Dime is the premier basketball magazine, covering the NBA, NCAA, High School, Playground and International basketball - as well as sneakers, fashion and music.
Issue link: http://dimemagazine.epubxp.com/i/73806
LETTERS You could say Kevin Durant, with his 7-4 wingspan and Pterodactyl coverage of the court, has spawned a new breed of player. You could say the same thing about LeBron James. He's literally the first player who ever gave some semblance of truth to the phrase too big, too fast, too strong. Generation X was pushed for a long time, and it's finally here in the NBA. Nowhere is that more apparent than at the point guard position with Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, John Wall and Kyrie Irving adding to what Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Steve Nash have established. We may believe Derrick Rose is the best in the game at the point guard spot, but with his season-ending cataclysmic knee injury during the 2012 NBA Playoffs, who knows what'll happen next? Around the time we put D-Rose on the cover of Dime #69, we asked our readers: WHO IS THE BEST POINT GUARD IN THE NBA? When posed with a question regarding the NBA, I first sit back and ponder all of the great achievements I've witnessed. Kobe scoring 81, LeBron with the huge near triple-double in the Garden, Du- rant vanquishing the super teams of the last decade, and the Mavs of 2011. These memories help dictate my answers. Who is the best point guard in the NBA? Well first who lives up to all this hype? Is it Der- rick Rose, who is the only player in the last four years to get a season MVP not named LeBron James? Is it Chris Paul, who helped revitalize a dead franchise? Is it Russell Westbrook, who has proven that he is an elite scorer? In my opinion these players are all great, and many more are worth mentioning but if we're asking who is the best POINT GUARD, then my answer is the Killer B, RAJON RONDO. He may not have a J, he may not have bounce, but this kid is an assassin and a prototype point guard. Rondo facilitates and orchestrates, and is a natural born leader. He was entrusted with a small role with the Boston Celtics, and that was to get the ball to the stars, but quickly everyone noticed he wasn't just another role player. Rondo was The Man. You take Rondo out of the NBA and you have a crop of point guards that only know how to do one thing: score. Rondo brings so much more and then some. -Joey Nelson It's still CHRIS PAUL. No other point guard controls the tempo, gets teammates in- volved, gets his own buckets and destroys you at crunch time. -Kwaku Danso DERRICK ROSE is the best PG in the league because he attacks the paint consistently but stays under control while doing so. He also can run a team almost as good as the purest PG unlike some other scoring PG's and tries to lead his team by example. De- spite him being more of a scoring PG, he's unselfish and would rather pass the ball to a teammate that's having a great game than score big points every night. Rose is virtually unguardable by his peers at the PG position and usually takes a much big- ger and stronger player to slow him down. Against the elite PG's in the game over the last two years, Rose has outplayed them consistently, making it quite obvious who the best player at the PG position is. Rose continues to improve as a player and be- fore it's all said and done, he may be a top five PG of all time. -Tyree Ali It's sad that the torch is no longer in STEVE NASH's capable hands. Yes he came second in assists and yes he's a pure shooter who has shown himself to be clutch even with one eye or blood pouring from his nose. However, he's lost more than a step and with defenses looking better and better each season (even in Toronto) the best PG has to have that quickness that can change the game. While I know he's not there yet, with a better team around him, I can see John Wall reaching top ranks shortly. He's got the vision, the tempo and the hands. Once his shooting becomes less suspect and his team can bucket the dimes he drops, I think his name will be up there on the list very shortly. -Craig White It is hard to deny Rondo, but when CHRIS PAUL is healthy he is a menace on both ends of the floor, one of the best table set- ters for his guys to get easy baskets, and he is a knock down shooter. Rondo, Rose and 14 Paul are probably the most competitive PGs in the league, but Paul will not only fight on the floor to win, he has more tools to get the job done. -Onaje Lott While he has obviously reached his ceil- ing, TONY PARKER showed this year that he is the best point guard in the NBA. He scores well, facilitates for his teammates and plays consistently well in the flow of the team's offense. He may not be the most exciting but he is surely the most effective at the 1 in the league. Also, an honorary mention for Ricky Rubio, a breath of fresh air this year before the injury. He played with flair and confidence that was staggering for a rookie, and made the Timberwolves worth watching (no easy task) and while he may never be a scorer, he could easily develop into the best true point in a long time. -Neal Weaver Team success involved than it's RUSSELL WESTBROOK...he's playin' for the title as we speak. How he leads doesn't matter as long as he is leading, right? Based on ALL- AROUND skills of just the individual player than it's Deron Williams. The only thing he's missing is more national TV games for the world to know it. -Courtney Kennedy RICKY RUBIO. Not strong, can't shoot, not the greatest defender - these can improve within the next three or four years. But what he does have is the court vision and basketball IQ that many players cannot acquire even with 10, 15 years within the league. Bow down to him. Now. -Jay Chau