Rajon Rondo or Derrick Rose: Who Is the NBA's Top Defensive Point Guard?

For most of the 2010-11 NBA season most observers have regarded Boston Celtics' point guard, Rajon Rondo, as the league's top defensive point guard, but as the Chicago Bulls have climbed up the Eastern standings, Derrick Rose's reputation as a defender has climbed with them.

Just recently the Bulls supplanted the Celtics as the East's top seed, but has Rose surpassed Rondo as a defender as well?

Statistics are usually a poor way to measure defense because it's nearly impossible to get any true meaning out of numbers.

However, when people do use numbers as a defensive measure they tend to concentrate on steals, rebounds and, in some cases, assists to turnover ratio.

In the case of Rose and Rondo you can also look at other team numbers such as points per game allowed and the opponent's field goal percentage, since both players stand at the point of attack for their respective teams.

The only problem is the Celtics and Bulls are so close in each category that it's difficult to draw any lines of distinction from those numbers.

The Celtics lead the NBA in points allowed per game at 91.0, but the Celtics sit right underneath them at number 91.1.

The Bulls allow their opponents to shoot 42.9 percent from the field, while the Celtics allow 43 percent.

As far as Rose and Rondo's personal statistics go, they are nearly even in rebounding with Rondo holding a slight edge 4.4 to 4.3, and they both average more than three and a half turnovers per game.

Assist to ratio numbers favor Rondo since he averages nearly four more assists per game than Rose.

The other big category is turnovers created and Rondo's 2.4 steals per game far out-distances Rose's 1.1 steals per game average.

If I were forced to decide between the two I would give the edge to Rondo because his entire reputation has been carved on the defensive end, and he tends to create more frustration in individual matchups.

Rondo is more in the mold of a true lock down defender. While Rose excels on the defensive end the best part of his game is still offensive.

Rondo also benefited greatly from the tutelage of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, and he is already well-schooled in defensive principles that Rose is just now learning.

I do anticipate Rose becoming an even better defender, but Rondo does not have the same scoring responsibility that Rose does and he can focus more of his attention on the defensive side of the ball.

Rondo may hold a slight overall defensive edge, but Rose is arguably the only other point guard that can be compared to Rondo on the defensive end.

Rondo's Celtics pulled even with Rose's Bulls in the East standings last night, and the two teams seem destined to meet each other in a winner takes all brawl in the postseason.

I wouldn't be surprised if that series came down to the defensive performances of Rondo and Rose, and just maybe they could settle the debate on the game's grandest stage.