Just wanted some feedback on which is more important defending in the lowpost. And if what type of defense your running mattters.

Defense you are running matters.

For Zone I value block more, for man its def.  Press is in between.

IMO, it's BLK regardless of the defense you play.  I have always believed BLK is probably the most undervalued rating at all positions.

Don't equate the BLK rating just with shots blocked, it also has an effect on "altering shots," which means FG%.  Zone defense gets more blocks than other defences, but that doesn't necessarily mean that BLK is more important in zone than other defenses. 

ATH, SPD, DE, BLK, and ST all work together to determine defensive effectiveness (edit - along with RB of course - to minimize the other teams second chance points).

The order if importance of those ratings changes depending on position and the defense you play.  SPD is more important than DE in press, and DE is more important than SPD in M2M.  I have found BLK is as important as DE and SPD regardless of defense.

Posted by HalfAstros on 9/10/2010 3:12:00 PM (view original):
IMO, it's BLK regardless of the defense you play.  I have always believed BLK is probably the most undervalued rating at all positions.

Don't equate the BLK rating just with shots blocked, it also has an effect on "altering shots," which means FG%.  Zone defense gets more blocks than other defences, but that doesn't necessarily mean that BLK is more important in zone than other defenses. 

ATH, SPD, DE, BLK, and ST all work together to determine defensive effectiveness (edit - along with RB of course - to minimize the other teams second chance points).

The order if importance of those ratings changes depending on position and the defense you play.  SPD is more important than DE in press, and DE is more important than SPD in M2M.  I have found BLK is as important as DE and SPD regardless of defense.

My 2 cents - I think you're overestimating BLK compared to DEF in a M2M defense. In fact, I think ATH and DEF are both considerably more important than BLK in M2M in terms of impact on oppenent's FG%. ATH has a big impact on both defensive positioning and ability to contest the shot, and DEF impacts both willingness to play D and the understanding of D fundamentals. In M2M, BLK is certainly a nice-to-have, but I don't think it compensates for weaknesses in either of the other two factors.

i think BLk is useless and doesnt matter all

Posted by jayhawks2130 on 9/10/2010 5:18:00 PM (view original):
i think BLk is useless and doesnt matter all

I used to think that as well but that's when I ran press.  Now that I run zone I've found SB greatly influences defense as much or more than the actual Defense rating.

I could certainly be wrong, but I've seen some pretty good mathematical analysis (with the old engine) that leads to my opinion.  

I've also had a number of high BLK, low DE teams that were very good defensively.   I find you need DE on the perimeter, but you can have guys with single-digit DE ratings inside that are still great defenders.  I had one D3 guy win defensive player of the year with a 10 DE rating (he had exceptional ATH, SPD, and BLK though).

It's partly personal preference though - there are many ways to build a successful team.  Before "potential," I don't think I ever put a single practice minute into Footwork, that's how much I valued DE.

HalfAstros is correct that BLK is undervalued from my perspective as well. Everyone of my teams that were "healthier" in that particular category, performed better from a defensive standpoint. I'm not so sure about every position, but I generally won't touch a big from the Division 2 level that doesn't have at least a 60 in BLK or high potential to achieve 60+ by their true sophmore year.

for the first half of my time playing this game, i didn't even consider sb a factor, even for bigs. it was like bh or pass, something on that level.

now, ive realized the error of my ways, but also don't think it hurt much, ignoring sb completely. i still would take def over sb without even thinking in man and press. it might be better in the zone but i think def is generally under valued in the zone, and they are probably pretty similar.