It doesn’t matter if it’s the NBA, NFL, NHL or competitive cribbage, the old adage always rings true, defense wins championships.
The Dallas Mavericks may not have been the best defensive team in the league, but they were smart on defense and did what they needed to do to win the championship.
You can have a great team that is all offense, but it is unlikely that you will have a shot a title. That’s why the Phoenix Suns came so close for a few years but ultimately fell short of the Finals.
If you are looking to build up a stellar defensive team, the best way to do it is pick up already established defensive players rather than taking your luck in a young fellow, but you can also destroy your team by overpaying for a guy who can’t play defense.
So if you are hoping that your team makes the moves to be a good defensive team, hope that they don’t pick up multiple guys on this list, as it could turn them into an all offense, no defense team overnight.