Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 8:00 am  |  246 responses

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 Chris Paulwanted 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 competitor 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.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Brett Ballantini, Russ Bengtson, Toney Blare, Shannon Booher, Myles Brown, Franklyn Calle, Gregory Dole, Emry DowningHall, Jonathan Evans, Adam Fleischer, Jeff Fox, Sherman Johnson, Aaron Kaplowitz, John Krolik, Holly MacKenzie, Ryne Nelson, Chris O’Leary, Ben Osborne, Alan Paul, Susan Price, Sam Rubenstein, Khalid Salaam, Kye Stephenson, Adam Sweeney, Vincent Thomas, Tzvi Twersky, Justin Walsh, Joey Whelan, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • Anony Mous

    200 on this… 2000 on #1 spot?

  • http://SI d-fields

    @jukai….are u crazy…u said kobe only won last year cause his team was great…well of course….but u make it seem like kobe didnt do shit…nigga kobe avergage 32.4ppg..7.5assits..5.5rebs..that hasnt been done since jordan…and u got the nerve to say kobe got worse…what the hell!!..get out of here with that….kobe is still the best….its like no matter what kobe does…ppl seem to ignore it,like it never happen..lots of excuses of lebron short commings…kobe better be num 1 in this list for the third strait year

  • Mo

    LMAO @ this reaching 200 posts. Shouldn’t be that much to say really because this is just the right spot for CP3.

  • http://SI dfields

    @jukai….are u crazy…u said kobe only won last year cause his team was great…well of course….but u make it seem like kobe didnt do shit…nigga kobe avergage 32.4ppg..7.5assits..5.5rebs..that hasnt been done since jordan…and u got the nerve to say kobe got worse…what the hell!!..get out of here with that….kobe is still the best….its like no matter what kobe does…ppl seem to ignore it,like it never happen..lots of excuses of lebron short commings…kobe better be num 1 in this list for the third strait year.thats real talk

  • Mo

    Why the f*** are people talking about Deron? Deron was #11 if I remembered correctly.

  • Anony Mous

    And you think D-Will *should* have been #11? C’mon… I’ll put my Greek hat on and say D-Will….>Durant….>Melo….>…. I don’t know.. Ilyasova?

  • Mo

    And the survey says!!!….

    Who is the best point guard in the NBA?
    1. Chris Paul, New Orleans 77.8%
    2. Deron Williams, Utah 14.8%
    3. Steve Nash, Phoenix 7.4%
    - Last year: Chris Paul 88.9%

    http://www.nba.com/news/features/gmsurvey.players/index.html

    Watch more games people. Don’t just pick out a select few that you think helps your claims. Watch more games. Let NBA League Pass be your friend. Get that hate out your hearts and get some knowledge. LOL!

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    My guess on the next three
    3. Wade
    2. Kobe
    1. Lebron.
    Z
    This is what you wrote:“Deron is looking to make his first all-star game and will be one of the best 1s of the next decade. Chris Paul gets compared to Zeke, Magic, Tiny and John Stockton and is already a lock for the HOF barring any serious injury. Apples and oranges.”
    To me, that implies that the fact that Deron hasn’t yet made the all-star team while Paul is already a lock of fame is clear proof that Deron is behind Paul.
    My point was that’s bull. Deron hasn’t made the All-Star team because only 12 cats make it each year, and he hasn’t gotten the fan votes or coaches love. I think he deserved to be on the all-star the past two years.
    My point about Paul’s numbers were that as nice as they are, Deron’s numbers are not that far behind. Paul is carrying a larger scoring and distributing load on his team and it shows in his numbers. But his numbers are only slightly better than Deron’s!
    Yet, Paul’s numbers and play get him vaulted into the greatest of all-time discussion, and Deron gets told he’s nice for this generation. I don’t get it. Deron’s numbers are ridiculous, they are better than quite a few cats in the all-time greats discussion, yet he’s just good enough for this generation?
    What gives?
    Deron’s numbers right now are comparable to the numbers Isiah Thomas put up on a playoff contending team. True, Zeke put up better numbers when he was surrounded by scrubs, but when the Pistons were competing for rings he was consistently putting up 18 or 19 points with about 8 or 9 assists. Look at Magic’s numbers. If you ignore the rebounds, Deron is doing pretty much what Magic did for years as far as points and assists.
    Is Chris Paul putting up better numbers? Sure. Do I understand why cats think he’s a better player? Sure, and sometimes I agree. But let’s stop acting like Deron is just a random good to great player. His career arc has him being one of the best of all-time.

  • Mo

    No, Deron could’ve easily made the top 8 but most know that Paul is a top 5 player.

  • Mo

    Deron needs to do more than just outplay Paul to be considered the best pg in the league. Paul is the better OVERALL package. Deron has yet to be a serious MVP candidate. I don’t think I need to say anymore here. You guys have a nice evening.

  • Mo

    @AllenP, since you’re mentioning numbers, don’t forget to adjust for the much slower pace Paul and the Hornets play at. There’s a difference there too. If you compare Paul with great players of the past or the great players in the league today, you’ll get pages and pages of conversation. Compare Deron and you probably won’t get that many pages. Ok, I’m gone. Gotta get food.

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    I’m still shaking my head at the fact people think of Paul as overrated. This man plays the game of basketball beautifully. It is like poetry in motion. Deron is nice, no doubt. I also believe Deron should be in the top 10 and will be in the top 10 the next time Slam decides to do a list. But Chris Paul was garnering MVP votes for the last 2 seasons. He is the better player.

  • http://realcavsfans.com Anton

    You can tell that Chris Paul was born to be a point guard. Other PG’s work really hard and have flaws in their game but Paul’s game is smooth as a Brazillian wax on spring break.
    What’s amazing is that he’s usually the focal point of opponent’s defensive schemes and he’s STILL putting up the W’s despite swimming upstream night in and night out.

  • sab

    so, Kobe tomorrow… that should be fun…

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Jukai, why are you acting like Deron Williams is the Rasho Nesterovic of point guards. He’s quick and can get to the hoop. What is there to argue about his drives to the basket?

  • http://DarkOakaMIP.com Nbk

    Tavoris the point you are making cant be figured out. Its all semantics when your operating in fantasy land

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    If Kobe shows up tomorrow, while it would be funny, you won’t see me posting per all of the ridiculous comments it will garner.

  • Mo

    @tavoris, while waiting for my po-boy let me say that Deron isn’t a better defender either. People confuse being bigger = better. Deron won’t get shot over as easily as Paul (thanks to Paul’s height) and the other weakness Paul had of fighting through screens (this is why he’s working on getting his body stronger)is starting to go away, Deron isn’t the better defender. And there is no defensive stat in the world that backs up Deron being the better defender. Guards don’t post up Paul often either. The days of the post up guard are slowly disappearing. Paul is very, very disruptive on the defensive end. He’s very vocal too. Watch how he’s always yelling things out to his teammates and pointing when on the defensive end. Deron may be decent at keeping bigger, older, slower guards in front of him but smaller, speedier guards blow right by him and that’s where they’ll usually run into AK-47 or Boozer or Brewer or some other Jazz player because they have full knowledge that the speedy guard will get by Deron. Also, the Hornets defense is better when Paul is on the court. The Jazz’s defense is better when Deron is on the bench. There are stats that back that up. The Jazz’s defense consists mainly of hack, slap and grab. That’s not defending. Ak has been a good defensive player though but otherwise, they aren’t a particularly good defensive team but they make sure the effort is there when Paul is on the court. None of this is to insinuate I don’t like or care much for Deron Williams. I think he’s a great point guard and the Jazz should be happy to have him.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    liking deron williams more then chris paul is completely understandable… people prefer a bigger pg. But if you people honestly believe that Deron Williams is the better player based on head to head matchups then you need to switch to Tennis. Cuz thats the only sport where head to head matchups can distinguish the better player. Chris Paul is doing something in the NBA nobody has ever done, enjoy it. Same thing with LeBron. I realize people hate to follow the “mainstream” opinion on things, but ya’ll look completely stupid saying crap like CP is overrated, or LeBron sucks, the only reason he does what he does is his size. Its played out

  • tavoris

    nbk…how am I in fantasyland when I said the EXACT SAME THING THAT KOBE SAID LAST YEAR ABOUT THE SURGERY? and you’re sticking your two cents in to say that it’s closer to a quaarter of the season…as if that actually is an important point. Kobe said that he didn’t want to miss 12 weeks with that they’re trying to accomplish (win a title). How much more clear does that need to be for you? man, I swear…u astound me far more than that greek guy ever could, because you pick the stupidest ‘ish to try to butt in on.

  • tavoris

    Mo…can’t argue with your perspective on that ONE BIT. well said.

  • B_Easy24

    How da hell is this eboy dude???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    Kobe should be no. 3.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    SLAM prediction:
    3. Wade
    2. Kobe
    1. LeBRon
    My list:
    3. Wade
    2. LeBron
    1. Kobe

  • Double J

    Hurst, you speak non-sense. Kobe is far better than D-wade, only reason Dwyane drops bigger numbers is because he has too. Lebron is the only athlete in the NBA who can compare to Kobe and still that is a stretch when relating their attitudes to the game

  • http://myspace.com/brandnew Bryan

    You “adjust for pace” people are f*cking ridiculous.

  • http://www.bebo.com/SupahhHuman B-Moore

    PANAGIOTIS VASILOPOULOS Posted: Oct.21 at 10:23 am

    you say cp3 is top 5 or 6 in the world and number 1 in the NBA…

    Errr… who do you have ahead of him… some Euroleague ballers??

    Ricky Rubio? Or some Australian League players??

  • Shem

    Z is completely right, those numbers are not even close to empty. Thats why hes in the MVP race every year seeing how valuable he is to the hornets.Do you realize he averaged 23 pts, 11 assts, 5 boards, 3 stls on 50% shooting from the floor. FIFTY FOR A PG IS RIDICULOUS. Tony Parker averaged 55% the year he won Finals MVP. You do realize that Deron averages 47 oh and if were going into 3 point % paul has 36 and deron has 31. So I dont believe hes a better shooter as well. CP3 is the best PG in the NBA and will be a top 5 all time if not 3 all time when its all said and done. Deron Williams , great player not even close to the same level as Paul. Deron wont be a 1st ballot HOF and is questionable as the 2nd best guard in the league. Chris Paul averages better everything than Deron. PPG, APG, RPG, SPG, % are we still debating?

  • http://dfkjslf.com Jukai

    B-More: When he says “world” he means “FIBA basketball” aka Deron Williams and some other players are better suited for playing in FIBA.
    Tavoris: Kobe got his opinion LATE because he didn’t think recovery time would be that big of a deal. He was suppose to get it right after the olympics, help off another month, then acted shocked that it wasn’t a one-and-done thing. Regardless, out till December really isn’t that make or break… I don’t get why you’re defending him on this. It hurt him in the Olympics and may have hurt him that year against the Celts. For all intensive purposes, it has hurt his game. And he refuses to fix it. Therefore, it’s not an excuse anymore.

  • http://dfkjslf.com Jukai

    And Wade is better than Kobe right now. There is no such thing as empty numbers.

  • Anony Mous

    shem wins. i still like dwill though lol

  • http://dfkjslf.com Jukai

    Allenp:
    Deron at 24: 19.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.1 steals, .4 blocks, 47% shooting
    Magic at 24: 17.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 2.2 steals, .7 blocks, .56% shooting
    Uh, seems Magic is pretty much SUPERIOR every way. Not sure why you made that statement.

  • Theo

    i agree with teddy-the-bear. kobe is my fave but lebron has done more this year. individually, that is

  • http://www.utjazzblog.com Utah Jazz Blog

    I think CP3 deserves this spot. My only complaint is that DWill was not higher on the list, as there should not be this big of a gap between them.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Jukai, Allen implicitly said without counting rebounds, the numbers are similar. So..

  • rikson

    This CP3 and Deron thing isnt even debateable! Take a look at their teams and check the stats….

  • http://www.d-will8.cn jalen001

    damn, it’s the most hideous thing for me to see CP3 ranked before D-Will
    i’ll take Deron Williams over him any second

    CP3 really get abused in the last playoff by Chauncy Billups!!!

  • http://www.d-will8.cn jalen001

    I knew this guy will be overrated
    But I never thought it could be this high..
    now here comes the vomit!!

  • http://dfkjslf.com Jukai

    Teddy: But they’re not, so…

  • tavoris

    Jukai…I’m not defending him. you’re missing the point. Kobe didn’t want to miss that much time before this past season, because he knew (correct) that the Lakers were a legit title contender. I’d say that since he opted out, played well, and WON the title, that there is very little to defend. why are you even contending AGAINST that?

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Jukai
    19 and 10 on 47 percent shooting isn’t comparable to 17 and 13 on 56 percent shooting?
    Ok. Since I explicitly said points and assists in my comment about comparing Deron to Isiah and Magic, I’m not sure where the problem lies.
    But, it’s cool.

  • juliocoolio

    YO cp3 is one of the best point guards the nba has but if you look at the team he hes compared to other point guards they have an advantage. :l

  • http://gmail Akash

    MAN he da man.He averaged a double double since the Celtic’s playoff wins in 07.He should keep on doing what he’s doing.Now that he has an option of Emeka Okafor,David West,or Peja Stojakovic to pass to and collaborate with them.Keep in mind all of them are All-Stars.I am a Hornets ’cause I live in Louisana and I think that they are going to be second behind the Lakers in the Western Conference.

  • http://gmail Akash

    I agree with Teddy the Bear but CP3 should be third

  • Abraham

    27, 15, 5 and 3
    are u stupid? doing that for 82 games, aren’t you supposed to be more reasonable person than the average fan?

  • http://gmail john lytle

    that’s so stupid! Paul in front of Howard! LeBron in front of Kobe! LeBron hasn’t even got a ring yet!

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