The Year of the Point Guard

The point guard position is back in vogue in the NBA. After years of wondering if Harold Miner would be the next Michael Jordan or dubbing Michael Smith (How does he actually have a Wikipedia page?) the next Larry Bird (does it ever get old watching old Larry Bird clips even if it's mixed with Eminem?)...ok ok Keith Van Horn was the next Larry Bird.

Over the last few years point guards have taken the league by storm. Youngsters such as Chris Paul (in case this is Corky Thatcher reading he's pictured on the left), Deron Williams, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose and of course our very own Rajon Rondo plus the grizzled vets who paved the way such as Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd.

Here's the question though, how necessary is it to have a "true" point guard running the show? Currently, there are some teams in the draft who are looking for that answer. Debating whether Stephen Curry or Tyreke Evans can develop into the position or if Ricky Rubio will live up to the hype. Sometimes fans get too attached to a player and focus on how many assists/game a point guard averages. With the recent Rondo rumors swirling it's worth taking a look at the state of the position and realizing it's not necessary to have an elite PG.

Let's take a look at the league's top 20 in assists:

Click here

Digging a little deeper into the numbers Jose Calderon appears to be the most efficient point guard in the NBA racking up almost 9 assists/game and even more impressive averaging an assist-to-turnover ration of 4.24/1. However, Toronto was awful this past season and now the team has to make moves based on trying to keep Chris Bosh happy. Chris Paul who seems to be everyone's favorite PG and the reigning assists/game champ this season had his Hornets knocked out in the first round to Denver in only five games. Williams and the Jazz also gone in the first round, granted to the eventual champs, but a very mediocre regular season for the Jazz. On top of that Nash and the Suns couldn't even make the playoffs and now the Suns are looking to blow up their entire roster except for Nash (Sounds like a smart move to build around an aging PG who couldn't win in his prime). 

Bob Ryan has a similar opinion in his recent article on Rondo and the state of the point guard position. I'm of the opinion that the NBA is all about assembling the most talent regardless of the traditional positions. Will Derek Fisher ever be considered an elite point guard? You can't have an all-star at every position but you can certainly trade someone at their peak value in order to bring in even more talent.

Let's take a look at some of the Rondo trade rumors that had casual Celtics fans so upset. 

Rondo and Ray Allen to Detroit for Rip, Prince and Stuckey. Yes please. This trade was straight out of NBA Live and was so lopsided that the Celtics didn't even have the nerve to ask Joe Dumars his thoughts. Yes, the same Joe Dumars who drafted Darko Milicic over Carmelo, Wade and Bosh and again the same Joe Dumars who traded Billups for Iverson...yet most fans could not believe we'd be willing to part with both players. That trade would have given us one of the best defensive front lines in NBA history. I'm not joking! Add a healthy KG to Perk and Tayshaun and how difficult would it be for players to penetrate? Not to mention that Prince would be our 6th man. With a lineup that talented and deep why is it necessary to have a "true" PG and why wouldn't you explore deals that will instantly make you a title contender. Don't forget about the current economic crisis we're facing and the fact that Ray Allen's contract will expire after this season and Rondo is due for a hefty pay raise while the aforementioned players on the Pistons are under contract for 2-4 years. Danny is not stupid and he realizes free agents could care less about signing with the Celtics unless we're competing for a title so getting under the salary cap does nothing to benefit us.

The second rumor is a bit more realistic but again Chris Wallace is not that bad of a GM is he? The alleged deal had us shipping Rondo, Scal and Giddens to Memphis for Conley and Gay who would become the league's most potent 6th man and would add two more young pieces to try and balance winning now and not immediately heading to Lotto land right after.

Ainge clearly knows what it takes to build a winner in today's NBA and now we're waiting to see if he knows how to balance the present and the future without completely blowing things up. As good as Rondo is especially for his age I am not opposed to seeing Ainge trade him for the right price.

My gut tells me that if anyone gets traded it's Allen and that the Celtics will end up with one 1st round pick and multiple 2nd round picks in tomorrow night's draft.