Point Guard Driven League? Maybe, Maybe Not

And I agree 100%. If there’s an All-NBA big man available, it’s the best way to build a championship team. I’ll throw Yao Ming and Dwight Howard into that mix (with Shaq, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett), even though they have not won a Championship yet. One way to build a foundation for a Championship club is to acquire a defensive minded big man…… a shot blocker… and a low post scoring threat. A guy that consistently produces 20-10 with intimidating defense.

HOWEVER, I still believe a team can win with a superior Point Guard, and just a good defensive big man (ie: Chris Paul / Tyson Chandler)… Harder to do, but still possible.

The two hardest positions to fill with elite talent in the NBA are PG and Center. (Yeah, Yeah, I know….. Tim Duncan and Garnett are listed as PF – but they play the role of defensive stopper, shot blocker and low post scoring threat that a traditional Center provides).

So, if the decision comes down to drafting Ricky Rubio vs. Blake Griffin; an argument could be made to draft Rubio with #1. Griffin is not an elite Center. (he will measure out shorter than 6’9" in the draft measurements). He’s not a defensive stopper or a shot blocker. Griffin has been compared to a more athletic Carlos Boozer, or a more offensive David Lee. Not the kind of player that can be the anchor of a Championship team defense for the next 10 years.

Rubio on the other hand has been compared to a taller Chris Paul (that’s scary), or a better defending Steve Nash. He’s also been compared to a once-in-a-lifetime player – - – Pete Maravich.

Team Rubio with outside shooters that can knock down open shots (Arenas, Stevenson, Butler) , and a defensive minded big man (Brendan Haywood / JaVale McGee). Throw in some inside (Jamison, McGee) and mid-range (Butler, McGuire) scoring …. some athletic guys on the break (Young, Arenas, McGee, McGuire, Butler); some pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop players (Songaila, Jamison, Haywood) – and I think that team could be interesting.

If that’s the case, the best big man on those two teams are Zydrunas Ilgauskas or Pau Gasol. Both solid big men but neither is on the same level as Shaq, Duncan, or Garnett.

I would agree with you, except I’ve heard several talking heads mention Pau for First Team NBA this year. Even lookinng to last year, it was only after the Lakers acquired Gasol that they became a true title contender. Really, only the Cavs would be an anomaly in terms of the theory driving this post (and I think we all know why).

that it’s a guard driven league? Aside from ‘99, when there were two great big men on the same team, there’s either been a great point guard or two-guard, sometimes both.

I see where you’re going with this, but you’re doing a disservice to Kobe and DWade without any mention of them..

but many of the hand-check rules (that benefit the guards) didn’t take place until sometime after 2003. I think people claiming this transition to being a “PGDL” are referring more to the ability to score from that position, nand less to saying that good PG = championship.

I’ve driven a huge part of the Rubio debate on StR over Griffin, but thats largely because I believe Rubio has greater upside to realize than Griffin does. Griffin has flaws in his game, but I would be very surprised that Griffin isn’t pretty much the same player he is now 5 years down the road.

That being said, that doesn’t mean the league is about dominant PG’s. It’s usually about dominant teams with a dominant game changing player.

The difference between Chris Paul and Tim Duncan? The level of surrounding talent them, and the franchise commitment/savvy.

I don’t think the league is a PG dominated league. Rondo puts up great #‘s, but he plays with veterans who perfectly augment his weaknesses. Rondo is a serious talent, but again, his #’s make him look hall of fame caliber. He is not at that level of player quite yet.

Last point. This is a PG heavy draft, and really a G oriented draft. Quite a few teams need PG’s, and G’s. Even though Blake Griffin is considered a top flight big, I still don’t believe he is a franchise player. Of all the bigs that have come into the NBA, which have been consistently franchise players? Yao? Amare? Dwight? Howard is the closest of those 3 IMO, and even then, Houston fans squawk about Yao being left out. Also, Shaq didn’t win 3 titles by his lonesome, and the Pistons ring probably had something to do with the end of the Lakers “Shaq-Kobe” dynasty.