The speed at which Rose has added a deadly 3 point shot is amazing. He was already the fastest, most athletic player the 1 position has ever seen. I have watched Rose twice this season and he definately is looking more to set up his teammates. I still cant say he is number one at the position (I have a 3 way tie at first) currently, he definately has the most talent and will be the best point guard of his generation unless he suffers a terrible injury.
Paul is the most asthetically pleasing point guard, he is a joy to watch and creates opportunities for his teammates better than anyone except Nash. But when you consider that Nash is not 1/10th the defender that Paul is and cannot get to the rim the way Paul does, Paul becomes the offensive fans first choice at point guard.
Personally I think Williams is right up there with Paul and Rose for that number one spot. He has amazing size, great passing, is an inside/outside threat and is a great defender at the 1. It's a shame he has never had other great players to play with, I think if he even had a decent team around him that he would compete for a title every year.
A credible argument can be made for any of these 3 as the number 1 PG in the lead. The other candidates all have significant flaws that remove them from contention. Here's the rest of my rankings.
4. Rondo- If he had a jumpshot he would contend for number 1. He is the best defender at the 1, the best help defender, a good distributor and an amazing offensive rebounder. But having your 1 not be a threat to shoot from the outside is so damaging strategically to a team that until he becomes good at this, he will never be in the top group.
5. Parker- He is the poor man's Chris Paul, not as explosive, similar injury problems, but a wonderful offensive player and a great table setter.
6. Westbrook- He is as talented as Rose physically, the guy is lightning quick and strong as hell. But he has not yet learned to play the 1 as a 1. He is very reminiscent of Iverson in that he has amazing ability, but does not seem to understand the role. He may get his head straight and become an amazing player. Or he may continue down his path of contentiousness and poor decision making and become a coach killer. I think he may need to move to 2 guard if he cannot make being a distributor his priority.
7. Nash- he is an artist on the floor. At his height he made basketball a beautiful game. But his defensive limitations have denied his teams the chance to win championships. Always a great player to watch, but not one I would want on my team to compete for a championship.
PS, if OKC trades Westbrook for Nash they are insane. They need someone who can penetrate and dish to Harden, Durant, Sefalosha and others. OKC is still hampered by not having a player that can post up. The are two ways to create inside out open shots, dribble penetration and dumping it down to a player that can score in the post 1v1.
If they really want to trade westbrook they would be much better off getting a solid pointguard and a post up player. Something along the lines of Randolph and Conley from Memphis for Westbrook and Collison or Ibaka, or maybe they move him for Gasol in a multi team deal that also brings them a credible point guard.
One last thing. I feel terrible for the Knicks losing that kid Shumbert in the first game. With him on the floor the Knicks looked amazing, with the collection of crap they have at point guard now they look like a 500 team.
