This question was asked in the general managers survey: Who has the best ball-handling skills in the NBA? Jason Kidd - 26.9% John Stockton - 15.4% Jason Williams - 15.4% Stephon Marbury - 11.75% Kobe Bryant - 7.7% Allen Iverson - 7.7% Baron Davis - 3.8% Andre Miller - 3.8% Steve Nash - 3.8% Jamaal Tinsley - 3.8% I know Francis should definately be on that list. That shows that there is no respect for Rockets or its players. Jamal Tinsley?!?! What the hell are these GM's thinkin
Francis is explosive, and he has a good cross over move, but I have never really considered his handles to be all that great.
Steve's ballhandling is suspect but not terrible. That being said, I have no problem with him not being on that list. I do not thinnk he is a better "ball handler" than any of those listed. As fot the list itself, I think they mixed two of the white guys up a little. Nash and Jason Williams should be switched.
I have to agree with Raven. Kidd and Stockton have great ball handling skills. Stevie is great, has an explosive step, unbelieveable vertical, hangtime, moves etc..., but is not a pure ball handler.
Considering there are only 29 GMs, it probably looks like this with 26 voting: Who has the best ball-handling skills in the NBA? Jason Kidd - 7 John Stockton - 4 Jason Williams - 4 Stephon Marbury - 3 Kobe Bryant - 2 Allen Iverson - 2 Baron Davis - 1 Andre Miller - 1 Steve Nash - 1 Jamaal Tinsley - 1 Given the small pool, I'm not surprised to find such an oversight.
Jamaal Tinsley has some of the best handles in the NBA. He is one of the few NYC street legends that has made it to the NBA. If my memory serves me correctly, they call him the "Abuser" on the playground.
JamesC nails that one. <blockquote><hr>Personal Born Feb. 28, 1978...full name is Jamaal Tinsley...son of James Henry and Leatrick Smith...sociology major...name pronounced Ja-MALL TINS-lee...Tinsley grew up playing basketball in the Rucker League in New York City, a playground haven that produced such stars as Connie Hawkins, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Ed "Booger" Smith, Stephon Marbury and Earl "The Goat" Manigault...was nicknamed "The Abuser" for his playground exploits while playing at Rucker... had a bit part in the movie Soul To The Hole, a 1997 documentary on life in the Rucker League in New York City...was also featured in TNT's 2000 motion picture On Hallowed Ground, another film based on the famed Rucker Summer League Tournament.<hr></blockquote> Anyhow, everyone on the list is a better ball-handler than Francis, imo. I think Moochie is a better ball-handler. I have yet to see Francis dribble through traffic in transition. The cross-over is more about the other things he threatens, not his handles.
Tinsley's a legend....in the playgrounds. mad handles.. I think Steve Francis has better handles than Nash. I'm thinking the GM's voted for Nash because he is quicker with the decisions and crazy shots. I dont know.. ehh
Baron Davis's overall numbers were comparable to Steves last year, plus hes proven he could lead his team to the playoffs. I think we can all agree that Davis is probably a better pure point guard than Steve, but that Steve is the better scorer and one on one player.
What the hell is Stockton doing at #2? He's the best passer in the league, and he doesn't commit stupid turnovers, but that doesn't mean he's a better ball-handler than Marbury and Iverson. I really don't understand that.
I don't know, Jason Williams may not be a very good passer (flashy yes, good no) or may not have a very good jumpshot but he's an excellent ball handler. Nash is also very good but I do think Williams has him beat in that department.
Evidently they haven't seen Steve in action on the And 1 and Reebok tapes, he makes people look silly. Then again they might have a vivid memory of Steve's sloppy handles at the All Star game. (Eww.) Or they might be just looking at players who are fundamentall sound first then flashy ( I don't know how J. Williams made this list), after all last year Stevie was among the league leaders in turnovers, so we really can't argue.
Yeah, White Chocolate is one of the best ball-handler with one of the worst decision-making ability as a PG. It's really hard to assess Stockton's ball-handling skill b/c he is so smart. He doesn't do risky things with his handling. You won't know how good a player he is unless you watch him for a long time. He just doesn't do flashy things. He just kills you with a straight face while you are not looking.
