No, I agree. My point is just that you can't judge his D by how well or poorly his opponent happened to shoot 1 game. Just because Zach Randolph went to town while Sheed was guarding him, doesn't mean that Sheed is not a good defender. We've all seen Ben get dominated from time to time. There are some very talented and streaky players in the NBA.

I think most of Darko's defensive effectiveness stems from his size and quickness advantage. Just being a 7'1" player on the floor with an ounce of athleticism changes available options for the other team. His main problem is staying on the floor so that he can press that advantage more often.

Also, I wouldn't really pin that loss to the Pistons on Darko. They missed a ton of free throws, lost a starter to injury, Chauncey had his best game of the season... and it was still a very close game. This was one of the worst teams in the East through most of last year.

__________________
"Defense fuels your offense. No mystery about that." AA