NBA / Oct 14, 2008 / 3:19 pm

Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams - You Choose

Chris PaulCP3 Photo. Mannion

The L.A. Times posted this bit of conversation from Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller on TNT the other night about the best point guards in the League:

Charles Barkley: “I love Steve Nash, but this is Chris Paul’s and Deron Williams‘ league right now. I always say that Chris Paul is driving and Deron Williams is in the back seat.”

Reggie Miller: “Where’s Steve Nash?”

Barkley: “He’s in the trunk.”

Is Chuck right or does Nash have the PG spot on lock until proven otherwise? Let us know and tell us how you would rank the League’s three point guards.

87 Responses to “Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams - You Choose”

  1. Detroit Dave says:

    Paul, Williams, Nash!

    Paul has the edge because he has that “special something”.
    Williams is only like .05% behind him. And Nash….well he just isn’t as good as them anymore.

  2. Tyrone says:

    Ain’t no doubt that CP3 is the best PG in the league y’all. Cat’s got insane ability to dish dimes.

    True thugs never lie.
    Tyrone

  3. TJ says:

    CP
    Nash
    Williams

  4. David Brandon says:

    i really think its cp, then deron then steve. its kinda tough b/c ppl forget about chauncey til the playoffs roll around, but he’s a cold dude as much as these other 3.

  5. control says:

    Steve Nash has it on lock.

    Don’t get me wrong, CP and DW are both amazing, but he’s got another year or so on top. There ain’t NO ONE worldwide who makes his teammates as good as Nash does. He could take a crew of YMCA Sunday pickup guys to the playoffs.

  6. Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:

    I love CP3’s game, his defense, his quickness. Deron’s hot too, he has the strength of a young J-Kidd and the height. And the two of them held it at the PG Spot for USA.

    But Steve Nash is a better driver, passer and shooter than Deron and CP3.

    So I guess it would come down to whether you like offense or defense. I would love to see Kobe on the wing with Steve Nash feeding him oops… for a full season of course.

    But where is Tony Parker in the convo? I realize he’s not as good as the other three, but he should at least get the arguably argument.

  7. GEE...you smell that? says:

    Deron, CP and Nash

  8. dapro says:

    DWill is the better all around pg of the three

    Deron, CP , Nash,

    @Post 6

    I agree TP should be included in the best pg convo’s but where does he rank in terms of getting others involved?

  9. GarethChantler says:

    CP
    Nash
    Williams
    based on last year. Could change

  10. sans says:

    The Hornets are horrible whenever Chris Paul is not on the floor. His “Lebronaires” might be alright when he is in the building, but Chris will get teammates All Star nominations based on how they play when he is around. Went to Hornets when they were terrible, almost took em to the playoffs, then the next season he gets injured and the team falls apart. Last season he took that squad hard against an experienced Spurs team, losing in 7. Sure, Stevie gots MVP hardware, shoots efficiently, but doesn’t play any D.

    All 3 of these players get their squad involved better than anyone else in the L right now, true point guard styles. I agree with the Chuckster, but you could at least say that Deron is sitting shotgun, trying to hook his hair up to hide the receding hairline. CP3, Deron, Stevie.

  11. Big Sia says:

    1. Salim Stoudamire
    2-10. Irrelevent

  12. Big Sia says:

    But seriously, CP and D Will are head and shoulders above everyone else right now

  13. Dave says:

    I think Deron Williams is the best point guard in the league right now … and he’s been that since the first month of his second season. Chris Paul is right on his heels.

    Baron Davis is the only other point who can go toe-to-toe with these two, but he’s behind each of them.

    Everyone else is a gear behind …. Tony Parker, Nash, Arenas. Fall back another gear or two and we meet Jason Kidd.

  14. Red says:

    Well control,
    Nash gots nba players and HAD 2 allstars on his team…..and still couldn’t get his team into the FINALS.

    CP3
    D WILL
    nash but slowly dropping. won’t be there after this season.

  15. control says:

    Red,

    Quite a difference between making playoffs and doing anything IN the playoffs (ask Tmac). Nash’s court vision and creativity in setting up teammates is unmatched right now. He IS losing a step or two though, CP will most likely pass him this year as far as best PG in NBA…

  16. nick says:

    cp has the edge over nash for this defense. otherwise nash would still be tops on the league.

    cp3
    nash
    deron.

  17. Jason says:

    My Top Ten Point Guards:
    1. Chris Paul
    2. Deron Williams
    3. Steve Nash
    4. Baron Davis
    5. Tony Parker
    6. Andre Miller
    7. Chauncey Billups
    8. Gilbert Arenas
    9. Jason Kidd
    10. Jose Calderon

  18. Celts Fan says:

    CP
    Deron

    Nash

  19. Three Stacks says:

    There’s no doubt Nash has been sick for the last few years, putting up Hall of Fame numbers and all, but the biggest thing working against him in this argument is his age. He hit his prime when he was 30, while CP and Deron are playing at almost an equal level at a much younger age.

    Right now I would rate Deron slightly ahead of CP, because he has a more consistent J and plays better on-the-ball defense. And he usually comes out on top when the two go head to head.

  20. loganlight says:

    Williams
    Paul
    Nash

  21. aj says:

    D-Will
    Paul
    Parker
    Nash

  22. Red says:

    lol it looks like this
    CP3
    .
    .
    D WIll
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    nash?

  23. Big V says:

    I’d say that CP3 and Deron are stronger and faster, better defenders, and possibly more effective than Steve at this point (but based largely on last season’s playoffs, where Nash’s offense changed drastically in mid-season).

    But if I’m a GM and I’ve got to pick one of those guys to be my starting PG in a conference finals series, you can bet I’m going with Nash. In my mind, he’s still the better playmaker, passer, and shooter.

    CP3 and Deron might be better basketball players overall than Nash, but they’re not yet better point guards.

  24. webbie352 says:

    cp3, nash, deron

  25. aj says:

    The only reason CP looks good #’s wise is cause the ball is always in his hands and he has to lead the Hornets. They have no one else, West is good but he’s a product of CP.

    Deron is on a better team w/a low-post player who you dump it down to on set plays and a wing who runs the offense too.

    The Hornets didn’t have a single player average more than 2.4 assists per game last year where as the Jazz had D-Will at 10.5, AK-47 at 4.0 & Booz at 2.9. Other people w/in the Jazz offense shared the load.

    No knock to CP3, he’s great, but D-Will is much more complete.

  26. Franchise Baller says:

    haha lmfao @ post 11

  27. Tha Boddy says:

    Healthy Gilbert Arenas
    Allen Iverson (In The PG Postion)
    Chris Paul
    Deron Williams
    Jason Kidd
    Steve Nash
    Baron Davis
    Tony Parker-Longoria
    Chauncey Billups
    Me…lol

  28. Red says:

    Big V,
    So if I was a GM i’d go with CP3, clearly he’s the best at the PG spot. In every CAT nash is out done, don’t let the overrated MVP trophy blind ya.

    PLAYOFFS
    07-08 nash 3.5rpg 11.1ast 0.6spg 3.64tpg 16.9ppg

    07-08 PAUL 4.9rpg 11.3ast 2.3spg 1.83tpg 24.1ppg

    07-08 DWill 3.6rpg 10.0ast 0.6spg 3.08tpg 21.6ppg

  29. craig990 says:

    Nice discussion!

    I think the arrival of CP3 and Dwill has made us forget about Nash.

    I think its all about defense.
    Nash is a better overall passer, shooter, play maker.. all aspects of a true point guard.
    Dwill and Cp3 surpass Nash when it comes to defense and speed.

  30. parinaz suns says:

    last time i checked nash is the only one who has been a mvp twice… so you gotta go with him then a close second with paul then williams.

  31. parinaz suns says:

    o and speaking of charles barkley hes going to be on larry king live tonight that should be interesting to say the least

  32. hahns says:

    i think the racial bias of this site is shown no better than in this post…..

    nash has got this thing on lock. cp3 was dominant for one year…how long has nash been doing it for? dwil and cp3 have tons of upside. but how is nash being rated consistently behind cp3 and dwil??? thats just absurd. nash is a much better shooter than either player, is more experienced, and is a better passer. cp3 depends on his quickness and athletic ability more than his actual pg/playmaking skills.

  33. JDig89 says:

    1. CP3 2. Dwill 3. Boom Dizzle

  34. Austin Burton says:

    OK, one more time:

    1. CP
    2. TONY PARKER
    3. Deron
    4. Nash

    Deron is not “head and shoulders” better than Parker, as someone said earlier. At best he’s marginally better, but again, it’s close enough that I’ll take Parker’s proven postseason track record over Deron’s resume. And Baron Davis is 5th-best at best.

  35. goonther says:

    agree w/ #32 ….

    nash is #1 (until he has a major downslide)
    cp
    parker
    d-will
    agent zero (when healthy)
    chauncey (even as much as i hate deeeetriot basketball)
    kidd

  36. jayslay says:

    @ hahns

    this conversation has nuthin to do race man thats a stupid thing to say cu until cp3 and d-will came in the league it was nash….dont bring that argument…..

    rite now its cp3 and d-will then imo its tony parker nash and ima go with dre miller

  37. Banga says:

    I would take tony parker over all three of them…

    If tony parker was in a system similar to any of those other three he would be a monster… CP gave him buckets in the playoffs last year, but TP gave them back just the same

  38. Big V says:

    Red,

    I agree that CP3 is putting up better numbers. Nash lost Marion a couple of weeks before the playoffs started, plus they only played one round. I’m not sure that’s a good representation of what he can do in the playoffs.

    Like I said before, I think that CP is the better player, but Nash is still the better PG. This season will be a good gauge as to where they are relative to each other.

  39. control says:

    Come on, bringing race into this convo?

    Like hahns said, Nash has it RIGHT NOW. If there is ONE game you needed to win today, and you could have any point guard…Nash would be the choice. Next year, CP, unless Deron tears shit up this year.

    AB,

    Tony is that good, but he’s more of an AI player than a pure PG. If you want someone to QB your offense perfectly and set up other people, TP falls to 4-5th.

  40. Big V says:

    And there’s no way that Baron is a better PG than Nash.

  41. Big V says:

    And another thing: None of these guys can dominate a game without scoring the way Nash can. Deron is probably better in that respect than CP, but neither of them are messin with Steve.

  42. the rocket cat says:

    Paul, Kidd, Nash, Calderon, Billups… then Deron Williams. He’s good, but putting him in the same territory with CP is a mistake that no one would make if they weren’t from the same draft class and the media didn’t really like comparing the two of them.

  43. Jah says:

    Chris Paul led the league in assists AND steals while averaging more than 20 ppg and took his team to 7 games with the SAN ANTONIO SPURS in the playoffs. Yeah, he’s that good (and his teammates will tell you the same).

    Utah has an equally talented team but the lack that “something” that Chris Paul and the Hornets bring to the table. Deron Williams is no joke but the numbers that CP3 is putting up are undeniable.

    Steve Nash is older, yes — but he’s still got “it” (but maybe not as much as before). Don’t believe me? Just look at the numbers…that’s all I’m saying.

  44. George W Kush Sr says:

    Steve Nash wouldn’t be able to guard the old pervert from Family Guy, there is no way he has it on “lock”. Dude had a few good seasons, but he’s old now, has less talent around him to pull off the same stunts that got him into this conversation in the first place, his time is up.
    Williams would man handle Nash. As does Baron Davis and Chris Paul, so how is he the best pg if he gets his lunch money stolen everytime by these 3 guys? Time’s up, its Paul and Williams’ turn.

  45. Big V says:

    It’s not all about head-to-head matchups. Everybody knows Nash’s D is trash. So is Paul’s jumper.

  46. Big V says:

    From downtown, that is.

  47. Ian says:

    austin
    parker is 2 in my list also

    paul
    parker
    nash
    deron
    then theres a gap
    for the davis billups group

  48. Meica says:

    Nash is only in this argument because he was one of the first to play the game that the league now plays it. Even in his prime; however, Nash is no match for CP3!

  49. Dagomar says:

    Nash is by far the best offensive point guard in the league. You can say Paul scores more but in terms of efficiency Nash is first by a LONG shot. He’s the league’s best shooter and passer. What other point in history could say that?

    ALL THAT SAID, Paul’s clearly the best PG in the league because he can play defense too (not just team defense). He’s also a bit more selfish than Nash, and that ain’t a bad thing. Deron is a beast as well - I think he’s tied with Nash. He’s very good defensively with the potential to be great, and he’s a solid leader. His greatness hides a lot of Utah’s potential holes.

  50. Gerard says:

    Let’s look at playoff head to heads. Then you gotta say TP>Deron>Paul>Nash

    Who would I want running the point for me? T-Mac.

  51. Gerard says:

    And CP3 is a horrible defender, anybody can shoot over him.

  52. tim says:

    I’d take Rodney Stuckey over all of them haha!

  53. George W Kush Sr says:

    Yeah, but his output is gonna suffer this year, and he’s not gonna be able to put so much on the offensive table that its gonna compensate for the defensice handicap that he’s gotten to be.
    No doubt Nash still has good passing skills and shooting skills, but he is most effective when Phoenix is launching away like its BattleShip time, but in a slowed down game plan, his effectiveness will suffer enough for him to be dethroned this year.
    Paul is no 3 point sniper, but at the 3 point line he’s still dangerous because he can quickly cut in for a jumper, or he can make the defense collapse and kick out to Posey or Peja, so he’s still a threat. Nash has become a liability

  54. Fobuless says:

    I still think experience + better court vision + selfish less is better than any of these young cats.

    When you look back in Team USA, why did J. Kidd get the nod from the coaches to start for the team.

    It’s not that he is quicker, more durable, shoot better, but it’s the way how he led the team.

    I’ll still take Nash on my championship team. He has better court version, more experience, and it seems like he is a better locker room guy.

    Let’s think about it, if you put Nash with any of the superstar, you will naturally think that it will work out. However, if you put D. Will or Chris Paul with any of the superstar, you have to wonder if it’s going to work out or not.

  55. Big V says:

    I agree with Fobuless’ last statement.

    Also, I don’t think that Nash is a slouch in the half-court game. He still runs the pick-and-roll better than any point guard since John Stockton.

  56. fallinup says:

    I give tons of credit to Deron and even Nash for that matter. But when it comes to best PG…it’s Chris Paul hands down. Deron and Nash can’t control a game like CP3. The kid is friggin amazing. It’s like watching Isiah Thomas clips with a touch of Iverson.

    Mark me down right now…barring any injuries. Chris Paul will be MVP and own this season.

  57. fallinup says:

    Oh, then Deron, then Nash. Deron is hella good too, and Nash is gettin older. But CP3 above all.

  58. Marci says:

    Chris Paul
    Deron Williams
    Jason Kidd

  59. EvanD10 says:

    dwill
    nash
    cp3

  60. smity far away says:

    top ten as i see it

    chris paul
    deron
    nash
    kidd
    billups
    parker
    baron
    ai
    marbury
    miller

  61. safetydan says:

    Dwill and Paul are almost equal, there’s no way to decide who’s better. head to head though you have to give Dwill the nod.

  62. x0t says:

    out of those three CP is the one who gets the star treatment from the refs. CP travels, carries, and stiff-arms defenders all the time and hardly ever gets called for it. I’d take Dwill. The other two have inflated numbers due to the style of offense…

  63. caribball says:

    does it matter? as long as one have one of those guys on your and not a chris duhan (sp) your doing alright

  64. P_Dizzle says:

    Deron
    CP
    Nash
    Billups
    Kidd
    Parker

  65. Borgs says:

    They’re all equally important to their respective team, and trying to compare such is a specious endeavour. Furthermore, winning is a team achievement and, at best, worth a sixth (including the head coach) of an individual characteristic. That’s why there isn’t a Tony Parker banner suspended in the AT & T Center rafters, as much as one Dime employee wants to believe that there is. Also see the recent achievements of the French national squad, of which Parker is its most prominent member.

    Below is a flawed, but as it turns out, not wildly inaccurate, 4-3-2-1 merit system. Obviously, the scoring is based on comparative ability, not outright. Progressive total in parentheses…

    Ball-handling: Paul(4), Nash(3), Williams(2), Parker(1)
    Vision: Nash(7), Paul(7), Williams(4), Parker(2)
    Passing: Nash(11), Williams(7), Paul(9), Parker(3)
    Jumpshooting: Nash(15), Wiliams(10), Paul(11), Parker(4)
    Penetration: Paul(15), Parker(7), Williams(12), Nash(16)
    Finishing: Williams(16), Parker(10), Nash(18), Paul(16)
    Clutch: Nash(22), Parker(13), Williams(18), Paul(17)
    Post Scoring: Parker(17), Williams(21), Paul(19), Nash(23)
    Perimeter D: Paul(23), Williams(24), Parker(19), Nash(24)
    Post D: Williams(28), Parker(22), Paul(25), Nash(25)
    Speed: Parker(26), Paul(28), Nash(27), Williams(29)

  66. vinny says:

    1Paul 2Parker 3Williams 4Billups Did anyone see Parker destory Nash in the playoffs last year? What kind of stats would all of these pt guards put up in the 8 seconds to shoot offense? (imagine them or AI OR Davis in 8 seconds to shoot) Which if you watched Black Magic on espn was created by John Maclendon in the 5o’s or 60’s i forget.
    #32 the only way race plays a role in this is the fact that nash won 2 mvp’s!!

  67. de says:

    Nash

  68. red says:

    Nash HAS 2 over-rated MVP’s, THe guy knows how to win? WHAT? As i recall he has won anything at all, besides 2 overrated MVP’s that is. MVP that has NEVER seen the Finals. MAYBE he won it because of what post 32 was talking about????? Nash has and had a great team, he will never win unless he plays D, something that Dwill and CP3 can do at their young age.

    @ borg

    what nash has better Perimeter D than CP3?
    ???????

  69. peter says:

    1a) CP3
    1b) Deron

    2. Nash

    *It would be arguable to say who’s better in their primes. CP3 & Deron are obviously coming into their own, Nash… well, he’s just Steve Nash (this PG deserves cudos b/c he revolutionized the way the PG position should be played)

    Nash made Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Mo Williams and any score first point guard irrelevant!

  70. peter says:

    not saying that Nash pioneered the PG position, but during the 2000’s when it seemed like the traditional PG was slipping into obscurity, Nash revitalized it again

  71. house says:

    *** Isn’t this who is the top 3 PG NOW ***
    1CP3
    (is #1 Against everybody BUT the #2, but dominates both ends of the floor not to be here)

    DWill (Needs a little better D to be 1A on the list.)

    NASH (Has never played Defense in his WHOLE career like CP3 or Dwill short time in the league. Won’t be number #3 after this season. make room for Parker)

  72. Timmy D says:

    I think it goes Paul, Nash then Williams but I think these could be the year Williams overtakes Nash just purely because of Nash’s limitations as he gets older.

    But even though I think these are the best three pure Point Guards in the league, Not one of them can stop Baron Davis. I think Davis is by far the hardest point guard in the league to stop from scoring and getting baskets but he just doesnt set up his teamates and run the offense like these three can.

  73. house says:

    B. TITTY kinda fell off last year epecially in the playoffs, and you can say that about 06 playoffs too. Dwill took him and GS off the shelf.

  74. kowtz says:

    Nash will be owned by the two… even on his prime, that’s coz he’s got no D…

    Deron has better D than Chris… he gets the nod for now…

  75. Rob says:

    1. CP3
    2. D-Will
    3. Nash
    4. B.Dizzle
    5. Tony Parker
    6. Billups
    7. Rondo
    8. Kidd

  76. Chris says:

    D-Will, CP3, Nash

  77. Sweet English says:

    I don’t know who is the ‘best’ point guard becasue Basketball is one of the hardest sports to compare ability among top flight players as styles and how teams and indivduals play differs so wildly. I just ask myslef three questions:

    Suns - Nash = Suck
    Hornets - CP3 = Really Suck
    Jazz - Williams = not much difference.

    Who would i want to watch out of the three? being a point guard myself, Nash every time. the guys court vision and ability to make the Suns dominate is unreal, i could watch Nash highlights all day.

    If i had a pick up game and was calling teams, who would i want running the point on my team? CP3 without a doubt the guy is a machine his assist/turnover ratio is crazy good, like near Muggsy Bogues good (the guy was 5:1 over his entire career) and he can score at will.

    so im gonna say

    1.Cp3, Nash

    2. Deron, Chauncey, Parker.

  78. Sweet English says:

    Oh shit i forgot Baron Davis. And Gil. And AI. F*ck man, this is difficult.

  79. Bruce says:

    u have to go with cp3, deron williams is rite there also. but nash aint no slouch so its hard to call it…

  80. Gambit says:

    female- the game of basketball
    male- Steve Nash
    children-D8 & CP3 (twins)

    And the results are: When it come to these two young players, Steve! you the father.

  81. J says:

    How does kidd not rank higher on people’s lists? He was fourth in the nba in assists last year, is probably the first second or third best defending pg, has more experience than any other pg, and is by far the best rebounder. sure he cant shoot but he has people around him who can. yes cp3 abused him in the first round but who did cp3 not abuse? the closest person to not getting abused by cp 3 is deron williams, and he still got abused, but deron also gave some punishment back with 30 point 10 assist games. I think you could make an argument for kidd as the third best because of his defense and leadership, but i dont see how you put him any lower than fifth.

  82. jace says:

    it goes cp3, williams, nash.

    j-kidd used to be up there. nash didn’t deserve two mvps. kidd deserved like 3 mvps when takin the nets to the playoffs. to me, nash shouldve shared that first mvp with dantoni. cuz without that system nash isn’t that great. didnt even deserve that second mvp. if nash deserved it, than kidd deserved it when he took the nets to the finals. kidd did a LOT more for his team with a LOT less decent players.

  83. johnsacrimoni says:

    Right now
    1. Nash
    2. Williams
    3. Paul

    By this time next year, it will be either Williams or Paul. Derrick Rose will be solid but will never be as good as those two. Boom Dizzle is overrated. Fighting for the 4th spot are Billups and Parker.

  84. doc says:

    CP3,D-Will,and yall can have the rest.Them 2 in a league of their own like them baseball broads.

  85. MBE18 says:

    What about J-Kidd?

  86. Mack Brownee says:

    Has anybody ever heard of Baron Davis? It goes cp3, BD, d-will and then nashty

  87. Nick says:

    CP3 is of corse the best in the league right Deron williams is far behind

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