on a contending team for the title as your Point Guard??

Steve Nash or Chauncey Billlups

Nash, two MVPs, 2007 first team all-NBA, however not much to show in the playoffs
Mr. Big Shot Billups, One Championship ring (to rule them all), 2004 Finals MVP, 2005 Second All defensive team, incredible post season stats such as one of only three players ever to take 14 or more free throws in a game and make 100% in three playoff games.

If I was going to break it down, my pick for a PG in the Eastern Conference would for sure be Billups

As for the West, Im not so sure... I am sure that if you switched their teams right now, the Pistons with Nash would be as good as with Billups but the Suns may not be, but this is purely a product of the system...

Just thought Id see what other people thought about it

5/18/2007 8:49:08 AM

two totally different point guards.

I think it would depend more on the talent around them.

If you have a halfcourt team thats athletically limited Id want a big PG like Billups that plays both ways.

If I'm surrounded by athletes like Amare and Marion Id want a guy who can push the tempo like Nash.

Both teams would be worse off if they switched PG's.

5/18/2007 8:54:13 AM

hinrich

5/18/2007 9:04:46 AM

you dont think Nash with the Pistons in the East would do as well as with Billups?

i know i wouldnt like seeing them play Nash Offense because they are built to bruise but I dont think their regular season production would drop much, now the post season would be a different story...

5/18/2007 9:07:23 AM

If he could stay healthy, I think TJ Ford could be up there. He is beginning to seem like he has Grant Hill syndrome. Chris Paul and Kirk Hinrich are the up and comers.

I agree those two are really the consistent top options today. I would personally go with Billups, because he is a much better defender. Also, Billups is able play more different styles well than Nash (fast or slow, physical or finesse, etc.).

[Edited on May 18, 2007 at 9:18 AM. Reason : .]

5/18/2007 9:10:39 AM

billups, hands down

5/18/2007 9:42:24 AM

This is apples and oranges.

Quote :

"I am sure that if you switched their teams right now, the Pistons with Nash would be as good as with Billups but the Suns may not be, but this is purely a product of the system..."

Bingo.

5/18/2007 9:48:26 AM

apples vs oranges = player who plays defense vs player who doesnt play defense?

Quote :

"the Pistons with Nash would be as good as with Billups but the Suns may not be"

yet the Pistons with Billups have already won a title...

5/18/2007 10:12:56 AM

Quote :

"This is apples and oranges."

I hate when people use this as a cop out. Apples and oranges are different, and comparisons are used with different things. Quit being pussies and answer the ? at hand.

My vote: Nash. Billups is a really good PG, but not an "elite" one in my mind.

5/18/2007 10:16:46 AM

Quote :

"but not an "elite" one in my mind"

you misspelled "white"

5/18/2007 10:20:40 AM

Billups has won a Championship

In the current Eastern Conference, I think Nash would have a chance to win a title with the current pistons roster as well as the 2004 roster

however, in 2004, I do not believe Nash could be the Lakers and physically dominate the glove and derek fisher the way that Billups did

so, I think Nash could put the Pistons in the finals this season and possibly beat the offering the west gives. But, that is not the case, Billups is once again flexing his post season muscles. That Pistons team really is great to watch, and I hope CWebb can finally get that ring. If Rasheed keeps playing the way he has been, it wouldnt matter if Lindsey Hunter was starting.

5/18/2007 10:26:02 AM

^^haha... no I've just never been amazed by Billups. It could have something to do with the fact that I hate the Pistons.

5/18/2007 10:35:03 AM

This isnt even a serious question for me. If you put Nash on the Pistons they would be dominating teams horribly. It wouldnt even be fair.

Nash >>> Billups

5/18/2007 10:38:25 AM

^^i just see a tom brady quality about billups as far as not necesarilly appearing to be the most talented player, but always having the right intangibles when needed...and i hate brady, but i respect the hell out of him

^if you put kobe as PG on the suns they would've gone 82-0 this year

NBA Championship Trophy >>> NBA MVP Award

5/18/2007 10:38:41 AM

I can see that comparison with Brady, but I think Billups has a great teammate in Hamiltion who runs his ass all over the court for 40+ a game, creating a lot of open space for everyone else.

5/18/2007 10:42:23 AM

Nash. You happy now, Dammit100? Geez.

5/18/2007 10:43:52 AM

quite, thank you.

5/18/2007 10:46:36 AM

Quote :

"NBA Championship Trophy >>> NBA MVP Award"

Ya, I know, right?

Ben Wallace >>> Amare Stoudamire
Rasheed Wallace >>> Shawn Marion


great logic

5/18/2007 11:06:03 AM

Quote :

"Rasheed Wallace >>> Shawn Marion"

sorry but that is true

5/18/2007 11:13:38 AM

Quote :

"Ben Wallace >>> Amare Stoudamire"

sorry but thats false

5/18/2007 11:15:18 AM

Sheed is probably better than Marion, especially defensively
And Amare is definitely better than Ben, especially offensively

5/18/2007 11:18:26 AM

Marion and Sheed both averaged 1.5 blocks per game

course Marion was top 10 in the league in steals last year as well

and he can guard the 1-5 positions

Sheed is definitely better at getting technicals though

5/18/2007 11:22:27 AM

since the original question asked about a contending team for the title...

I dont know if any of you noticed last night the player with the most playoff games without making it to the finals... STEVE NASH.

I love nash, but if I was making a team to fight for the title, experience plays a huge roll in the NBA Finals, and nobody is cooler and calmer than Mr. Billups.

5/18/2007 12:43:10 PM

Quote :

"the player with the most playoff games without making it to the finals... STEVE NASH"

but he makes his teammates better!

5/18/2007 12:43:58 PM

Tree: here is my point on Sheed vs. Matrix

Rasheed has been in the league since 94-95, and he still plays his game and can still elevate (see that bullshit overtheback dunk last night) but that has never really been his main form of scoring so diminishing jumping ability would not hurt him as it will Marion. We all know who has the better jumpshot and I believe the sytem has a lot to do with Marions performance, much like the speculators say about how good Joakim Noah would be on a team like the Suns rather than a team like the Bobcats.

Both play defense that speaks for themselves, and I would agree marion is the better defender, with Sheed having the bigger wingspan. I personally would pick Sheed for a bruising team, and Marion for a fast paced team, and never the other way around.

5/18/2007 1:33:00 PM

billups

5/18/2007 1:53:19 PM

i think about 5 more threads about steve nash ought to cover it...

5/18/2007 2:38:06 PM

this is more about Billups for me

but the title doesnt suggest anything about Nash

so it could be the perpetual, who would you rather have, nba thread

5/18/2007 2:39:58 PM

Quote :

"We all know who has the better jumpshot "

actually their career FG and 3PT percentages are almost identical with Marion having better FT%...but Marion also has the ugliest shot in the league

5/18/2007 3:21:12 PM

anyone else have any quality rather haves in the current NBA?

i can think of one

Amare Stoudamire or Dwight Howard? they could be brothers

5/18/2007 3:32:36 PM

Greg Oden, Lebron James, and Morgan Freeman could be triplet brothers cause all three of them look like they're about 58

5/18/2007 3:36:04 PM

^^I'd take Dwight.

5/18/2007 3:39:25 PM

^^^I'll take Amare.

5/18/2007 3:50:59 PM

If Dwight would just learn how to play basketball he'd be the best player in the league. But he has no clue what he's doing out there.

5/18/2007 5:19:07 PM

he's also like 20 years old

amare fouls (out) a lot more than dwight but amare also seems to have more killer instinct down the stretch

5/18/2007 5:22:54 PM

Amare is a few years older has a decent point guard that doesn't turn it over. He is a little faster, and not quite as big. Howard "could" be very Shaq like.

5/18/2007 6:14:25 PM

the problem with putting nash on the pistons is that they thrive on D and nash is a huge defensive liability

that is one of the key problems with the suns, their two best offensive players are also their two worst on D

5/18/2007 10:14:34 PM

LeBron James or Dwayne Wade?

wade has a ring, lebron gets to play for one. I think this is easy.

6/5/2007 8:34:05 AM

Quote :

"3. Announcers and studio guys steadfastly continuing to call Chauncey Billups "Mr. Big Shot," quite possibly the most undeserved sports nickname of this century. Here's a quick recap of Chauncey's career: 1997-2001: Bounces around from Boston to Toronto to Denver to Orlando to Minnesota. 2002: Plays well enough for the T-Wolves (0-3 in the '02 playoffs) that Detroit gives him a $30 million contract. 2003: Leads a Pistons team that eventually gets swept in the 2003 Eastern finals by New Jersey … and gets destroyed by Jason Kidd in the process. Billups shot 11 for 40 in the series; Kidd averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 assists and 10 rebounds per game. To be fair, Billups was playing with a sprained ankle. Just pointing out that the "Mr. Big Shot" nickname hadn't kicked in yet. 2004: Shoots 39 percent in the regular season, gets hot in the playoffs, leads the Pistons to the title, makes some big shots along the way, and somehow picks up the name "Mr. Big Shot." 2005: Leads the Pistons to the Finals, makes some big shots along the way, then pulls a relative no-show in Game 7 (13 points, 3 for 8 from the field, no big shots). 2006: Heading into the playoffs, with the Pistons peaking as a 64-win team, I wrote that Billups was "one more killer spring away from moving into the pantheon of Big Game Guards, along with Sam Jones, Jerry West, Dennis Johnson and Walt Frazier. Out of anyone in the playoffs other than Kobe, he's the one who can make the biggest leap historically. Well, unless Artest charges into the stands again." Didn't happen. During the last three games of the Eastern semis against Cleveland -- which the Pistons nearly blew -- Billups shot 13 for 34. In the six-game loss to Miami in the Eastern finals, he shot 39 percent and 3 for 14 in the deciding game. So much for the pantheon of Big Game Guards. 2007: Struggled in the Chicago series (39 percent shooting), then completely flopped in the first four games of the Cavs series (22-for-57 shooting, 32 turnovers, some killer mistakes at the end of Games 3 and 4), to the point that people are now openly wondering how much money he's costing himself this summer. So here's my question: With all due respect to Billups -- who's been a valuable player, a gamer and a winner over the past few years -- can we really keep calling a 41 percent career shooter who slapped together one great playoffs and nine-tenths of another great playoffs "Mr. Big Shot"? Isn't that a little insulting to Robert Horry? I vote that we call him "Chauncey" or "Billups" unless he completely redeems himself over these next few weeks. This meeting is adjourned."

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons&entryDate=20070531&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fpage2%2fblog%2findex%3fname%3dsimmons%26entryDate%3d20070531

6/5/2007 8:44:51 AM

yeah, this threads initial arguement doesnt make much sense after the Cavs series

6/5/2007 8:47:33 AM

^^ can you make that a tinyurl link, so the page isn't 24" wide?

[Edited on June 5, 2007 at 8:48 AM. Reason : ^]

6/5/2007 8:48:04 AM

6/5/2007 9:31:17 AM

cmon there are better pictures of her than that.

6/5/2007 9:36:58 AM

Big shot John Paxson.

6/5/2007 11:15:24 AM