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- Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 1:46pm #21638
dolla130ParticipantThe NBA, A-through-Z: Chris Paul
By Kelly Dwyer
For the next few weeks, I’m going to pick an NBA-related subject, A-through-Z, and tell you why it’s worth your time, and why it’s one of the reasons I love covering this league. Because that’s why I wanted to become a scribe who’s paid to cover this league. Sharing the things I know and love with those of my kind. All that stuff.
Because I’m lucky enough to have your ear for however long, I don’t care that this might come off as a bit twee. A little embarrassing. A little too forthright. I’m OK with that. Hopefully you are, as well.
“C” is for “Chris Paul.”
There are so many reasons to be interested in Chris Paul(notes). Mainly because he creates more questions than he does answers.
Is he the best point guard in the NBA?
This seems pretty cut and dry. It seems like the difference between him and Deron Williams(notes) is the difference between Kobe Bryant(notes) and Brandon Roy(notes), but if so many people still call it a tie, or see Williams as the better player, than what are we missing? Seems like we can’t help but use the word “seems” a lot, and doubt ourselves a smidge.
Is he injury-prone?
It was a pretty silly tag, early on, just because the guy missed four games in his first year and 18 games since. And people would still bring up Paul being injury-prone and frail in the two years that followed, even if he missed only a total of six games between 2007-09. And then, right when the noise quiets down, the guy turns his ankle against Portland a year ago. Played only 45 games in 2009-10, half of them gimped-out.
Is he not only the best point guard of his generation, but well on his way toward being one of the best point guards of all time?
If you look at PER, Paul’s career mark of 25.6 is pretty astounding. Amazing, actually, considering how PER usually tends to hate point guards because it rates rebounding so highly. But can this be possible? The guy that we’re watching down in New Orleans every other night is working on a level unseen since Magic Johnson? Pace isn’t a factor — the Hornets don’t run much, and PER adjusts for pace — but is the set-up? Does Paul run an offense that basically allows him a point or assist just about every time down court?
His defense, is it great? The greatest? Just OK? He gets a ton of steals, he’s led the league twice, but we’ve also seen him lose guys. Then again, everyone loses guys these days. There isn’t a point guard in this league who isn’t made to look silly on defense a couple of times a game. Something about not being able to touch guys while you guard them.
Is he kind of a jerk? He didn’t ask for a trade this summer, but he let all sorts of people unofficially representing him toss out the idea that he’d prefer to be gonzo, nowzo. Save for the steady David West(notes), the we-still-don’t-know Emeka Okafor(notes) and the underrated (by me, unfortunately) Marcus Thornton(notes), the Hornets don’t have a lot of help around CP3. But then again, he signed that contract.
So what do we have? The man who could be the best point guard ever, playing for a team that doesn’t win much (which allows for unfair comparisons to point guards who get to play with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), a team that he might not want to play for, but a team that we love to watch. Do we love to watch the team because of what Chris Paul is able to do with it? Sure, but we also loved it when Chris missed 37 games last season.
Is he a system guy, in spite of two, and soon-to-be three, career coaches? Or does he create that good fortune? Our eyes tell us he’s dominant, up there with LeBron and D-Wade. The stats say the same thing. So why the disconnect? Why are we left — after years of telling people how sure we were — unsure?
Because that’s what Chris Paul does, and it’s fantastic. Keeps you thinking on your feet, as a fan. Keeps you questioning yourself, your take on the game and your approach to the way you analyze things. We could be watching the greatest point guard ever, or we could be watching a mirage that has duped us all. Clearly, we’re leaning toward the former, but we’re also loving every minute of it.
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 1:54pm #402966
TheFactionCoalition.comParticipantJust me or is that a badly written article?
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 1:54pm #402971
TheFactionCoalition.comParticipantJust me or is that a badly written article?
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 1:59pm #402974
BasterdInABasketParticipantYeah he (or she) pretty much just wrote their thoughts and it was kinda hard to understand what they were trying to say
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 1:59pm #402979
BasterdInABasketParticipantYeah he (or she) pretty much just wrote their thoughts and it was kinda hard to understand what they were trying to say
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 3:59pm #403474
NYCrealdealParticipantis yes
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 5:36pm #403523
sheltwon3ParticipantThey forgot about Treva Ariza and New Orleans does not suck but they are just not good enough to be a Playoff team in the West. They could get lucky and get that 8th spot but their lack of talent compared to other teams hurts them.
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 6:25pm #403543
sacphil_08ParticipantRealistically I think best PG in the league comes down to deron Williams and chris Paul obviously. But I think it’s a matter of preference. Do you like amazing end to end speed with a “street” feel to his amazing dribbling with chris Paul. Or do you like the silky smoothness of deron Williams. The finesse yet powerful way he plays. I think what separates them is deron Williams is a good enough scorer to be a starting shooting guard. He can shoot and when he’s hot he’s automatic. Chris Paul has developed a pretty good mid range jumper but he isnt nearly the threat deron is. In the end of a game chris Paul will be looking to get a pass to an open teammate whereas deron Williams can just go at the defense with his physical tools and get it done. That said I prefer deron Williams. Also chris Paul HAS to have an SG that can shoot pretty well next to him because he isn’t a huge 3pt threat, whereas Williams was able to have Ronnie brewer start alongside him for the last few seasons and lead Utah to the playlets each year. If I had the option deron Williams is the guy I start my team with if I had to choose
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 6:37pm #403546
boxn1ParticipantThey have players but no real direction. No i.d. A ownership situation that isnt clear by any means. The Hornets don’t have issues they have large problems that aren’t being solved anytime soon
0 - Posted on: Thu, 09/16/2010 - 10:02pm #403563
ItsVictorOladipoParticipantIt seems like the difference between him and Deron Williams(notes) is the difference between Kobe Bryant(notes) and Brandon Roy(notes),
——————————————————————————————————————————————I don’t follow this at all.
The difference between CP3 and Deron is WAY smaller than the difference between Kobe and Roy…
0 - Posted on: Fri, 09/17/2010 - 6:50am #403604
doubledribblerParticipantI used to say that Williams was the better pg, even when everyone else was talking about Chris Paul. I always liked how Williams was bigger and played physical defense. Don’t get me wrong, but Paul plays nice defense too, his is just more of the pesky variety. When I really examine the situations, I think that Paul is the better pg, but barely. I think the one thing that has to be taken into account is that Deron Williams has been playing with much better players, while Paul has been playing with David West and a bunch of has beens that most teams wouldn’t play. Any time you are the main playmaker, the quality of guys around you is going to be a big part of how good you look. I remember the one year where Paul completely carried the team and elevated guys like Peja and Mo Pete, but it’s hard to do every year, especially when every year your team is looking to cut salary.
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