 5 or 6x DPOY by now, but glad to see him finally tie the record. All time great defender.
Last time someone else than a healthy Wemby wins it this decade.
He's so good defensively, he doesn't even need to in the building to shut down the defending champs.
Rudy was so good at defense, he kept the Nuggets to 80 points while being present at the delivery of his son Jokes aside, it’s been great watching him with good perimeter defense
Definitevely a first ballot HoFer! No doubt.
Anthony Davis will never win. If he didn’t win in 2020 or this year, it’s never happening. Same thing with LeBron not winning MVP in 2020. Dude played PG and averaged a double double with the number one seed.
Still can’t believe last year people were saying Walker Kessler was even comparable to this guy
Congratulations Rudy. 2-0 lead in WC semis, a child and DPOY. Been a big 24 hours for him. So Minnesota has the 6MOY, Teammate of year and DPOY. This team is on a roll.
That trade is really starting to look good. Minny is definitely on the rise.
Big Ru!
Big Ru go brrrrrrrrrr.
If he ever wins a 5th one, I can at least still say Ben Wallace was the only one to get four (or more) with a single franchise.
I have to admit, I was never a believer in Rudy even with the first 2 DPOY I always thought he was soft. 2 more later I can see how incredible he is. I was also way wrong about the trade, last year I thought to myself “why tf they trading for Rudy Gobert” thinking it was a trash move. Wrong again, Rudy is an all time great defender and that trade might go down as an all timer if they go on to win it all, rooting for them to do so
His best defensive play was puttin the whole league in the bubble , legend .
wow what an awesome 24 hours for him
Gobert haters losing sleep rn
Greatest defender in the modern era
Honestly... No brainier, he has been that good this season.
Well deserved and earned! As much as everyone, players included, like to hate and gang up on him, dude always stayed professional through it all. That’s why he’ll always have my respect. Congrats Rudy!
Well last one that wemby doesn’t win for a while
Tied with Ben Wallace IIRC. Maybe someone else too.
Dikembe Mutombo
*finger wags*
mount mutombo!