NBA's top defender is Detroit's Big Ben

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Ben Wallace strengthened the argument that he's one of the best defenders in NBA history on Monday.

The Detroit Pistons center became the first player to win the Defensive Player of the Year award four times in a five-year span.

Wallace's path to defensive greatness started in White Hall, Ala., where he said his seven older brothers forced him to learn how to play basketball without shooting much.

"I was always told, 'You have to get loose balls and rebound or try to get a steal because we're not going to pass the ball,'" Wallace said.

Wallace — who won the award last year, in 2003 and 2002 — and Dikembe Mutombo are the only players in the league to be voted the top defensive player four times. Mutombo won it in 2001, 1998, 1997 and 1995 while playing for Philadelphia, Atlanta and Denver.

Hakeem Olajuwon is among the players selected twice for the honor since its inception in 1983.

Former Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, who will present Wallace with the award Tuesday night before Detroit hosts Cleveland in Game 2, is widely regarded as the No. 1 defensive player in league history.

"I didn't get to see Russell or (Wilt) Chamberlain, but I can't remember a guy that wreaks so much havoc of the court like Ben does," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said. "Olajuwon and Mutombo were great defenders, but they only guarded centers. Ben can basically guard 1s (point guards) through 5s (centers), and the closest guy I saw do that was Dennis Rodman."

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said Wallace is arguably the top off-the-ball defender.

"If he's not the best, he's got to be in the top three," Brown said.

With 58 of 124 first-place votes, Wallace beat out San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Utah's Andrei Kirilenko for his ability to defend players ranging from Shaquille O'Neal to LeBron James.

"There's never been a player in our era that can impact the game like Ben does defensively," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "He can guard five guys on floor — and sometimes he does it on one play."

NBA Defensive Player voting

    
            

        	
		
        
                
B. Wallace, Pistons	420 (58)
    
            

        	
		
        
                
B. Bowen, Spurs 	308 (38)
    
            

        	
		
        
                
A. Kirilenko, Jazz 	121 (12)
    
            

        	
		
        
                
R. Artest, Kings 	65 (6)
    
            

        	
		
        
                
M. Camby, Nuggets 	55 (3)
    
            

        	
		
        
                

First-place votes in parenthesis