The Sports Cult

The point guard position is one of the most important, if not the most important position in the NBA. They are otherwise known as floor generals; are compared to quarterbacks; and operate as captains whether they’re  named as such by their coaches.

Today’s PGs are offensively talented and they need to be just as good defensively, because the guy they’re guarding is usually another point guard.

At the turn of the century the NBA was losing fans because it seemed like a game of superstars, rather than team play, hard work, and winning. I’ve heard more than enough people say that NCAA ball was better.          

That was of course until the 2004 NBA Finals, when the underdog Pistons made easy work of the Lakers with a 4-1 series win.

Detroit boasted a starting lineup of hard-working role players: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.

The L.A. lineup had household names: Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Karl Malone, and of course Shaquille O’Neal.

The spirited win sent a message to young ballers that hard work is more important than a big name and that championships are earned, not spoon fed. Two years later, Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number from 8 to 24 to symbolize working hard 24 hours a day.

Nowadays the NBA consists of a new breed of blue-collar stars that work hard and put the team first. The quality of play starts at the point.

Here’s the best of the best in no particular order.

Steve Nash – Two MVP trophies in a row speaks for itself, but I’ll elaborate. The guy doesn’t play as many minutes as other franchise players because of back problems, but everybody knows when he’s on the court . He has a silky smooth jump shot, gets to the basket with ease, and most importantly is a pass-first player. You know that when he is on the court the fast breaks are coming.

Jason Kidd – Mr. Triple-Double. He’s slowing down but his jump shot is finally looking good. He led the Nets in rebounds for a season. He also runs a lot of fast breaks but instead of waiting for an outlet pass, he gets in there and tries to claim the rebound for himself.

Deron Williams –What he lacks in speed he makes up for in strength. Not that he’s slow. The guy is just so smooth. His jump shot is sick, crossover earns respect, and he locks down on defense. He’s the complete package if you ask me.

Chris Paul – Speed Kills. He’s the first of the “Videogame Players.” That’s my nickname for players who do unbelievable things in the middle of a game. Rose and Rondo are the others. I’m talking about ankle breaking crossover, dribbles through a defender’s legs, dribbles through his own legs, passes through the defender’s legs, all at high speeds. He’s always in the top five in assists and steals.

Derrick Rose – Half Man, Half Amazing. It’s a shame that nickname is already taken by Vince Carter because Rose really fits the bill perfectly. When he jumps in the air he really takes flight. That hang time is perfect for a dunk contest and the way he contorts his body in mid-air to score on taller defenders is mesmerizing. He’ll win more MVPs.

Russell Westbrook – D-Rose’s doppelganger. I can’t believe none of the professional NBA analysts are comparing the two. He can’t hang like Rose but everything on the ground looks the same to me both offensively and defensively. He often comes under scrutiny for his decision-making as he tries to be the star on Durant’s team but Westbrook is a star too. Had the shoe been on the other foot, Westbrook could have been MVP and people could have complained about Rose being selfish. Last time I checked, Durant never complained about his shot selection.

Rajon Rondo – One of the smartest guys in the league, and knowledge is power. Let’s take a step into the mind of the defender shall we?

“He can’t shoot so lemme take a couple of steps back and read his eyes so I can pick off the pass, he’s not that good a passer right?”

WRONG.

“Okay so how about I D him really tight and put a lot of pressure on him, his handle ain’t all that, right?”

WRONG.

“So how do you stop him???”

Tony Parker – The only flaw in his offensive game is his shooting. He can get to the rim at ease and has done it for years. He wouldn’t survive on a Popovich team for this long if he couldn’t lock down defensively. Those legs are getting old but they’re not slowing down just yet.

Jeremy Lin – So Linsanity is over but let’s be honest here, the guy can ball. The jump shot doesn’t look good, but it drops. Say what you want about his left hand but he’s young and smart, he will learn. That right hand is dangerous though. He will rectify the turnover problem now that he’s playing in a more conservative offense.

Ricky Rubio – RUBY VISION. His ability to pick out a pass whenever, wherever, is ridiculous. His abilities are very well-known and scouting reports don’t seem to be helping opposing teams so I have very high expectations for him.

Kyrie Irving –He’s making basketball relevant again in Joakim Noah’s favorite vacation spot. He’s a rookie but he has the mentality and composure of a veteran. He’s a gem.

Photo provided by

http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2011/06/12/offseason-targets-point-guards/

Tags: 2004 NBA Finals, Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Detroit Pistons, Gary Payton, Greg Popovich, Jason Kidd, Jeremy Lin, Joakim Noah, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, LA Lakers, NCAA, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Rick Fox, Ricky Rubio, Russell Westbrook, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, Tayshaun Prince, Tony Parker, Vince Carter

This entry was posted on April 6, 2012 at 12:18 AM and is filed under NBA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.