Best of the Best

One of the hottest topics in the NBA this year aside from the inordinate amount of blockbuster trades, free agent acquisitions and the controversy with the big three in Miami has been that of point guard play. Many have debated all year long as to who the top five point guards are and in what order. This is because unlike many other positions they really aren't clear cut top players. At shooting guard its Kobe and D-Wade, at small forward its Durant, Melo and Lebron at center its Dwight Howard with Bynum emerging as a contender when hes healthy and so on and so forth. However aside from Derrick Rose, who has emerged as not only the best point guard this year but the leagues MVP, you could argue for seven or eight guys to be placed in the top five. I'm gonna start with my biggest omissions the first of which is Rajon Rondo.(The grumbling from Celtics fans across the Northeast is almost audible) Don't get me wrong Rondo is an incredible passer and a very solid defender but the fact of the matter is that when healthy he is playing in a starting five with four future hall of famers in O'Neal, Garnett, Pierce and Allen so it would surprise me if a trained monkey couldn't get 10+ assists in that lineup. Aside from that fact he can't shoot at all, and you may say "oh well James he shoots over 50% from the field", that fact is very deceiving, take a look at his shot chart and I am willing to guarantee around 80% of the shots he takes are layups. My next omission would be Tony Parker simply because he hasn't put up great numbers this year and isn't as dominant on either side of the court as the five guys who made the cut. The next omission would be Jason Kidd who many people don't realize is the third leading 3pt shooter of all time. Sadly for Jason Kidd hes just past his prime and has shot well below 40% from the field this year, his assist numbers are still good up around 8.5 per game but hes just lost a step. So lets get to the top five bringing up the rear at number 5 I have Chris Paul. Although hes lost a step this year due to the lingering affects of his knee injury, he has evolved with his lack of quickness. Not being able to blow by people like he did earlier in his career has changed his game and being the incredible ball handler he is hes rolled with it. His points are down a little but he still averages 9.8 assists a game and gets 2.4 steals a night. As always hes one of the most efficient pg's in the league with 4.7 assist to turnover ratio. Next I have Deron Williams at 4. Deron Williams can do it all at the point guard position he can pass, he can shoot and he can take over a game when he needs to. Averaging 21 and 10 he gets overshadowed sometimes because his teams have been mired in mediocrity this year. At 3 I have Steve Nash who has been a staple in the top five for what seems like a decade now. The man has aged very gracefully hes one of the best shooting point guards to ever play the game as well as one of the best passers if not the best in the league right now. He plays so smart and it shows as he has been a member of the 50FG%, 403PT%, 90FT%, club since '04 one of the toughest accomplishments in basketball. Bringing up the number 2 spot I have Russell Westbrook who has emerged the last two years as a premier point guard. One of the most physically dominant guards in the league Westbrook has the uncanny ability to get to the hoop at all times. This year his shooting has emerged as more of a threat and his ability to guard 1-3 separates him from most point guards. At the number one spot, along with everyone else, I have Derrick Rose. Plain and simple he has been the most dominant player in the league this year. He can get to the hoop with his quickness and this year has emerged as a jump shooting threat. He has emerged as one of the toughest covers in the NBA and is far and away the leagues MVP. The Bulls without Rose would probably be a 500 team, with Rose however they have become the dominant power in the East.

1. Derrick Rose

2. Russell Westbrook

3. Steve Nash

4. Deron Williams

5. Chris Paul