Pass first point guard vs. shoot first point guard

In the NBA today, we have a variety of different point guards. We have shoot first point guards (Derrick Rose), pass first point guards (Rajon Rondo), and a variety of both (Tony Parker).


Some say it is better to have a dominant more of a scoring type of point guard. They say it saves time to get up the court. They can go one on one and score in 10 seconds. However, some say it disrupts the concept of working the ball around. It doesn't seem to affect Rose or Westbrook (However, when Westbrook shoots poorly the Thunder usually play poorly).

Then theirs is the pass first point guards. These guys set up their stars and get players going. These point guards seem to have the most success. Think of all the championship teams in the past. Mario Chalmers, Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, Rajon Rondo, Jason Williams, Avery Johnson, Steve Kerr, Kenny Smith, John Paxson, Magic Johnson, Maurice Cheeks, Tom Henderson, Lionel Hollins, Butch Beard, Larry Siegfried, Wali Jones, K.C. Jones, and Bob Cousy are the point guards who won championships (And are pass first point guards). That's about 65-70% of all championship teams had a pass first point guard.

Finally, there are the players who are neither pass first or shoot first point guards. These are players like Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, Isiah Thomas, Gus Williams, Walt Frazier, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West. That's 25-30% of all championship teams had a mix (not a pass first, but not a score first) point guard.

I cannot think of one team that had a shoot first point guard and won a championship. Jerry West was the point guard with the highest PPG average who won a championship. He averaged 25.8 PPG, but also led the league in assists. Therefore, you can't say West was a shoot first point guard in 1972.

Who would you rather have, a shoot first point guard, a pass first point guard, or a mix of both. First off, I can exclude shoot first point guards since they have yet to win a championship. In my opinion, I would rather have a pass first point guard. They have won 70% of all championships and you don't need a lot of money for most. You can go out and buy another superstar if you have an average pass first point guard (Derek Fisher).

A pass first point guard will be more valuable than any other point guard some of the time but I'd rather have a point guard that can distribute but know when to take a game over.

5 NBA players I feel sorry for

It's difficult to feel sorry for professional athletes given how much money they make. As a fan you do feel sorry for a few. Not because of something semi tragic that might've happened in their lives, but you know they'll never come close to winning a championship. I compiled a list of 5 NBA players that I actually feel sorry for. Even though you'll never know these players on a personal level these players seem like good guys who'll never win.

1. Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers- I made this list specifically for Nash. After being on good teams that seemed to get  stonewalled in the playoffs (Suns, Mavericks), it looked like Nash would finally get a chance to play for an NBA title when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Right now it looks like that assessment was wrong. I know there's another half of basketball to be played, the Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs. Nash has to be thinking "I didn't sign up for this". The Lakers are under .500 and have been filled with drama from the word go.

I feel sorry for Nash because he is a good team guy and it looks like he'll never get a chance to play for a championship. He doesn't have too many seasons left and I hate to see him go out like this.


2. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz- Jefferson is a good player. Not a major star, but could be a solid number two on a contender. Problem is, Jefferson has never been on a team resembling a contender ( bad Celtics teams, Timberwolves, Jazz). And you can always look for him to get hurt.  

Jefferson seems like an everyman. He just goes and does his job in a workmanlike fashion. He's not spectacular but he finds a way to get his numbers, even though the team loses more than it wins. I have no problem with Jefferson, but if he gets traded again I'm afraid it'll be to another bad team that has no clue on how to build a team.


3. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers- See Al Jefferson. More athletic but just trapped on a Blazers team trying to build with young talent. At one point it looked like the Blazers had a team of the future until injuries ravaged them and they were forced to start over.

The rebuilding project in Portland seems to be off to good start with Nicolas Batum and Damian Lillard riding shotgun. The Blazers will need a few more weapons to get Aldridge off this list.


4. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls- Looks like his path to an NBA title will forever be blocked by the Big 3 in Miami.


5. Chris Bosh, Miami Heat- Not much to say here. It's hard to feel sorry for someone with a championship on their resume. But Bosh will always be known as the third wheel in Miami.

     

Derrick Rose might miss the start of the season

When Derrick Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers the Chicago Bulls' championship hopes took a big hit. The final result was a six game series loss to the Sixers and an off-season wondering what if.

Today Rose underwent surgery to repair his ACL and will possibly miss the start of next season.

Of course this isn't what the Bulls had in mind when they locked up the best record and homecourt advantage for  the duration of the playoffs. The front office will have some work to do, namely trying to improve via trade or fee agency.

Hopefully Rose can come back stronger and have the same explosiveness he had before injuries took their toll this season.

Derrick Rose asks Isiah Thomas for some winning advice

Say what you want about Isiah Thomas, but he was one of the all time greats of the NBA. In my opinion, he gets overlooked during the "golden years" of the 80s. They always mention Magic, Bird, and Jordan, but fail to mention Thomas. He was one of the fiercest competitors that ever played. For a little guy, he had a lot of heart and was one of the toughest players in the league.

Current Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose wants to win. He wants to win some championships and wants to be one of the greatest to play the game. He just doesn't go around beating his chest saying it.

After losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals last summer, Rose sought out Chicago legend Thomas for some counsel and advice.  


Isiah Thomas said he met Rose last year after a game in Detroit and that Rose contacted him after the Bulls' season had ended.


"He was pretty down," Thomas told ESPNChicago.com by phone on Wednesday. "He asked me 'How did you do it? How did you win back-to-back championships at this size?' And my response to him was that once you understand your opponent and know your opponent better than you know yourself, you'll win."


Translation: Study film like your life depends on it.

Rose looks up to Thomas and despite his front office troubles, he knows that Thomas knows what it takes to win.

"... He's somebody where in Chicago, you definitely got to look up to, especially being a guard, winning championships in this league," Rose said. "[I] try to take things out of his game and put them into mine. But [he's] a cool dude. I played against his son in AAU. And he's from Chicago so I got to look up to him."


"It's hard to pattern your game after somebody that's great like that," Rose said. "If anything, he was a winner. His will to win, no matter how big he was on the floor, he was a small guy, but his passion for the game and how dedicated he was to playing the game."


Rose, like Thomas, is enduring his share of bumps and bruises in pursuit of an NBA championship. But like Thomas he is more than willing to pay the price. Growing up in a tough Chicago environment will give you that  kind of attitude. That means being tough and doing whatever it takes to win.  

Kobe: Paul,Rose Have That "Killer Edge"

The Los Angeles Clippers may have upstaged the Lakers last night, but as far as this season and beyond remains to be seen. Chris Paul had a good game against their co-tenants, scoring the 33 on 12-for-22 shooting from the field and six assists. Not bad in his first game against his L.A. counterparts.

You can count Kobe Bryant impressed with his performance.

"He's a dog," Kobe told reporters. "He's going to fight to win, and not too many teams can deal with him.



"Chris Paul is really the only other guy in the league, other than Derrick Rose, who has also that competitive edge," he continued.

A high compliment from someone who has that competitive fire in him at all times. The only player that had that edge like Kobe was Michael Jordan. There are others that like to win (Dwayne Wade, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kevin Durant). But Kobe loathes losing.

I really haven't paid attention to Paul in that vain, but you see it in Rose, albeit in a quiet way.