It’s time to rank my Top 10 point guards. Is Deron Williams #1 or #2?

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! Hope y’all are enjoying the playoffs. Season Recaps for all 30 NBA teams are coming shortly, so stay tuned.

My Top 10 Point Guards

This season, we saw guys like Russell Westbrook and Aaron Brooks take their games to the next level, and stud rookies like Stephen Curry and Tyreke Evans emerge. If you ask me, the NBA has become a point guard’s league, and there’s no question which position is oozing with the most talent. With this in mind, I decided to rank my Top 10 point guards.

First, I want to clarify that these rankings have nothing to do with their fantasy values. In fact, I’m not considering statistics at all for this. Instead, I’m asking myself this question: if I’m team captain and I get to pick my team for a pickup game, and every NBA player is available on the sidelines, who would I pick first? Of course you’d want to pick players with complementary skills, but let’s forget about the other positions for now. I am considering point guards ONLY.

This list was created for my own curiosity first and foremost (I wasn’t sure who my Top 10 point guards were until I had to really think about it), but since I try to observe and analyze every aspect of the NBA from as many angles as possible, perhaps some of you will be interested. Drumroll please…..

Honorable Mention: C. Billups, T. Evans, B. Davis, J. Wall, R. Rubio
It’s tough to leave Billups out of my Top 10. He was the Finals MVP in ‘03-04, and he had led his teams to the NBA Finals or Conference Finals in 7 STRAIGHT seasons prior to this one. However, at the age of 33, he’s not the All-NBA defender that he used to be, so several younger & quicker guards have moved ahead of him. Evans had an incredible rookie season and is built like a tank, but he’s still quite raw, and he needs to improve his shooting and defense before he cracks my Top 10.

I still have lots of love for Baron Davis, and I still believe that he’s an All-Star talent. If BD can stay healthy, and if the Clippers can find a new coach who’s willing to give him some freedom, he could surprise some people next year. Speaking of next season, I can’t wait to see what John Wall is going to do in his rookie year. From what I’ve seen, he has the potential to be a Top 3 PG in this league, so it’s only a matter of time before he cracks this list. And while he likely won’t come to the NBA until 2011 or 2012, Ricky Rubio also deserves a mention here, as he very much appears to be the second coming of Jason Kidd.

#10. Gilbert Arenas

Call me crazy, but I’m giving Gilbert the nod over the more accomplished Billups and the rising star Evans. This decision may surprise some of you, but it was only a few years ago that Arenas was still considered an elite player. While I have several youngsters now ranked ahead of him, we should remember that this is the same guy who used to get to the basket at will a la Westbrook, could light it up from outside a la Curry, and could drop 40+ points on any given night a la Rose. When healthy & focused, he’s also a solid defender. His skill set is more polished than Tyreke’s, his upside is greater than Chauncey’s, and he now has a SERIOUS chip on his shoulder.

#9. Tony Parker

He’s not a great fantasy player and he was hurt for much of this season, but in my opinion, Parker is still one of the league’s elite PG’s. Like Billups he has a Finals MVP under his belt, and his team has NEVER missed the postseason. When healthy, the sneaky Frenchman is one of the best in the league at getting into the paint and making things happen. At the age of 27 he’s in his prime, whereas Evans and Wall still have a lot to prove.

#8. Stephen Curry

In his first year in the league, Curry wasted no time proving that not only will he succeed in the NBA, but that he’ll be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come. His outside shot is a thing of beauty, his court vision and passing ability is excellent, and he’s a feisty competitor who will only get better. Right now, I’ll still give Kidd & Nash the nod over him due to their experience, but it’s only a matter of time before he leapfrogs the old vets. Last summer he worked out with Chris Paul, and if the two get together again, the rest of the league better watch out come October.

#7. Jason Kidd

Quite simply, Kidd is one of the greatest point guards to ever play this game. His size is superb, his outside shot has improved greatly, and in the open court he’s STILL the very best at running the fast break. However, while his defense is still solid, he can’t stay in front of this new generation of speedster guards, and his inability to hurt opposing teams with his scoring is really starting to hurt his own team. He’s still a Top 10 PG, but after his miserable performance in this season’s playoffs, he’s definitely fallen out of my Top 5.

#6. Russell Westbrook

In terms of raw athleticism (speed, quickness, leaping ability, strength, agility, endurance, explosiveness, and coordination), I believe that Russell Westbrook has more than ANYONE at his position. It only takes him a split second to reach blazing speeds, he can change directions with ease, he can soar thru the lane and hammer it down on bigs, and his motor is relentless. And this season he learned how to HARNESS those abilities, so he rarely plays out of control. If Russell works on his outside shot and becomes a more reliable defender, the sky’s the limit.

#5. Derrick Rose

First, the weaknesses: Rose does NOT have legit 3-point range, he often plays out of control, and his decision making has lots of room for improvement. Of course, he has a plethora of strengths. He’s very strong for his size, extremely quick and athletic, and his superb crossover and dribble hesitation moves allow him to get into the paint at will. His mid-range jumper is solid, he’s an unselfish player, and he can play tough D when he wants to. He’s yet to advance his team past the 1st round, but at the same time, he’s still very young, and he’s yet to play with a proven low-post scorer.

#4. Rajon Rondo

For the second year in a row, Rondo is taking his game to another level in the postseason. It’s almost like the regular season doesn’t matter to him, because in the playoffs he suddenly becomes a more aggressive and potent scorer. His shot is still very unreliable from either the free throw line or 3-point arc, but it’s getting better, and another summer of refining his stroke should help. Of course, Rondo would much rather setup his teammates anyway, and he’s become VERY good at doing that.

After Westbrook, he’s one of the most athletic guards on this list, and when you combine that with his freakishly long wingspan, it gives him a HUGE physical advantage over Nash. Not only is he a lockdown man-to-man defender, but he’s a great team defender and rebounder as well. But the tools that really set Rondo apart from other point guards are his humongous hands. Have you seen how EASILY Rajon can palm the ball while dribbling or catching a pass, or how easily he switches hands in mid-air, or how easily he busts that ball fake? His massive mitts enable him to do all that, but then again, maybe that’s also why he’s such a poor free throw shooter. I’m tempted to rank him ahead of Nash, but he’s got to become a more reliable scorer and hit a few game-winning shots first.

#3. Steve Nash

As evidenced by last Monday’s 33 point, 10 assist, 13-19 shooting performance in a Phoenix win, old man Nash can still play. When the ball is in his hands, HE controls the tempo of the game, and HE keeps the opposing team on their toes at all times. His combination of deadly shooting + precision passing + impeccable footwork is that of legendary status, and lest you forget, since 2000-2001, his Dallas and Phoenix teams have gone 554-266 in the regular season, for a whopping .676 win percentage. However, his defense is quite limited and his health is always a concern. Still, the guy is a proven winner, and if my johnson depends on it, I would feel safe with the ball in Nash’s hands.

#2. Chris Paul

Off the court, Chris Paul seems very “angelic,” and this factor should NOT be underestimated. In my opinion, the difference between a great player and a great TEAMMATE is a great personality. When a team’s best player is humble, hard-working, friendly, funny, mature, sincere, and tough-minded, the more likely it is that his teammates will get along, rally around their leader, and take on those same traits. Unfortunately for CP3, his teammates simply aren’t that talented. This definitely hurt him this past season, as he struggled with injuries but still had to carry most of the load for New Orleans.

Of course, when he’s healthy, Chris Paul has no problem carrying a team on his back. He does an excellent job of getting his teammates involved, but he can score at will when he chooses to do so. He’s quick and savvy enough to beat anybody off the dribble, yet strong and explosive enough to finish at the rim. His mid-range jumper is money, and he’s become a deadly 3-point shooter at the top of the arc. Paul is also an excellent defender, altho bigger guards have had some success posting him up. Overall, CP3 has very few weaknesses, and he’s a very efficient, exciting, unselfish, and clutch player. He’s one of my favorite guards in the league, and quite simply, I think he WANTS people to tell him that he’s no longer the top dog, because he wants to prove all of us wrong.

#1. Deron Williams

I thought that Chris Paul was the #1 point guard in 2008-2009, and I didn’t want to strip him of that title due to this year’s injuries. However, when comparing Chris Paul and Deron Williams, one merely needs to look at their head-to-head matchups. In 14 career games vs. Utah, CP3 has averaged 15.6 points on just 41.2% FG shooting (his lowest FG% against any team). Conversely, in 18 career games vs. New Orleans, D-Will has averaged 17.7 points on a whopping 55.9% FG shooting (his HIGHEST FG% against any team). Okay, I know I said that I wasn’t going to consider statistics, but about this one? In the 13 games where they’ve each played against each other, Utah has 10 wins, compared to 3 for New Orleans.

Without a doubt, all the hype about D-Will being the best at his position is MORE than well warranted. In that 1st round series against Denver, he simply willed his team to victory. Billups had to give everything he had just to not get embarrassed by Williams, but the Nuggets still had no chance. No Kirilenko, no Okur, no problem for Deron. Physically, he’s very big and strong for a point guard, but he still seems a little overweight, and he’s definitely NOT in the running for greatest leaper or fastest guy in the NBA. However, he’s deceptively quick, and he can explode above the rim when he wants to. We all know how effective Utah’s pick and roll is (was), first with Stockton & Malone and now with Williams & Boozer. Both Deron and Stockton are (were) excellent decision makers, but while Stockton was clearly the better defender, Deron’s offensive arsenal is simply far superior. This all stems from his fantastic footwork.

When D-Will has the ball, his feet are ALWAYS moving. It’s like he’s dancing along to some crazy beat in his head, and if you watch his moves in slow motion, sometimes his feet seem to tap the ground 4 or 5 times in between dribbles. However, while he has a killer crossover and beautiful hesitation moves, he doesn’t use them just to look flashy. Williams bounces and floats around the court with a PURPOSE, and his 1st move is precisely calculated to setup his 2nd move, which leads to his 3rd move, and if need be, his 4th and 5th moves. He can drive left and right equally well. He can drain pullup jumpers, stepback jumpers, and 3-pointers. He has no problem setting up his teammates, or taking it hard to the rim to use his strength to finish at the basket. With his combination of size + strength + footwork + deceptive speed + calculated moves + confidence + much more, Deron Williams is the Muhammad Ali of the NBA, and that makes him my #1 point guard.