Why Chris Paul is the Best Basketball Player in the NBA (No, Really)

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by Mike Hanus:

There is no one better at the game of basketball than Chris Paul. There are better scorers, better athletes, and better players at other positions, but no one understands and flows within the game like CP3. The guy is a master; there is no one I’ve ever seen who exerts his will on the game like this.

Including LeBron. He exerts his will on other players and other teams, but he can’t control the game like Paul does. If basketball is a flowing stream, Chris Paul is a minnow. He flows within the game. LeBron is a bear who sort of crashes into things and makes a lot of splashes. Yes, he diverts the stream, yes, his sheer brawny power exerts his will on it, but I’m much more impressed with someone whose very DNA is composed of the game and understands it at its highest level.

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In an era where point guards are becoming more valuable and more important to the game, Chris Paul is the best. He’s an ace game manager and a clutch player. If great players see plays a few seconds before they happen, it’s like he sees the entire possession.

Point guard is the MVP of positions right now. It’s the Egg McMuffin of positions. The Lakers and Knicks are still pretty stacked, talent-wise, but they’re struggling because they don’t have someone to facilitate. Point guards initiate, make the long passes for fast break plays and manage the clock, and I’d be hard pressed to bet on a team winning the Finals without a good one (Heat last year, anyone?).

Point guard is the most important position, and Chris Paul is the best point guard. There’s no question. Derrick Rose is an excellent, amazing player, but he’s not a better point guard. He’s a shoot-first point guard, not a game manager, and CP3’s passing, shooting, steals and time/game management are all better than Rose. The Thing that Used to Be Deron Williams doesn’t even come close, and Rondo can’t shoot.

But what I really love is how much he relaxes and lets his team do what they do. Butler, Billups, and Griffin all need a lot of touches to be a successful team, and CP gives them all their glory. That’s what really makes them such a scary matchup: the Clippers are not just a two-star team (like the Knicks); they have two stars, but one also makes every single other player better (not like the Knicks).

Chris Paul plays in slow motion. Rose, LeBron and others can hurtle themselves at the basket, but CP3 doesn’t need to. He’ll be happy chilling most of the game, distributing to his teammates. Sometimes I hate on CP for passing so much every possession, but just when he’s got the other team sleeping, he’ll flip another switch and start holding the ball and scoring. It’s like the opposing defense doesn’t even get it. CP is sitting around 10 points and 10 assists at this point, feeding everyone else, and in the 4th quarter he just goes off, possession after possession, not passing the ball, just slaughtering people off the dribble, and when they give him space, he shoots it. And he still looks so casual! Chris Paul is the only person I’ve seen all season who, when he’s in the fourth quarter and takes a shot, I absolutely believe it’s going to go in. Not Kobe, LeBron, Durant or anyone else. He has an incredible H.A.M. switch to become a scorer that has to put him in the top 10 of current players.

So you have a top-10 scorer, top-two passer, the best game manager and facilitator, one of the most clutch players in the NBA and a competitive drive to practice and will his team to win that is only beat by Kobe playing the most valuable and important position in the league. That’s good enough for my #1 spot.


[Ed: Think this is BS? Check out Bobby's response]


*From http://www.freshnessmag.com/2011/12/16/chris-paul-shows-off-his-new-jordan-cp3-v-in-los-angeles-clippers-colorway/