Written by Graham Brunell
For those of you that don't follow or watch "The Basketball Jones," I'll clarify now so you aren't lost through the whole article. Here's the description from their website, although the podcasts are also posted on Ball Don't Lie. "The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Talk to us."
With one the recent TBJ podcasts debating the top ten point guards in the NBA (brought up by guest email question), I'd like to give my own take on this topic. Plus, with the Rondo-Rose match up in the Celtics-Bulls first round series we're currently in, I though it'd be fun to do a little informative debating. First off. here's their list...
1. Chris Paul
2. Deron Williams
3. Tony Parker
4. Steve Nash
5. Devin Harris
6. Rajon Rondo
7. Chauncey Billups/Derek Rose
8. Jameer Nelson/Gilbert Arenas
9. Baron Davis
10. Jose Calderon
Here goes...
10. Andre Miller: OK, this guy is averaging 16.3 points and 6.5 assists on the sixth seed Philadelphia 76ers and he's not in your top ten. I have to say, I didn't think Baron deserved to be there in the first place, especially considering how poor the Clips did this year, but to put him over this guy without even looking at B-Dub's team probably arched some eye browns, not just mine. But, I will excuse Skeets because he apparently couldn't even see straight the day before because he was so sick.
9. Mo Williams: I agree with Tas Melas... the Jose Calderon pick was a bit "homerish." Granted, Calderon did average 12.8 points and 8.9 assists in 68 games this year, but the Raptors didn't even come close to making the playoffs this year. Anyways let's move on to Williams. Mo became the sidekick LeBron always desired, and has shown what the Cavs could do if James had at least one All-Star teammate. The Cavs went on to have the best record in the NBA, and Williams as an individual wasn't too shabby either, averaging 17.8 points in the regular season.
8. Jameer Nelson/Derek Rose: Rose has a little bit more edge here, but I agree with the guys on the podcast with Nelson being No. 8 on this list. Before becoming injured, Nelson was an All-Star for the first time, and averaged 16.7 points and 5.4 assists for the title-contender Magic. Derek Rose, as most Celtics fans know by now, has been tearing up the league. His averages consist of 16.8 points and 6.3 assists for the eighth seed Chicago Bulls. He also was recently named the NBA's Rookie Of the Year.
7. Chauncey Billups: Billups deserves a little more respect than rookie Derek Rose in my opinion. He's shown how valuable he is to a team, as the Nuggets were the eighth seed last year, blown out by the Lakers in the first round, and this year, with the addition of Billups, they were the second seed. They are also in the drivers seat (leading 1-0) in the series they are currently playing in against the Hornets. Billups averaged 17.7 points and eight assists for the Nuggets.
6. Devin Harris: I was high on this kid in the beginning and middle of the season, but near the end, the Nets became somewhat of a mess, and Harris became injury-riddled. However, that doesn't take away from his 21.3 points per game and 6.9 assists per game season (69 games). New Jersey was in the race for the eighth seed along with Milwaukee and the Chicago Bulls (eventual winner), but fell apart near the end due to the injuries of Harris, Keyon Dooling, and Eduardo Najera.
5. Rajon Rondo: Rondo is now considered an All-Star point guard after averaging 11.9 ppg, 8.2 apg, 5.2 rpg, and 1.9 spg. Alongside teammates Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and (for the most part) Kevin Garnett the Celtics to a 62-20 record. I had him ahead of Harris unlike the guys on TBJ for two reasons: one, Rondo's team isn't considered mediocre. Therefore, he must carry a bigger responsibility, as he is one of the leaders on the floor of a team that everyone is gunning to beat. The second reason is defense. You cannot deny Rondo's magnificent skills on defense, with his ability to steal the ball, and stay ahead of defenders because of his blazing speed.
4. Steve Nash: I have to agree with Skeets and Melas here. Although Nash is at the tail-end of his career, he can still pass (9.7 assists), score of course (15.7 points), and hit the three-point shot (.439 percentage). Although, I believe Rondo is coming close to Nash, and may have already surpassed him, as the Suns didn't even make the top eight teams in the Western Conference.
3. Tony Parker: Again, another good pick by the TBJ crew. Parker is one of the only Spurs' players recently to play consistently as of late. Parker averaged 22 points and 6.9 assists in the regular season, and after two playoff games, he's averaged a magnificent 31 points and an excellent eight assists. He's been very efficient for the struggling Spurs, with a +/- rating that sits at +28.50 in the playoffs. Parker led the Spurs along with teammate Tim Duncan (Manu Ginobili was mostly injured) to a 54-28 record in the regular season.
2. Deron Williams: Same pick TBJ made. Williams led the Jazz to the playoffs, even with the injury Carlos Boozer suffered, which kept him out for half the season. Utah is currently facing the Lakers in the first round. Down 0-2 after two games, Williams is averaging 25.5 ppg and 13 apg in the playoffs. In the regular season, Williams averaged 19.4 ppg, and 10.7 apg for the 48-34 Jazz.
1. Chris Paul: Easy pick here. No doubt is the guy the best the NBA has to offer. He can play excellent defense (2.8 spg), and his offensive game is nothing short of spectacular (22.8 ppg, 11 apg, 5.5 rpg). His is the leader of the 49-33 Hornets, the seventh seed in the playoffs, now mid-way through a series with the Denver Nuggets. Chris Paul is your best bet for a productive point guard in the NBA.
