Where Does Nash Rank Among The Greatest PGs Of All Time?

Deron Williams and Chris Paul will eventually pass Nash on the list if they haven't already.

 

Top 10 for sure, top 5 debatable.

 

****forgot Walt Frazier

 

I would put Nash in the top 10, just in terms of accomplishments, the dude has 2 MVP's, multiple All-Star appearances and named to a couple of All NBA first team, which has to count for something...

--RB

 

The most imporant thing in this discussion is the era the other great pg's played in with the exception of Jason Kidd. The NBA Started getting super soft around the late 90's which is when Nash started to peak. Also the 00-01 season introduced the " HAND CHECK RULE ". However, this rule was not really enforced until the NBA was adamant about enforcing the rule... which began in 04/05 - 05/06 seasons where Refs were really zoning in on it to make sure there would be penalties. Coincidentally, Nash won his 2 MVP's during these two years and other perimeter players were having career years.

Not to take anything away from Nash. I think he's been luckier than he is good. He benefited from playing in the right era thus letting him last longer in the league. Is he HOF material? Sure. One of the greatest of all time at PG? Hell no.

 

To be quite honest I'm not sure Nash is better than Chauncey Billups, with what Billups has done over the past 5-6 years, especially on both ends of the floor (Nash is a sieve on defense, Billups has been on the All-Defense team twice).

 

Kids today cant begin to understand how good kj was. Imagine if you couldnt put a hand on kj. Nevermind the fact he played in the same era as magic,zeke,stockton to name a few. Then i look at dallas when he didnt dominate the ball for 90% of the time and he was just a good pg. He goes to phoenix and keeps the ball all the time and now he's a 2 time mvp,but cant even make it to the finals.He's probably 11 or 12, but paul and williams are going to push him down even further in the next couple of yrs.

 

Nice to know some people get it.

 

I would take Billups over Nash.

 

Nash is borderline top 5. Isiah is overrated. I think people forget just how good his supporting cast was. Dumars and Aguirre/Dantley were allstar level, and he had some of the best role players in the league on his team as well - Rodman, Laimbeer, and Vinny Johnson.

Check this out for career True Shooting %
Nash: 0.605
Thomas: 0.516
Hardaway: 0.530
KJ: 0.585

Isiah and Hardaway are nowhere close. Sure, Isiah was better on D than Nash, but it's not like Isiah was anywhere near defensive player of the year. In fact it's arguable that KJ was better than Isiah too.

 

Nash was surrounded by Amare, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, and Shaq, who were all all-stars who played with him and has had excellent role players as well like Grant Hill, Jason Richardson, and Leandro Barbosa

 

I'm gonna guess you are too young to have seen him play. lol.

 

Sorry, but that is one of the dumber posts I have read on this board. Who exactly do you think Steve Nash is/was surrounded by?

 

This is what I think too.

DD

 

In terms of generating offense for himself and his team, maybe he is one of the greatest of all time. But as a complete PG, he is not in the top 5.

Isiah Thomas was actually pretty damn good if you consider the physical era he played in and the fact that he was only slightly bigger than aaron brooks.

 

Kidd, Billups, Parker, Deron.

 

i would put him somewhere under payton as well. maybe im biased, but i still maintain that stockton's numbers were inflated b/c he played with malone and hornacek.

and the arguments about how nash couldn't do it without x and y player isn't really valid because no pg can do it alone. look at chris paul for example. look at penny (potential to be the GOAT if not for his tmac attitude). he dropped off quickly after shaq left orlando.

malone had one of the quickest shots of his time and all you needed to do was get him the ball to get the assist. granted stockton was no scrub by any means but IMHO nash is like stockton and hornacek's love child on roids, payton without the defense, or a watered down KJ. as much as i despised those 2 players; they were dam efficient/effective.

Nash as the GOAT? maybe if you focus on his 2 MVPs and the impact he had on the suns. There are many teams that would improve with him as PG.

 

So Nash's numbers are not inflated by the league-high pace and the wide open style of D'Antoni? Nash's numbers are not inflated by playing with finishers like Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and very good shooters?

Plus you contradicted yourself with those two statements.

 

Why is it when we discuss Golden St. players that people bring up the fact that because of their system their numbers are inflated but it's not really brought up with Phoenix.

Is it because of the team success? That is the only thing I can think of.

 

Yup, these four bolded guys played together in Phoenix in 03-04 before Nash joined them. That team's record was 29-53.

Nash joined them in 04-05 and they go 62-20.