1s Ranked by Sportsline, Stevie #4

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/6668313

Point guards: Kidd, Marbury at opposite ends of spectrum
Sept. 24, 2003
By Mike Kahn SportsLine.com Executive Editor

There are two kinds of point guards in the NBA, says Joe Dumars, president of the Detroit Pistons and a former NBA All-Star.

Not quite as simple as good and bad, although there are plenty of both. It's a little more complicated than that.

There are those who see the floor and those who see the basket, with a rare minority of players who happen to do both. Dumars had the good fortune of playing next to Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas but also was the backup point when Thomas left the game.

So Joe knows point guards.

"When Isiah was in the game, I would run the creases and look for an open space for my shots," Dumars said. "When he left the game, I had to pick my head up, see the floor and create for the other four guys. It's a much tougher job. These days there are two different kinds. There are the ones like Jason Kidd and the ones like Stephon Marbury."

Coincidentally, they were traded for each other two seasons ago, and what once looked like a lopsided deal, with two-time Eastern Conference champion New Jersey getting Kidd from Phoenix, might turn into a wash. Marbury, four years younger, came on incredibly the second half of last season and into the playoffs until a shoulder injury slowed him and the Suns.

But they are distinct. Kidd is the prototype playmaker. He'll push it whenever possible, but he is forever aware of who is going where and where his teammates like their shots. Marbury tends to look for his shot first unless someone else is wide open.

Gary Payton, like Thomas, has the unique ability to be a consistent scorer and a distributor for his teammates. Payton and Oscar Robertson are the only players in history to average at least 20 points and eight assists five years in a row.

"It's rare that you see anybody like that anymore," Dumars said. "But both Jason and Stephon dominate the game in their own way."

There are others. Actually, Nick Van Exel, traded from Dallas to Golden State, is eminently capable of doing both, although he can be very erratic when he gets in a shooting mode. Still, his toughness is unquestioned.

Houston's Steve Francis is cut from the Marbury mold -- drive to the rim for the score or the foul, otherwise dish it to the spot-up shooter. Baron Davis of the New Orleans Hornets is the same kind of player, as is Dumars' point guard with the Pistons, Chauncey Billups, and Washington's big free-agent signing, Gilbert Arenas.

In Dallas, Steve Nash is more discriminating with his shots. The same goes for Sacramento point guard Mike Bibby. And the one pure point guard in the draft, Texas' T.J. Ford, is headed to Milwaukee after just two seasons in college basketball. He has been compared to Thomas, only shorter and certainly without the kind of pure scoring skills Thomas had. Still, Dumars likes Ford a lot, with his uncanny quickness and ability to find the open man.

"It's going to be hard because I'm going to be going against a different guy almost every night and they're all great players," Ford said. "But I'll learn. There is so much talent in the NBA, every night will be a different experience and make me a better player."

Points well taken.

1. Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets: With two consecutive East titles in his pocket, he's setting the pace. But his ankle problems could become chronic now that he has hit 30. Nonetheless, he's the best for now.

2. Stephon Marbury, Phoenix Suns: There is no better point off the dribble than Marbury, who seems to growing as a leader. He's stronger and finally figuring out what it takes to be a star instead of posing as one.

3. Gary Payton, Los Angeles Lakers: This is a slight drop for The Glove, but he's 35. Nevertheless, once he gets a sniff of championship fever with the Lakers, he will be relentless on both ends. Guaranteed.

4. Steve Francis, Houston Rockets: A younger, perhaps stronger version of Marbury, he hasn't figured out yet what it means to make his teammates better. But for pure talent, the guy is off the charts.

5. Baron Davis, New Orleans Hornets: Coming off back and knee problems, Davis could be third best on this list, or he could drop to 10th. This is a pivotal year for him to prove he belongs among the best.

6. Steve Nash, Dallas Mavericks: It will be interesting to see how far Nash can take the team this season without Nick Van Exel to clean up after him. He's a talented leader and a relentless player, that's for sure.

7. Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings: He's coming off a rough season marred by a broken foot that never let him get back into the swing of things. A great shooter and distributor, he'll prove his worth this season.

8. Nick Van Exel, Golden State Warriors: Warriors fans may discover him to be a lefty version of Tim Hardaway if he's into it. He's as quick and slick with the ball and the shot as any point guard in the game -- but erratic.

9. Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons: He was on his way to being the story of the East until a sprained ankle ended his and the Pistons' hopes of beating the Nets in the conference finals. He's on the brink of being special.

10. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards: One of the few big free-agent signings this summer, Arenas promised a trip to the playoffs for the wayward Wizards. Gee, you'd hate to see empty promises start this soon.

Also under consideration: Andre Miller, Denver Nuggets; Sam Cassell, Minnesota Timberwolves; Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs; Jason Williams, Memphis Grizzlies; Jason Terry, Atlanta Hawks; Brent Barry, Seattle SuperSonics; Eric Snow, Philadelphia 76ers.

 

Only Yao and Stevie had any ranking whatsoever on Kahn's positional rankings. No one else even mentioned.

 

If not being at W'side means that the summer has been a musicfest, ok. But, is that anywhere near the facts? I suspect Stevie has worked out and played hoops.

Let's see what 'shape' his head is in with the new tutelage and team steerage.