On the Suddenly Entertaining (Again) NBA

Much has been said about the renaissance of the NBA this year. A league that had been by-and-large fairly dull and draining the last few years has once again become fast-paced and exciting with a plethora of just absolutely fantastic teams and fascinating players. You could claim many reasons for this sudden resurgence: the quality of young, talented and (perhaps most important) well-spoken superstars in the league, the mix of foreign players that can shoot and domestic players that can play a more bruising game, the sudden relevance of traditional powerhouses like the Lakers and Celtics, or even the impact that one year of college can have on a player coming straight out of high school. You could make cases for all of those. My explanation for us reaching the dawning of a new golden age? The NBA has finally become the league of the point guard.
If you think of point guards over the last decade, two names immediately come to mind: Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. Both are exceptional point guards. Nash is the best offensive point guard we've seen since probably Isiah Thomas (he's just a better pure shooter than Stockton for anyone who wants to bring that up). Here's Nash's stats. For his career he's shooting near %50 from the field, %43 from the three-point line and %90 from the free threw line. Not too shabby. Kidd's one of the best all around point guards in NBA history. He's not the pure scorer that Nash is, but is un-arguably a better rebounder and defender. Either way, they've both been at the top tier of NBA point guards for, if not the last decade, at least since the turn of the century. And the drop off in talent after them was drastic. Stockton and Marc Jackson have been out of the league for a while. Sam Cassell was never a top tier point guard. Stephon Marbury sucks (I beg you to watch ths interview... I beg you). Who else was there? Mike Bibby and Tim Hardaway were good... but they were never really great. After that, um...
Entertaining NBA games go as the point guard goes. The point guard starts the play with the ball in his hands, positions his teammates, and distributes the ball to them. He is the decision and play maker. For the last few years, the lack of quality point guards was affecting play in the NBA. Without someone to set-up the offense and then put the ball in the right place, we got a lot of defensive, slow-paced basketball and offenses that had one person driving to the basket while the other four stood around. Thought this crappy brand of basketball still exists (look at the Cavs or Hawks offense... ugh; although give Delonte West some time and I think he'll develop into a decent point guard), the NBA renaissance that we are all witnessing is directly correlated with the beautification of the game which is a by-product of the higher level of point guard play throughout the league.

Franchise Level

Steve Nash may only have a few years left playing at the high level he has been, but for now he has to remain in the franchise point guard category. There's no one in the league I'd trust more at the free throw line and he seems to always know when to shoot and when to pass. This year was really all about Chris Paul though. He was second in MVP voting and just had a ridiculous season taking a Hornets team with little to no expectations to the number 2 seed in the highly competitive wester conference. His averages this year were excellent, but they just can't explain the whole story. It's an absolute joy to watch him play the point guard position. Besides the 20 and 10, he led the league in steals and has a ridiculous turnover rate. I really can't explain how good he is. Got everything you'd want in a point guard aside from size, but he more than makes up for that with a Jordan-like ferocity on the court. Peja and David West owe Paul a ton.
Deron Williams has also boldly solidified himself in the upper echelon of point guards. After Paul he's arguably the best point guard in the league, and he might be the one guard in the league that can actually stop Paul. Williams might not be as flashy as Paul or Nash, but just watch him play and you'll realize how good of a point guard he is.

Finally Arriving on the Scene

I gotta place Baron Davis, Rafer Alston, and Andre Miller here. All three seemed like damaged goods entering the season and I don't think most people expected a lot out of any of the three. Davis, Alston and Miller, though, pretty much told their detractors to kiss their collective asses. The Baron played in every game this season. You read that right - Baron freaking Davis played all 82 games this season. That is un-heard of. In doing so, Davis showed that he can truly be the leader you need your point guard to be and made the Warriors a team worth watching. He went from a talented, oft-injured, over-rated star, to someone you'd want on your team down by one with 5 seconds to go.
Miller seemed like a throwaway in the AI trade. Being a Sixers fan I wasn't all that excited about getting him in return for one of my all time favorite players. I mean, Andre Miller? This guy didn't do shit on the Clippers or the Nuggets (granted that may have been because he was on the Clippers and the Nuggets). I figured we'd end up trading him for cap space this year. But then something amazing happened about mid-way through this season. This Sixers team clicked. Mo Cheeks had got them to play hard every night and Miller was the catalyst. He played good 'D', ran our up-tempo offense and was the absolute heart of our team.
Alston went from the guy in the And 1 league to a bona-fide NBA point guard this year. It took him a few years to get out of the street ball mentality and learn how to be a true team player, but Rafer finally did arrive on the scene, helping the Rockets to survive with Yao. He gave Houston that consistent play maker and outside shooter that they've been looking for to take the pressure off of T-mac.
No one saw these turnaround seasons by Davis, Alston or Miller. None of them are exactly that young and I, among I'm sure many other people, assumed that their best days were behind them. They defied all expectations and proved us all wrong by showing what they can really do, leading two young, exciting teams and another team in Houston that had the second longest winning streak of all time. So there's three more teams that suddenly got competent leadership where they previously could be said to be lacking such.

Young and Talented

This season also saw the emergence of a lot of young point guards that could play at or near an all star level in the future. You had Rajon Rondo in Boston, Monta Ellis in Golden State, and of course Jose Calderon in Toronto.
Rondo's benefited from playing with KG, Pierce and Allen in Boston and has shown that he should be Boston's point guard for years to come. He's tough, a good defender, and learning to be more assertive by the day. Experience in the playoffs will no doubt help him in the future.
Ellis may be listed at a shooting guard, but it's an inevitability that he'll be moved to the point eventually. He's just too creative of a player to keep at shooting guard and a few years of tutelage behind Baron have done nothing but helped. If Davis leaves over the off-season look for Ellis to take over the point.
Calderon seemed to come out of no-where and even made a late push to be included on the East all-star team. He's top five in the league in assists and barely ever turns the ball over... and he had to share his position with TJ Ford. Imagine if he played true starter minutes! This guy's a star in the making. He could easily be one of the top 3 point guards in the league within the next 2 years.
The future's bright for the Celtics, Warriors and Raptors.

The Potential's There

I hate when they use the word potential during the NBA draft. It pisses me off. Instead of going for what you think may be there, why not take what you know is there? In this case, we've had a lot of young point guards that have shown glimpses or flashes of their potential. These guys all have the ability to be high quality guards in this league, whether they reach their peak or not is up to them. Who am I putting here: Jameer Nelson from Orlando, Delonte West from Cleveland, Randy Foye from Minnesota, Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry from Memphis, Jordan Farmar from LA, Louis Williams from Philly, Devin Harris from New Jersey, Raymond Felton from Charlotte and Ramon Sessions from Milwaukee.
Let's start with Jameer. He plays the game with a bulldog-type tenacity that you gotta love in a player. He increased his offensive production this year and seems to be meshing well with the phenom that is Dwight Howard (although, for the love of god, please get him the ball in this Celtics series!!). Nelson always tries his hardest (which you can't say about a lot of NBA players), but his height is obviously a disadvantage; at this point in his career he gets abused by taller, stronger point guards. If he continue to improve his game in the off-season, Orlando will be a force for years to come.
Delonte's another St. Joe's alum. Playing shooting guard in college, it's taken him a while to switch over to point guard, and it seems he's finally found a place with Cleveland after bouncing around through Boston and Seattle. West is an unselfish players that can shoot a high-percentage, but he can also handle the ball. His decision making will only get better with time and he'll be an excellent compliment to Lebron next year. If only the Cavs can get a power forward, a shooting guard and maybe a young center that can actually run up and down the court.... not to mention some semblance of a bench.
I love Randy Foye. He's another young point that has had to make the transition over from playing shooting guard in college. He's definitely talented enough to do it, but he needs to stay healthy. This has not been an easy task for him thus far. If Foye can stay off the injury list he'll combine with Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes to provide an excellent base for the Timberwolves to build off of.
Mike Conley played big games in college, so we know he can handle the pressure. Could he have used another year or two in school? Yeah, definitely. But he's gonna be good. The problem is, Kyle Lowry also shares the back court with Conley. Lowry's another good, young point guard that probably came out of school a year too early. Lowry's tough and stocky and will pretty much bulldoze his way to the basket. Both of them can be starting point guards in this league, but how the hell's that gonna happen in Memphis? If you're running the Grizzlies, why do you spend first round picks on point guards in back-to-back years? What the fuck? How does that make any sense whatsoever? It might be in the best interests of both Conley and Lowry if one of them is traded and handed the reins to their own team.
I thought Farmar would be a little further along at this point. He has all the skills to be a top tier point guard in this league and I think the Lakers were smart to not include him in the Pau Gasol trade. Farmar will get to learn from Derek Fisher, one of the NBA's true professionals, and will get to play some minutes in some big time playoff games. Eventually Farmar will take over the point for the Lakers and don't be surprised to see him in a few all-star games in the future. He can already shoot and has confidence in his shot; he just needs to work on his decision making and get a better understanding of the pro game. That will only come with age.
As a Sixers fan I'm really excited by what Louis Williams brings to the table, and also deeply concerned by what he takes away. I didn't get to watch that many Sixers game (cause the NBA, in their infinite wisdom, gave the Miami Heat about 50,000 god-damned national TV games!!), but in the ones I did watch I liked what I saw of Williams. The kid is athletic as all hell and is almost unstoppable when he attacks the rim. He is one of the quickest players in the league and reminds me of AI. Therein lies the problem. AI, like Williams, was 6 foot on a good day and got just abused on the defensive end before he gave up trying to play defense altogether. I love AI, but it'll be tough for him to ever win a title unless he accepts some defensive responsibility or he's surrounded by a group of players that are absolutely committed to defense. Williams will have to play defense for the Sixers to be successful. Luckily Williams gets to learn from Andre Miller and Mo Cheeks (one of the games all time best defensive point guards). Williams is still very raw, even after being in the league for I think three years, and I think he has the potential and has been placed in the right position to be extremely successful in the future.
Devin Harris has clearly not lived up to his high draft pick, and now he's stuck playing with that team cancer that is Vince Carter for the foreseeable future. Harris, though, is ridiculously fast and can get to the rim when he wants. Jersey doesn't have much, but there's a chance we'll finally see him thrive there (I wouldn't bet on it though).
Raymond Felton never gets mentioned whenever anyone talks about point guard play. He's probably never going to be a great NBA player, but he's definitely above average and has been consistent since his career's started. You also have to consider that he has experience playing in big games from his days winning an NCAA title with UNC.
Almost no one had heard of Ramon Sessions until he had that 24 assist game towards the end of the season, but everyone's predicting him to have a breakout season next year, which is entirely possible. The Bucks have some nice pieces in Redd and Bogut, so it'll be interesting to see if Ramon can help to get them working as a unit. The Bucks were not good and were awful to watch, so Sessions can't really be any worse, right?

Consistently Good

We're throwing Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups and Derek Fisher here. These three have been real good for a long time. They've played integral parts on title winning teams and they come up big when their team needs it. They define consistency. If your team's in their hands you know you have a good chance to be competitive. They provide the grit, leadership and smarts that you must have in a point guard.
Tony's not your prototypical point guard, but he's perfect for what the Spurs try to do. He's unselfish, an excellent finisher, and more than adequate defensively. He could be a huge star somewhere else, but he's content to stay on the low-key Spurs and continue to win titles. Gotta love that.
Billups can shoot, run the offense, and play some damn good defense. It's not his fault the Pistons haven't won a few more titles. He bounced around from team to team when he entered a league, but he's found a home in Detroit. The Pistons may not play the most aesthetically pleasing game, but it's hard to complain with the way Billups balls.
Derek Fisher is one of the classiest players in the NBA. It's hard not to respect the man (and this is coming from someone who fucking hated those Shaq/Kobe Lakers team). He's a rock-solid NBA point guard. Playing in Phil Jackson's triangle offense for years he never had the gaudy stats that star point guards had, but the man was always tough, knew how to run a team, and was clutch as balls (as evidenced by that shot to beat the Spurs a few years ago). You can't help but think that his presence had at least some effect on Kobe and Deron Williams. Fisher should do a heck of a job mentoring Farmar for the future.

Masquerading as a Point Guard

Clearly AI is here. It's too late for him to switch mentality's from a shooting guard to a point guard at this point. AI is a great passer, no doubt about that, but he will always look for his shot first. Some of that is due to scoring just being engrained in his brain, but you have to think he's also been shaped by having crappy scorers around him pretty much his entire career in Philly. I mean, he got Keith Van Horn, and a well past their primes Glenn Robinson and Chris Webber. The season the Sixers reached the finals our second best scoring option was Aaron McKie. Aaron McKie!! C'mon Denver. Give it up already and move AI to the 2.

We Honestly Don't Know...

Hello Shaun Livingston. This guy has the size and possibly the talent to be amazingly good.... but he's hurt alllll the time. Hard to make a decision on him as of yet.

Put a Knife in Me, I'm Done

Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby and Sam Cassell are firmly entrenched here. Though the amount of good point guards in the NBA is clearly higher than it has been in a long while, these three long tenured point guards are done. They have been clutch and played in big games in the past, but those times are over. Thanks guys, but maybe it's time to call it quits or go play in Europe or something.
Kidd's a hall of famer, but he's done. He was never a great scorer and earned his reputation on decision making and defense. He still makes great decisions, but he has no lateral movement which means his defense is below average. Couple that with his inability to make a shot and Dallas is fucked next season.
Mike Bibby, it's 1998, they want you back. Did you see him get destroyed by Rajon Rondo against the Celtics? He's done.
Cassell can still bring the emotion and leadership for a team, and can hit some big shots one out of every five games. But he's pretty much a coach and motivator at this point. He's can be a good fit for a Celtics team that doesn't really need that much offense at this point, but he needs to realize that he's not the Sam-I-am of old and stop shooting so fucking much.

The Future?...

Though there's a plethora of quality point guards in the NBA, it should only get better with this year's draft: Derrick Rose, DJ Augustin, Jerryd Bayless, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon (thought he's considered a shooting guard) and OJ Mayo (though he's also considered a shooting guard).
The college game has always been more guard dominated where as the pro game has always been based off of big men, but it seems as if this is starting to change, which I think is for the better. Though I can appreciate a talented center using various post-up moves to score, a fast-paced guard oriented offense will always be more fun to watch. With the number of quality point guards already in the NBA and ready to enter, it looks like pro basketball should be in good hands for years to come. As a fan, I for one am excited.