...halfway through the season? Honestly, before the season and the first 10 games or so, i'd put him 5th behind Paul, Deron, Rondo, Westbrook and Nash. But now, he's leap-frogged Nash, Rondo and IMO Westbrook. I'd put him third behind Paul and really close to D-Will. Now, what say you?
Why would you have had him behind Westbrook? Given what he's done with regard to injuries and the tough opening schedule, I'd have him behind only Deron Williams as far as guards I'd want to build a team around going forward. And that's only because Deron is a better PG right now, but I think Rose will catch up in that respect. As far as being a pure point guard, I think there are a few guys better at running a team and setting teammates up. Nash and Paul are both better, but one is old and the other has a bad knee. Rondo gets more assists because he's in his fifth year in the same system playing with 3 HoFer's, but I wouldn't say he is a better all around player than Rose. And I wouldn't really consider Westbrook a PG, just a guard who's got the ball in his hands all the time and has the benefit of everybody worrying more about what KD is going to do. Westbrook doesn't have Rose's range yet and turns the ball over more. If teams could focus on him and collapse more, his numbers would be a lot worse.
He doesn't currently have Westbrook ahead of Rose. Not sure I'd consider Rose a traditional PG, and it doesn't matter, not sure why you brought it up. Paul has a bad knee and he's still better, he's a superstar. Nash isn't close to Paul at this stage.
To begin the season, I honestly thought Westbrook was the better player. He was the superior rebounder and defender so I had gone with him. But now, Rose can carry a team better than Westbrook imo. Honestly, if we're going by "who would you build your team around" I'd go: 1. Rose 2. Wall 3. Westbrook/Deron 4. Paul 5. Rondo - I have a lot of faith in Wall and truly believe he'll be a superstar guard in the same mold as Rose, but maybe not quite as explosive. He also gets steals at a ridiculous rate. - Westbrook is becoming a beast, but i'm still uncertain as to whether or not he can carry a team the way Rose (and eventually Wall) can. - The only reason I have Deron this low is because Wall and Rose are younger, more athletic, and have higher ceilings. - I'm seriously scared of Chris Paul's knees. Otherwise I would of had him at #2 behind Rose. He's easily the best PG right now, but I have a feeling his knees will give out on him in 4-5 years. When I watch him play, that knee brace has me wondering just how huge it is. Knees are something 30+ year olds (ie Kobe) should be worrying about. And his problem is recurring. - I completely agree with Rondo, but he's the best defender out of this bunch.
You need high peak players to win a title though, that's the nature of the NBA generally. The only player with an established superstar (top 5 player) peak is Paul, so while his knees could give out in 4-5 years, he's still outplayed Dwyane Wade this season. Think about that, his game isn't that physical either lucky for him. On his already monster peak he's got to be ahead of Wall at least. Without a monster peak you'll lose like the Jazz do while fielding good teams. I guess I can understand Rose since he's so athletic and young, but even then it is close.
