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It's amazing what carrying the ball and whining can do for a player
Top 50: Chris Paul, no. 4
The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
by Khalid Salaam
Two years ago I started referring to Chris Paul as ‘The Definition.’ I wasn’t really feeling CP3 as a nickname (it makes me think of that corny gold-plated droid in the Star Wars movies) and I wanted to capture the essence of his game. So ‘The Definition’ was born. As in, he’s the definition of what you want in a point guard. It hasn’t really stuck, though. And his overall buzz has been on mute all offseason after that horrendous, hoc-spit of game the Hornets played to close out their First Round playoff series against Denver last spring.
In last postseason’s 5-game series loss to Denver, his assist numbers were still respectable (10.4) but his scoring was down 6 points from the regular season and he averaged damn near 5 turnovers, which nearly doubled his regular season numbers. Point blank, neither he nor the Hornets played well and their outlook for the ‘09-10 season isn’t looking that hot either. This is a team with supreme limitations both on the court and financially, and their offseason moves (they drafted UCLA guard Darren Collison and traded Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor) don’t inspire much hope.
Paul’s too good for the Hornets to be terrible, and they’ll be solid for years to come, routinely winning between 48 and 54 games every season. The variable will always come down to coaching and the play of his teammates — his output won’t wane. We haven’t even seen his best yet; this is only his fifth season coming up. He’ll have a 27, 15, 5 and 3 year one of these seasons and grab an MVP trophy or two. Believe that.
But championship contender status will evade him and New Orleans until they improve their roster. For a compe or like Paul, this can’t be good, and if I was in charge of an NBA team I’d throw everything I could at the Hornets brass in trade offers (the Blazers can give them like seven players and Microsoft stock, what are they waiting for?) just to see what would happen. Still, it’s hard to trade a guy like Paul.
For a lot of the guys in the SLAMonline Top 50, uproars have been waged about spot location, true value legitimacy, etc. But I doubt if much can be argued in regards to Paul. I mean, c’mon, you give this guy a real NBA roster, and it’s gonna equal multiple championships. His combination of fire, skill, intellect, athleticism and leadership is ridiculous. There isn’t more you could ever ask for.
Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ‘09-10 performance.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
It's amazing what carrying the ball and whining can do for a player
Right where he should be.
Maybe he'll win a couple of MVP's and 4 les now. It worked for Duncan.
not even the 4th best PG, let alone player in the league
Not sayin tha guy's talentless, but this seems like a hype pick, nothing more.
Jesus.
Last time, Ghazi claimed that Paul was the fourth best point guard. He can't even keep his butthurt opinions straight.
Well if hes NOT the fourth best does that mean that Steve Nash is in the top four again?
lol ghazi ... still just so damn bitter!
son its okay. I know your wife will miss Tyson Chandler, but Okafor will be able to pound her just as well.
lol Ghazi
Okafor can probably take care of her without getting injured, unlike Chandler.
The butthurt is strong with this one.
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