Point guard rankings, these were up a while ago but i only just realised... ______________________________________________________--- The entire concept of putting anyone ahead of Allen Iverson in NBA point guard rankings is daunting, to say the least. Sure, Larry Brown moved him to shooting guard his second season and insisted he was not a point guard. But the way he played last season upon his return to the playmaking role and carried the talent-challenged Philadelphia 76ers into the playoffs was reason enough to believe he'd be an even better player today had he stayed at that position. And when you consider he earned his fourth scoring title last season while recording a career-high 7.9 assists a game — along with his requisite 2.4 steals — the answer to the dilemma is simple. Allen Iverson earned his fourth scoring title last season while recording a career-high 7.9 assists a game. (D. Lippitt / Getty Images) Consequently, we will name Iverson the top point guard in the NBA entering this season, and that's not to denigrate the reigning Most Valuable Player Steve Nash at all. Coming off a season in which he led the Phoenix Suns to 62 wins, a berth in the Western Conference finals and an MVP award to boot, there is are plenty of reasons to give Nash the top spot. People will contend he makes other players better. But just consider for a moment what the Suns would look like if Iverson would have been playing with Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson instead of Nash. Would the Suns not have won as many games? Those are hypothetical thoughts that go into ranking these players in a purely subjective list. Undoubtedly, Iverson is more inclined to look for his shot first, which is why his ability to see the floor and pass are consistently underrated. We'll never know if the Sixers would have made the playoffs with Nash or how well the Suns would have done with Iverson. But what we do know is going into this season — given the choice between to the two — A.I. is the man. There are others to consider, obviously. And it's always difficult not to put Jason Kidd at the top of any point guard heap. But knee surgery and his 32nd birthday coming in the spring create some question as to where his game will be this season as the Nets are expected to regain control of the Atlantic Division. Nobody is more underrated than Chauncey Billups, the floor leader of the two-time Eastern Conference champion Pistons. He is clutch and smart, and growing as a winner every year. And as Gilbert Arenas continues to climb up the chart, the one player who could break out of the middle of the NBA pack could be Seattle's Luke Ridnour, cut very much out of the Nash/John Stockton-mold, a player with a pass-first mentality as well as the shooting touch and range to hit big baskets. So without further adieu, here are the 2005-06 NBA point guard rankings. 1. Allen Iverson, 76ers Ht./Wt. 6-0/165 Numbers: 30.7 pts., 7.9 ast., 2.4 stls He is as fearless as he is talented, which is a dramatic combination considering he packages that with perhaps the most intense competitive spirit in the game today. Steve Nash is amazingly proficient at making the game-winning play. (Barry Gossage / Getty Images) 2. Steve Nash, Suns Ht./Wt. 6-3, 195 Numbers: 15.5 pts., 11.5 ast., .99 stls He became the prototype point guard last season, if he wasn't already. He's amazingly proficient at making the game-winning play, whether it is the assist or the shot that is required. 3. Jason Kidd, Nets Ht./Wt. 6-4, 210 Numbers: 14.4 pts., 8.3 ast., 1.86 stls The previous title-holder, Kidd has to prove he's all the way back from micro-fracture surgery on his knee. The Nets have a solid core to win the Atlantic Division and Kidd is behind the wheel to drive them there. 4. Chauncey Billups, Pistons Ht./Wt. 6-3, 205 Numbers: 16.5 pts., 5.8 ast., 1.01 stls As each season passes, he becomes more natural at point guard and he is the inexorable floor leader of the two-time defending Eastern Conference champs. He's the best at allowing the game to come to him and make clutch plays. 5. Baron Davis, Warriors Ht./Wt. 6-3, 220 Numbers: 19.2 pts., 7.9 ast., 1.76 stls B.D. turned around the woeful Warriors last season and there are those who believe he is capable of carrying them to the playoffs this season. It may not happen, but he's made them fun for the first time in more than a decade. 6. Mike Bibby, Kings Ht./Wt. 6-1, 190 Numbers: 19.6 pts., 6.8 ast., 1.55 stls Each season he has grown more into a floor leader. His shooting has never been in question, but we'll find out this season how well he distributes the ball with the additions of Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. 7. Stephon Marbury, Knicks Ht./Wt. 6-2, 200 Numbers: 21.7 pts., 8.1 ast., 1.49 stls The self-proclaimed best point guard in the NBA isn't even close. In fact, his self-absorption has him dropping like a rock in the esteem of many insiders. We'll see if Larry Brown moves him to shooting guard as he did with Iverson. 8. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards Ht./Wt. 6-3, 190 Numbers: 25.5 pts., 5.1 ast., 1.74 stls The league's most improved player in 2003 was finally healthy again last season and kicked it up another notch. He still hasn't proven to be consistent enough moving the ball, but he's a big play guy who will learn in time. 9. Tony Parker, Spurs Ht./Wt. 6-2, 180 Numbers: 16.6 pts., 6.1 ast., 1.23 stls He is so smooth with the ball it's almost as if he plays on roller skates. But every time Parker starts to break into All-Star form, he fades. Yes, they won another title, but his role diminished as the finals progressed. 10. Andre Miller, Nuggets Ht./Wt. 6-2, 200 Numbers: 13.6 pts., 6.9 ast., 1.48 stls Miller struggled like the rest of the Nuggets early last season but came on once George Karl became coach. It would be logical to assume he will have a much more complete season this time around. Also receiving consideration: Sam Cassell, Los Angeles Clippers; Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls; Luke Ridnour, Seattle SuperSonics; Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks; Jamaal Tinsley, Indiana Pacers; Jason Williams, Miami Heat.
AI #1 as a PG? No way! You replace Nash with him last year and the Suns don't win 60 games and make the WCFs. AI has a lot of heart and I love to watch him play, but he kills teamwork which the Suns thrived on. Without considering contract ramifications and just looking at the upcoming season, if I could choose a player for our team from his top 10, or just build a team from scratch, AI would be no higher than # 7.
sorry but ai is one of the best creators not only for himself but for others EVER. no he's not a "pure" PG but find me a better playmaker in the nba. and he is a great leader because his all out, no excuses play inspires his teammates to do the same in fear of letting him down.
steve-o didnt even get an honorable mention? ouch id put nash over iverson, but its all subjective i guess.
Wow Andre Miller is way down there. I like the guy more than Parker and alot of those folks. Ouch....
if steve was still playing for the rox we would've wanted him in the top three lollll funny how things change
I'm sorry, but you better be averaging AT LEAST double digit assists to justify 4.5 turnovers per game...
kidd is hobling aroud on one leg and not playing entire seasons. if he actually plays 75 plus games this year and is as good as he can be, then yeah, he'd probably be my #3 or #4. but coming into this year i'm just not sure how much or how effective he will be.
Baron Davis is ranked WAY too high. The guy was basically an injury-prone Steve Francis during his years at N.O. Now he's a top 5 PG simply due to a great half-season? Makes no sense to me. My own ranking would have Nash, Bibby, and Billups in the top 3, in no particular order. AI would be in there if he has to be considered a PG. Not because of his PG skills, but due to his overall ability. The 2nd tier of PG would include Kidd, Marbury, and Arenas. Kidd gets dropped because of his injury.
yea it does it shoudl be Nash Kidd AI Billups Parker (only cuz hes a vital part of that team) Francis -- on a good day u know the line 28 9 9 3
They ranked Francis as a shooting guard. Number 7. Arenas is on this list with 5 assists to 3 turnovers.
I'd have to put LeBron James near the top of the list. Not your prototypical PG, but I think he has the vision and court sense to be the next Magic (with a little Jordan mixed in).
According to Kenny Thomas, being traded from the Sixers to the Kings allowed him to play basketball again, instead of watching one guy dribble around and shoot. Considering the fact that Kenny played with Fancy before moving to Iverson land, I think that really calls into question the whole AI creates shots for others idea.
"But just consider for a moment what the Suns would look like if Iverson would have been playing with Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson instead of Nash. Would the Suns not have won as many games?" No.
Not saying your point is wrong, but AI was 5th in assists last year. He does control the ball a lot, and as such has high turnover numbers, too, but he was also 7th in efficiency ranking. What's more, this is coming from Kenny Thomas. He ranks right up there with the top group of ball-hoggers in the NBA.
First, if Iverson is considered a PG, so should Francis and Wade. And those two should be ranked among the top 10. Second, Iverson is good for a team with limited talents. Nash is good for a team with lots of talents. Iverson is a ballhog no doubt. He has lots of assists because he is such a dangerous scorer. When defenses converge to him, he is able to dish to the right guy. He doesn't need talented teammates to get those assists. Nash on the other hand, doesn't rely that much on his own scoring ability (although he is no slouch either) to create for his teammates. If those two swapped teams last season, both would suffer. Nash would have not enough talents to distribute. Iverson would create chemistry problems with his talented teammates.
