Odds on the 2006-07 NBA Defensive Player of the Year

With all of the happenings going on in the sporting world at the present moment, there's probably not much attention being paid to many of the outstanding defensive performances being put on by some of the NBA's best defensive players.

Nevertheless, one player will once again be crowned the NBA Defensive Player of the Year at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season and this year's race may be one of the best in recent memory. Let's take a look at the candidates and separate the pretenders from the contenders.

Ben Wallace +120

Wallace, the current Defensive Player of the Year of after winning last season's award, will once again be one of the top contenders to win this thing again. If Wallace remains the steady defensive anchor that's he's been for the majority of his career, after switching teams, he will once again get major consideration to win this thing outright. At only +120, Wallace, rightfully, doesn't offer outstanding odds, but he is undoubtedly one of the safest bets on this list.

Andrei Kirilenko +500

The do-it-all Kirilenko may the most versatile defensive player in the entire league. If he can stay healthy for the entire season, and the Jazz can continue to get national publicity by winning, Kirilenko is certainly a legitimate candidate. At +500, the odds may be too tempting to pass up - especially if you believe the Jazz are long overdue for some success.

Ron Artest +400

Maybe it's me, but Artest just doesn't seem to have the same usual defensive agressiveness this season that he has shown for the majority of his career. Something tells me, that unless the Kings start playing lights-out basketball, Artest is going to have a tough time winning this year. Don't get me wrong, Artest is still a fine defensive player, and, at +400, a player I'd consider a pretty good bet here.

Marcus Camby +500

Camby is another fine defensive player whose chances at winning this award hinge immensely on whether or not he can stay healthy long enough to merit some serious consideration. Personally, I'd save my money with Camby here, but hey, that's just me.

Bruce Bowen +500

Bowen sure gets enough notoriety for his defensive exploits. Now, whether or not he'll ever win this award is anyone's guess. However, I suspect that there is an overwhelming amount of Bowen "haters" out there who just won't vote for him because of his often questionable defensive tactics, lowering his chances of actually winning no matter how well he plays defensively.

Tim Duncan +700

Duncan is one of my very favorite players in the entire league. At +700, the odds on Duncan look quite good - until you realize that he's not even the best defensive player on his own team.

Shawn Marion +1000

At +1000, Marion is possibly the best bet on the board. Not only is "The Matrix" a very good offensive player, but every player in the league knows he is as euqally gifted at the other end of the floor. If the Suns can reach the western conference finals (a very real possibility) and the Suns can finally display some sort of competent defense in the process, Marion could very well win this thing.

Alonzo Mourning +2000

Did I just say that Marion could be the best bet on the board? Forgive me, that title would actually belong to Alonzo Mourning. I know he only plays about 20 minutes per game, but Mourning may still be the league's best interior defensive player. If the Miamia Heat can reach this year's eastern conference finals, Mourning's contributions may get more notice. Simply put, this is a guy whose return, far outweighs the investment - and one that can't be passed up.

Shane Battier +2000

Like Marion and Mourning, Battier is another excellent bet. The multi-talented swingman may get more recognition if his Houston Rockets team continues to play the brand of basketball they have thus far. Besides, I'm sure David Sern and the rest of the leage's head honchos love Battier's clean-cut image.

Elton Brand +2000

I really like Elton Brand a lot. Having said that, count him out for this award. He's not having quite as good a season as his MVP-worthy performance from year ago and neither are the Clippers as a team, lowering his chances to almost nil.

Andre Iguodala +2000

Count out the new "A.I" too. He's too young and the Sixers are in a state or disarray. Maybe a couple of years down the road, but not now. As a matter of fact, not until the Sixers start winning again - which could be a long time from now.

James Posey +2000

Posey is an outstanding defensive player whose true value was very evident during the course of last season's championship finals. However, it's kind of hard to justify Posey even having a chance at this award when he's not even the best defensive player on his own team.

Raja Bell +5000

Bell is another plyer who could carry the "Best bet on the board" title. At +5000, he offers the best odds on the table and undoubtedly has an excellent chance to wiin this award - if he can stay healthy. Bell has gained a lot of notoriety the past couple of seasons for some of his own defensive exploits and should have plenty of media coverage playing on the most exciting team in the league. If Bell can make some big defensive plays at the right time, he could sway some votes his way.

P.J. Brown +5000

I'm not going to mince words here. Brown will not win this award based on the fact that he's not even the best defensive player on his own team. That title would belong to Ben Wallace. Save you cash on the veteran Brown, who is closer to retirement that wining this award after a solid career.

Rasheed Wallace +5000

Puhleaseeee!!! The only thing Wallace will ever win is the "Head Case of the Year Award".

Field +500

Betting the rest of the field isn't really a bad bet at all - unless you think that the winner is undoubtedly going to be one of the players on this list. My personal opinion is that the winner will be one of the aforementioned players, making the rest of the field obsolete. Defensive players usually get cast as "defensive specialists" after a few years of being in the league, making newcomers, as rare as a two dollar bill.

My Pick:

Selecting my Defensive Player of the Year, was an extremely gut-wrenching decision, but I ultimately decided to go with Alonzo Mourning over Shawn Marion and Shane Battier.

If the Heat get their act together in the second half of the season and go deep into the playoffs, with Mourning continuing to make his usual assortment of highlight reel blocks, Mourning could gather the vote of "old-school voters" who love Mourning, both on the court and off. I know one thing, at +2000, betting on Mourning is a no-brainer!