hendrix2430

Although he's getting much more respect for his defensive play than he used to (which is definitely warranted), I get a kick out of people who disrespect his D like it was still 2004.

Along with averaging 30/8/7.5, he's getting 2 steals and 1 block each nigh. If you base your judgment solely on statistics, that's pretty darn good right there for a small forward, or any position for that matter.

But if you watch the games, you'll notice that Lebron's been guarding the opposing team's best player down the stretch, and the vast majority of the time he's been highly successful at it.

He seems to take a lot of pride playing tough defense these days, and players/coaches are unquestionably noticing that. Quoting Ben Wallace during his press conference after the trade: "Lebron's becoming a great defender...". That's a compliment, coming from a 4 time DPOY.

I wouldn't call him a lockdown defender by any means, but he's certainly worthy of at the very least a second team All D selection this year.

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