[b/r] The Great Debate: Who Is the NBA's Best Point Guard?

Rondo can't be the best if the opposing defense would give him 10 ft of space to shoot.

 

Steve Nash for me.

 

Rondo could be the best PG if he can shoot alot better

 

I dont know how long you've watched hoops, but by your statement, it hasnt been long.

 

I like Rondo a lot. He's probably my favorite PG right now. Other than his 3-point shooting, he's a very skilled floor-general. During the season, his FG% was the highest among starting PGs @ 50.8%. It's hard to argue extensively about someone's shooting when he's putting the ball in the hoop better than anyone else at that position.

Additionally, his 3-point percentage has been considerably higher during the playoffs which tells me that he's capable of improving in this area. Everyone has an area of weakness, and distance shooting is obviously his. However, his overall game, athleticism, and decision making puts him on par with Deron and Chris IMHO.

Having said that, until he improves his shooting, there will continue to be an asterisk next to his name when discussing the leagues best PGs.

 

Obviously Rondo's a brilliant finisher (certainly the best among PGs in that respect), and takes a lot of shots in the immediate basket area. But if you're looking at his FG% in the context of his jumpshot, it's very misleading. Consider that Rondo's True Shooting % (.540) ranked below that of Steve Nash (.615), Chris Paul (.584), Jason Kidd (.577), Deron Williams (.574), AB (.549), and Tony Parker (.542), among others.

It's not just his three point shooting. His midrange game isn't anything to write home about either, and his free throw shooting is abysmal.

I agree with this, obviously. What I find troubling is the fact that his shot hasn't seen much improvement since his rookie year.

 

Nash is the best PG in the league IMO. I can see the argument for CP3 but I don't agree with it.

I have an especially hard time picking CP3 in this comparison after he sat out half the season injured. Nash just got done taking the Suns to the WCF and putting up a fight against the Lakers. This might not be particularly fair, but that's farther than CP3 has ever been (and will ever be unless he ditches the NOH).

I also have a hard time believing that CP3 is any better than Nash at playmaking. The reason Nash turns the ball over more is because he plays the game at a much faster pace.

Paul averages similar assist numbers because until this year he was the only player on his team who was a capable playmaker (the next highest apg = ~2). He was responsible for all of his team's playmaking - his teammates looked to him for their shots because there was no one else they could run plays through. As a result his APG numbers were inflated.

Nash in prior years had players like Diaw/Barbosa who were capable playmakers. As a result his usage % traditionally has been lower - and he hasn't had to carry the entire playmaking load himself.

 

Should I have simplified it more?

 

Comparing every NBA player complying with legal rule changes to a handful of MLB players who took illegal drugs to gain a competitive advantage? No, simplifying won't help save your bad analogy.

But if it helps, maybe next you can compare MJ playing in the post-24 second shot clock NBA to NFL players banned for steroids. After all, the shot clock helped inflate his stats.

The NBA rule book is the juice for point guards? Does this magically only apply to point guards and not to other wing players? If you're punishing these PGs for it, I assume likewise you're punishing Kobe, LeBron, Durant, etc? Can Kobe not compare to any of the 90s greats because he plays with different rules? Is Dwight Howard & Yao Ming underrated to you because they play in a league that allows the zone?

Using the rule book to try and put down a player's accomplishments is just silly.

"The 1980s NBA was like the steroid era in baseball where the newly instated NBA 3 point line = the juice for players like Larry Bird"

 

1) Deron Williams
1A) Chris Paul
2) Rondo
3) Nash
4) Rose
5) Westbrook
6) Kidd (getting old)

 

This is my list

1. Nash = He is Na****y
2. Deron Williams = He says he is #1
3. CP3 = When he is serious he is UNstoppable (he gets injuried usually)
4. Rondo = Best at what HE do....not #1 even he does say he is #1
5. Derek Fisher = Good Finisher but need to work on his speed
Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Westbrook, etc could be in the top9
----------
10. AB (get my vote in the top10) = 3s ALL DAY...and explosively fast runner
----------
Other Honourables: J Nelson, Nate, Jason Kidd, Darren C, Kyle Lowry, Raymond Felton and Devin Harris

Next Season
John Wall could be in the top 5 PGs if Nash retire soon

 

opps bad language i mean he is Nashty

 

Of course that's one play, an example of one play that he defends pretty well. We know he's not a shot blocker but this guy can play D. He has been in the top of the steals leaders chart since he came into the league.

I'd like a better argument than "Paul is NOT a good defender".

 

What about Williams? Hes clearly established himself as the best PG this season.

 

Magic Johnson and Kidd were that way too.... but I'd pick Deron over Rondo as he has no glaring weakness...

Curry and Westbrook look promising too...

 

So, your position is that numbers really weren't inflated in the steroid era and that it was only 'a handful of players' that indulged? I would call that naive, but since it's already been proven to be false, I'll just call it stupid.

 

Even if williams kills paul everytime they play, i would take paul. Westbrook is a coming up fast though. I like nash, but the guy plays absolutely 0 defense and gets lit up by every pg in the league. He plays in bsically steve spurrier typ of offense and thats why he's been so effective these last few years.

 

funny post!

 

That ruined your entire list.

But too many players have shown him up over the course of a season, and made him almost a non-factor.

 

That's true, but Magic and Kidd weren't as bad as Rondo. Plus Magic and Kidd (in his prime) played in the no-zone-defense era. Defenses couldn't really cheated off of them too much.

Rondo is good. But to be at the top of his game he needs to play with at least 2 good outside shooters to space out the floor for him. Last night, when both Pierce and Allen struggled, he couldn't create very much because they just sagged off of him so he couldn't drive.