NBA's Top Five Foreign-Born Defensive Players

(www.interbasket.net) -- The NBA announced their 2007-08 All-NBA Defensive Teams today—which included Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan, but neither the first or second team included an international NBA player, and that got me thinking.

What would an all-defensive team look like it, if it was solely comprised of all foreign-born NBA players?

Keep in mind that I don't consider Tim Duncan or Raja Bell as international players. With that in mind, who would be on that team?

Would Andrei Kirilenko, whom has lost a step but is still a great lockdown and help defender, make the team? Would multiple-NBA defensive player of the year Dikembe Mutombo make the team despite his lack of playing time and his age?

What about energetic players who are constantly on the move, like Ronny Turiaf and Andres Nocioni?  Or players who consistently sacrifice their bodies to take offensive charges like Eduardo Najera and Anderson Varejao?  What kind of global defensive team could be put together?

My defensive team would begin with the hyper-competitive Manu Ginobili, along with the long arms and quick feet of the athletic Mickael Pietrus in the backcourt. 

At the forward positions would be solid all-around defender Luol Deng and defensive jack-of-all-trades Andrei Kirilenko. 

As for the center position, it was a close call between the Haitian shot-blocker Samuel Dalembert and the solid team-defender Andris Biedrins Of Latvia.  I tossed a coin and went with Dalembert.

My second team would be comprised by the fiery Jose Calderon, up-and-coming defender Thabo Sefolosha, team-oriented hustler Najera, the frenetic and awkward Varejao, and the aforementioned Biedrins, who gets off the floor like a seven-foot Latvian cat.

No international players were included on either all-NBA defensive teams, but many received votes—including Deng (5), Kirilenko (5), Ginobili (4), Tony Parker (1), and Francisco Elson (1).

Check out the list of players and vote for your top-five in our discussion forum.

Sources: San Antonio Teammates Bowen and Duncan Top 2006-07 NBA All-Defensive Team Selections (NBA.com), Pick the five best international NBA defensive players (Ibn), NBA Players from Around the World in 2007-08 (NBA.com)