Insider Special: Power Outage - Rebounds

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NBA Power Outage: On the Rebound

By Terry Brown

Wednesday, January 8 Updated 12:03 PM EST

Who knows if the Raptors are really the worst defensive rebounding team in the league. They do average a league low 27.7 per game but at the same time, their opponents shoot a league high 47 percent against them.

Less misses means less rebounding opportunities.

The Indiana Pacers may grab a league-high 32.8 defensive rebounds per game, but they also give up 12.7 offensive boards to their opponents. The San Antonio Spurs hold their opponents to a league low 41.1 percent from the field but still give up 12.9 offensive boards a game.

The Raptors only allow 11.8 offensive rebounds per game.

Which brings us back to the fact that Antonio Davis has spent almost as many games on injured reserve than at center for Toronto and a heck of a lot less at power forward where he should be playing in the first place. Which means Greg Foster and Jelani McCoy, a combined 13 teams in 18 seasons, have often started in his place.

Only one of the 14 players on the Toronto Raptor roster has played in every single game while 11 different players have started in their 35 contests.

Ben Wallace, by himself, averages 11.4 defensive rebounds per game for the Pistons to lead the league again. Minnesota's Kevin Garnett is right behind him at 10.4.

But Wallace is the seventh leading scorer on his team at 6.8 per game. Garnett leads his team in points at 21.8 as well as assists, steals, blocks and minutes.

Yet each is arguably considered the best at what he does despite the fact that there are no official categories in basketball for a left-handed short reliever or nickleback for third and long. However, a perfectly balanced basketball team hardly means eight guys averaging 12.5 points per game each.

We do know, or are taught anyways, that the proper defensive position will lead to the proper rebounding position which will lead to more offensive opportunities and so on. We can break it down into fractions and decimal points or use brush strokes and meter to describe the fact that Elton Brand leads the league in offensive rebounds at 4.5 per game.

But when do we mention the fact that Brand is, for the first time in his professional career, playing beside a legitimate center fully stretched out and aware of his surroundings thereby allowing the so-called undersized power forward to, well, play a legitimate power forward.

Add up the Clippers defensive rebounds then figure out the number of offensive rebounds their opponents grab, add the two and find out how many defensive rebounding opportunities there have been. Take the Clippers' defensive rebounding number and divide it by the total number of opportunities to figure out the percentage of defensive boards that they get.

With Brand and Michael Olowokandi and a host of other well-known players, the Clippers grab exactly 70.0 percent of their defensive rebound opportunities.

Without a true center or power forward who has been injured and a cast you couldn't pick out with all the scouting reports in the world, the Raptors grab exactly 70.1 percent of their defensive rebound opportunities.

Somehow, someway, one thing always leads to the next in the game of basketball and is completely dependent on the things that happened before it. Or didn't happen.

BEST DEFENSIVE REBOUNDERS

1. Miami Heat

Numbers: 75% (30.7 def. rpg to opp. 10.2 off. rpg)

Comment: They shoot bad, pass even worse and you couldn't guess their second leading scorer if I gave you three guesses, two lifelines and a clue. But the reason that this 12-22 team that happens to shoot 41 percent from the field has won even that many games is because they're holding their opponents to only 42 percent shooting (sixth best in the NBA) while allowing them the lowest percentage of offensive rebounds in the league. Frontline players Brian Grant (11.3 rpg), Vladimir Stepania (7.4) and Malik Allen (5.5 rpg) are putting up career and a half numbers. Now, if only they knew what to do with the ball once they get it . . .

2. Washington Wizards

Numbers: 74.3% (30.1 def. rpg to opp. 10.4 off. rpg)

Comment: The Wizards don't have a leading rebounder. They've got four guys who average more than 5 a game (but not one more than 6) and ten of them who have led them in rebounding in 34 games (but no dominant presence in the paint to point a finger at). The amazing thing is that four of those aforementioned players, some from one category and some from the other, are guards. But we'll have to get back to you on whether that 4 or 10 or other 4 are good things or bad. They've either got a lot of guys who can board or a lot of guys who can't. I think you already know the answer. But for now, they're 17-17 blissful playoff contenders.

3. Denver Nuggets

Numbers: 74% (28.2 def. rpg to opp. 9.9 off. rpg)

Comment: The good news is that no team in the entire NBA allows fewer second chance opportunities. The Denver Nuggets, yes, those Denver Nuggets, give up a league-low 9.9 offensive rebounds per game. The bad news is that most of the time, it only takes one shot per possession to beat them since they score only 80.5 points per game on 39 percent shooting. Nonetheless, it is our duty to report that rookie big man Nene Hilario, the one with a scowl on his face and first-and-ten arm span, has led the team in rebounding a total of 8 times this season so far. But the last five have come in their latest eight games.

4. Detroit Pistons

Numbers: 73.9% (29.8 def. rpg to opp. 10.5 off. rpg)

Comment: Ben Wallace. The whole Ben Wallace. And nothing but Ben Wallace.

5. Los Angeles Lakers

Numbers: 73.2% (32.1 def. rpg to opp. 11.7 off. rpg)

Comment: We can scatter palm leaves and rose petals at his feet as Kobe Bryant, the second most prolific scorer in the NBA who also leads his team in assists, and grabs an eye-popping 7.7 rebounds per game, but the fact remains that in November, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. In December, he averaged 11.6. In January, he's averaged 12.5. In February, by no coincidence, the team hopes to reach .500.

WORST DEFENSIVE REBOUNERS

25. Seattle Sonics

Numbers: 69.5% (29.2 def. rpg to opp. 12.8 off. rpg)

Comment: Seven-footer Vladimir Radmanovic has grabbed 107 defensive rebounds so far this season while attempting 115 three-pointers. That is all you will ever need to know about Sonic basketball as it is played today.

26. Milwaukee Bucks

Numbers: 69.4% (30.2 def. rpg to opp. 13.3 off. rpg)

Comment: Between an agitated Dan Gadzuric at center, barnacled Anthony Mason at power forward and doubting Tim Thomas at small forward, George Karl doesn't have enough duct tape and chicken wire to keep this front line from falling apart in the paint. They are outrebounded on the offensive glass, outrebounded on the defensive glass and outrebounded overall by a whopping 4.4. The fact that 7-foot-1 Joel Pryzbilla and 6-foot-11 veteran Ervin Johnson can't crack the starting line up should answer any outstanding questions that you might have about this team's constitution or lack thereof.

27. Chicago Bulls

Numbers: 69.2% (30.4 def. rpg to opp. 13.5 off. rpg)

Comment: One day, Tyson Chandler is going to get himself into the right position under the basket without starring into the camera to improve his rather paltry 5.1 rpg numbers. One day, Eddy Curry is going to get down the court in time to come within reaching distance of his man to maybe even box him out occasionally and improve upon his wretched 3.5 rpg numbers. One day, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry may be playing against the Bulls by the time any of this happens.

28. Golden State Warriors

Numbers: 68.2% (31 def. rpg to opp. 14.4 off rpg)

Comment: The Golden State Warriors are a scant 42 points spread out over 33 games from statistically being a .500 ball club. That's less than one basket per game. And that's how close coach Eric Musselman has gotten them to respectability. Well, at least a 14-19 record. But the fact that they give up a league worse 14.4 offensive rebounds a contest tells you how far he still has to get them. Well, they were 21-61 last season. But, then again, that's why Troy Murphy (eighth best rebounder in the game at 9.7 per game) has gone from playing 17.7 mpg last season to 32.5 this year.

29. Memphis Grizzlies

Numbers: 67.8% (29.8 def. rpg to opp. 14.1 off. rpg)

Comment: I am not afraid of Pau Gasol. I think Drew Gooden and I could be good friends. I'd like to play chess against Shane Battier, compare medical charts with Lorenzen Wright using as many big words with latin suffixes and prefixes as possible and join a book club with Cezary Trebansky. Admit it. You can hardly say Stromile Swift without smiling. Oops. Almost forgot we were in the middle of a contact sport.