‘AT best,” Mark Jackson ap praises, no disre spect intended, “Steve Nash is the NBA’s third best point guard.”
Deron Williams and Chris Paul, drafted Nos. 3 and 4 in the 2005 draft by the Jazz and Hornets, have superseded the two-time (’05 & ’06) MVP.
“It blows me away how Paul and Williams are so good so fast,” Jackson gushes.
What makes them superlative and how do they compare to each other? Barry Hecker, a talent scout in the league laboratory for two decades (Cavaliers and Clippers) who lives in Salt Lake City, offers his perspective.
Williams: “He thrives in Jerry Sloan’s system. The key was his condition when he came to camp this season. He changed his body, lost weight and gained quickness. His quickness had concerned me coming out of college.
“Terrific ball handler. Uses the dribble with change of pace to get wherever he wants on the court and is very efficient. Doesn’t over-handle. I think that goes along with buying into Sloan’s system. Excellent on pick and roll. Gets the ball to Carlos Boozer when he is open.
“Can pull up off the fast break and hit the jump shot from 3-point range to 15 feet. Because of his strength he can finish inside and has a knack for getting his shot, not what the defense dictates. More explosive to the hole going straight to the basket and can rise and dunk on your dome.
“On the break he will get the ball to the open man. If break isn’t there he has learned to make good decisions and pull ball out and run the offense.
“Defensively, he cannot lock you down like a Gary Payton could. But he stays in front of man and his team coverage concepts are solid.
“Has shown outstanding leadership. Will compete and take [and make] crunch time shots. Has played at a very consistent level throughout season. Obviously, he’s got smarts; he praised Sloan in paper for making him into a better player.”Paul: “At 6-foot, 175 pounds, he’s three inches shorter and 35 pounds lighter than Deron. That translates into enhanced quickness, which is evident by how explosive he is at switching gears. Chris arrived in the pros a more natural playmaker with an ability to really push the ball from one end to the other. However, his smaller body also means he’s not as strong and durable as Deron over an 82-game season.
“His strength is changing speeds and getting where he wants in the lane. Not as expert at finishing as Deron. His specialty is pulling up for baby jumpers. Great vision and has acumen to hit the open man at right time.
“Defensively, his pressure on-the-ball, anticipation and reaction time is superior to Deron leading to more steals. Byron Scott also allows him more freedom to roam than Sloan has with Deron, making him more programmed. Chris is more spontaneous.”Hecker believes Williams was the textbook choice for Sloan whereas Paul was perfect for Scott’s up-tempo style: “Had Chris gone to the Jazz, he wouldn’t have liked the system as much and it might’ve stunted his growth.”
Paul’s numbers (21.6 points, 11.3 assists, 2.7 steals, 2.6 turnovers) are higher quality than Williams’ (19.4, 10.3, 1.09, 3.5) and Nash’s (17.5, 11.3, 0.66, 3.8).
Bottom line: All three are making their teammates, championship contending teams and coaches better.
*
Evidently Newsday was the last to find out Jerry West is very much interested in re-shaping the Knicks. Its “news” splash a couple days ago was mere months behind The Post. Way back when Hoop du Jour uncharacteristically scolded Mitch Lawrence in print and on NBATV for claiming the retired League Logo (and Jerry Colangelo) wanted no part of such a challenge. Very sad . . . on both accounts.
By the way, West is all but fully recovered from a summer golf-cart accident. He suffered a severely separated shoulder and acid burns to his leg when he got trapped under the cart for 45 minutes after it had flipped during a mad dash to the club house during a sudden lighting storm. Last week was the first time he’d hit a golf ball since that scary incident. “I hired a chauffeur to drive my cart.” West cracked.
How about the Mavericks being 0-8 against teams above .500 since Jason Kidd joined them?Early on, the triple-double freak was beached in favor of Jason Terry at closing time of a tight game.
Then last week he was again alongside Avery Johnson when the coach needed offense; Terry provided it and Dallas came back strong from a 24-point deficit and nearly beat the Lakers.
The very next game night the Mavs got compacted in the final two minutes when they committed six turnovers in the fourth quarter with Kidd running the show.
I know it sounds crazy, but the 14-year-veteran is so uncomfortable in his new surroundings/system that A.J. has had to shelve some of his team’s offensive options and is using some Nets sets instead.
Oh, yeah, Kidd badly aborted a 3-point try down the stretch against Boston and, not surprisingly, is having great difficulty keeping his defensive assignment in front of him.
Should the Mavs fail to get out of the first round of the playoffs again this season the question is, who will Mark Cuban fire first, Avery or himself?
There’s more contact between brides and fathers walking down the aisle than there is when the Nuggets are on defense. Eduardo Najera told us on NBATV Friday night Denver (ninth place in the west, 1½ games behind the Warriors) has “too many 20-point scorers and not enough defensive players.”
This just in: Spawn Kemp has been taken into custody on suspicion of fertilizing Easter eggs.