Chris Paul continues to amaze me

[EarthBall]

I can't wait until Monday's Boxed Out.

Chris Paul's stat line tonight against the (not horrible) Mavs:

33 pts, 10 rbs, 11 assists, 7 steals (50% shooting, 2 TOs)

That's beyond sick. He's only the 5th player to do this (along with Alvin Robertson, Michael Ray Richardson, Bird and Rick Barry) -- the first since Robertson in 1986.

My question is, why doesn't CP3 get the love he deserves? Sure, he is an MVP candidate, but right now, the NBA still belongs to LeBron and Kobe. His stats are just plain crazy and that Hornets team would be nothing without him. What does he need to do to get more love? Average 30 and 15 for the season? Win a championship (but Kobe and LeBron have a combined 0 titles -- without Shaq)?

Maybe it's harder for a point guard to win over the crowd. But Steve Nash did it and he was only half the player CP3 is (because he didn't play defense). I don't get it.   

[Celtic]

He's been arguably the best player in the league for a few seasons now, and to me he is. He plays at a more valuable position, and at the highest level at that position. However, it all comes down to the media, they pathetically get on their knees and bow at the feet of Queen James, never once acknowledging the fact that he travels, sorry "Crab dribbles" on almost every play, drives the lane pushing defenders away, and cries like a baby as he clutches his face after anyone dares to play defense against him.

After saying that, Lebron is a freak and a very talented player, I just have no idea how good he is because he doesn't have to play by NBA rules. He gets special treatment, thats what makes Chris Paul even better, he does what he does with little to no ref help, and absolutely nothing compared to what Lebron gets. Swing men are valuable, but there is a surplus of them, granted Kobe and Lebron are the elite of that group, but give me the best point guard in the NBA and a good swingman any day over an OK PG and a great swingman.

[orrzor]

He's been arguably the best player in the league for a few seasons now, and to me he is. He plays at a more valuable position, and at the highest level at that position. However, it all comes down to the media, they pathetically get on their knees and bow at the feet of Queen James, never once acknowledging the fact that he travels, sorry "Crab dribbles" on almost every play, drives the lane pushing defenders away, and cries like a baby as he clutches his face after anyone dares to play defense against him.

After saying that, Lebron is a freak and a very talented player, I just have no idea how good he is because he doesn't have to play by NBA rules. He gets special treatment, thats what makes Chris Paul even better, he does what he does with little to no ref help, and absolutely nothing compared to what Lebron gets. Swing men are valuable, but there is a surplus of them, granted Kobe and Lebron are the elite of that group, but give me the best point guard in the NBA and a good swingman any day over an OK PG and a great swingman.

I don't think PG is a more valuable position to a championship team, unless Paul is as good as Magic. The past few championship teams, save Detroit, have not had their best player at PG, it is hard to dominate a game from that position but Paul obviously comes close. Also look at the Cavs, they do not have a real PG.

And about calls, it's not like the refs don't bail out Paul from time to time like they do every other superstar. Also Lebron was called on his crab dribble, which cost the Cavs a win. I don't think refs give him everything you are claiming. Furthermore Lebron's game has definitely improved the last season, specifically his jump shot form looks better. And now that he does not have to do everything on offense, he actually has energy to play some good defense. Also arguing that there are a lot of swingmen in the NBA doesn't diminish how much better Lebron is then all those other swingmen. He is the greatest at his position, as CP is at his. Lebron's level of talent is just as rare, if not rarer, than Paul's talent.

That being said, wouldn't it be nice if the C's could choose between these 2.

[Slugger]

I can't wait until Monday's Boxed Out.

Chris Paul's stat line tonight against the (not horrible) Mavs:

33 pts, 10 rbs, 11 assists, 7 steals (50% shooting, 2 TOs)

That's beyond sick. He's only the 5th player to do this (along with Alvin Robertson, Michael Ray Richardson, Bird and Rick Barry) -- the first since Robertson in 1986.

My question is, why doesn't CP3 get the love he deserves? Sure, he is an MVP candidate, but right now, the NBA still belongs to LeBron and Kobe. His stats are just plain crazy and that Hornets team would be nothing without him. What does he need to do to get more love? Average 30 and 15 for the season? Win a championship (but Kobe and LeBron have a combined 0 titles -- without Shaq)?

Maybe it's harder for a point guard to win over the crowd. But Steve Nash did it and he was only half the player CP3 is (because he didn't play defense). I don't get it.   

Its because he plays in a small market - and purely no other reason. The guy is an absolute champion player - give the hornets a servicable bigman that isnt soft and oft injured (yeah you Chandler), and ive no doubt they win a title within a couple of years.

Nash got the accolades partly because he has more exposure in PHX, but mainly because he was a little white man excelling in what has become a black mans game.

One little gripe with your post - why do Kobe's championships come with an asterisk??

Does Shaq win those titles without Kobe?

Larry Bird won no titles without the Chief?

MJ couldnt win one without Scottie Pippen.

And so on.....

[Celtic]

He's been arguably the best player in the league for a few seasons now, and to me he is. He plays at a more valuable position, and at the highest level at that position. However, it all comes down to the media, they pathetically get on their knees and bow at the feet of Queen James, never once acknowledging the fact that he travels, sorry "Crab dribbles" on almost every play, drives the lane pushing defenders away, and cries like a baby as he clutches his face after anyone dares to play defense against him.

After saying that, Lebron is a freak and a very talented player, I just have no idea how good he is because he doesn't have to play by NBA rules. He gets special treatment, thats what makes Chris Paul even better, he does what he does with little to no ref help, and absolutely nothing compared to what Lebron gets. Swing men are valuable, but there is a surplus of them, granted Kobe and Lebron are the elite of that group, but give me the best point guard in the NBA and a good swingman any day over an OK PG and a great swingman.

I don't think PG is a more valuable position to a championship team, unless Paul is as good as Magic. The past few championship teams, save Detroit, have not had their best player at PG, it is hard to dominate a game from that position but Paul obviously comes close. Also look at the Cavs, they do not have a real PG.

And about calls, it's not like the refs don't bail out Paul from time to time like they do every other superstar. Also Lebron was called on his crab dribble, which cost the Cavs a win. I don't think refs give him everything you are claiming. Furthermore Lebron's game has definitely improved the last season, specifically his jump shot form looks better. And now that he does not have to do everything on offense, he actually has energy to play some good defense. Also arguing that there are a lot of swingmen in the NBA doesn't diminish how much better Lebron is then all those other swingmen. He is the greatest at his position, as CP is at his. Lebron's level of talent is just as rare, if not rarer, than Paul's talent.

That being said, wouldn't it be nice if the C's could choose between these 2.

While much of what we disagree on is a matter of opinion, the one sticking point I have is in regards to the officiating for Lebron. At the very least in comparison to the officiating for Chris Paul, no one gets bailed out like Lebron, everyone wants to say that everyone gets star calls and on and on, but never like this. He came into the league and was treated like a superstar.

[orrzor]

He's been arguably the best player in the league for a few seasons now, and to me he is. He plays at a more valuable position, and at the highest level at that position. However, it all comes down to the media, they pathetically get on their knees and bow at the feet of Queen James, never once acknowledging the fact that he travels, sorry "Crab dribbles" on almost every play, drives the lane pushing defenders away, and cries like a baby as he clutches his face after anyone dares to play defense against him.

After saying that, Lebron is a freak and a very talented player, I just have no idea how good he is because he doesn't have to play by NBA rules. He gets special treatment, thats what makes Chris Paul even better, he does what he does with little to no ref help, and absolutely nothing compared to what Lebron gets. Swing men are valuable, but there is a surplus of them, granted Kobe and Lebron are the elite of that group, but give me the best point guard in the NBA and a good swingman any day over an OK PG and a great swingman.

I don't think PG is a more valuable position to a championship team, unless Paul is as good as Magic. The past few championship teams, save Detroit, have not had their best player at PG, it is hard to dominate a game from that position but Paul obviously comes close. Also look at the Cavs, they do not have a real PG.

And about calls, it's not like the refs don't bail out Paul from time to time like they do every other superstar. Also Lebron was called on his crab dribble, which cost the Cavs a win. I don't think refs give him everything you are claiming. Furthermore Lebron's game has definitely improved the last season, specifically his jump shot form looks better. And now that he does not have to do everything on offense, he actually has energy to play some good defense. Also arguing that there are a lot of swingmen in the NBA doesn't diminish how much better Lebron is then all those other swingmen. He is the greatest at his position, as CP is at his. Lebron's level of talent is just as rare, if not rarer, than Paul's talent.

That being said, wouldn't it be nice if the C's could choose between these 2.

While much of what we disagree on is a matter of opinion, the one sticking point I have is in regards to the officiating for Lebron. At the very least in comparison to the officiating for Chris Paul, no one gets bailed out like Lebron, everyone wants to say that everyone gets star calls and on and on, but never like this. He came into the league and was treated like a superstar.

That I do agree with you on, I just think it is a little overblown and people sometimes use it as an excuse to ignore the fact that Lebron still plays amazing, just looking at the stuff he does when following the rules. Anyway I think officiating matters more in the playoffs, where superstar treatment can really swing a series or a game. The only Lebron playoff game I can remember (correct me if I'm wrong) where his superstar treatment changed the game was that game 5 against Detroit 2 yrs ago where he went for 40+ and the Pistons weren't even trying to stop him because they were scared of fouling. Now DWade, I really like the guy and think he's on level with Kobe, but he got some ridiculous calls in the finals against the Mavs (granted Cuban counted his chickens before they hatched in that series) and one could argue the refs swung that series to the Heat. So if people want to complain about officiating, they should complain when it matters the most, during the playoffs.

[ACF]

He's a great player and a good guy.
As far as I'm concerned, this league
is Chris Paul's league.

You get a Tommy Point for the CP3 Love.

[cordobes]

One little gripe with your post - why do Kobe's championships come with an asterisk??

Does Shaq win those titles without Kobe?

Larry Bird won no titles without the Chief?

MJ couldnt win one without Scottie Pippen.

And so on.....

I think the obvious difference is that unlike Bird, Shaq and Jordan, Kobe wasn't the best player in his team.

-----

Paul is a great player, but I somewhat agree with orrzor. Besides, I'm not a big fan of PGs like Paul - the kind of pgs that are so ball-dominant that all the remaining players in the team just react to him, acting merely as scoring machines most of the time. I strongly believe that the amount of time the basketball is in Paul's hands is unrivaled in the story of the league. It's very far from being my favourite brand of basketball.

[MMacOH]

Chris Paul is unbelievable.  You can't match up one on with him.  He will take you every time.

As for the Lebron getting all the calls....man, will people ever stop complaining about this?  Go watch how many calls Pierce gets in the same manner.  All of this favorable call stuff is complete (edited masked profanity is not allowed) .  Its a two way street...always will be

[jgod213]

Chris Paul is unbelievable.  You can't match up one on with him.  He will take you every time.

As for the Lebron getting all the calls....man, will people ever stop complaining about this?  Go watch how many calls Pierce gets in the same manner.  All of this favorable call stuff is complete BS.  Its a two way street...always will be

Agreed on all levels.  Thing that amazes me with CP3 is that he NEVER gives up his dribble and has an uncanny knack for utilizing spacing on the floor.

Also agree with LeBron.  I got killed on this site last year for defending LeBron in a post titled "Queen James."  People whine about his body language and whatnot, but Paul does the same thing when he drives, he absorbs contact and embellishes it, along with a little shreik of pain to top it off.  You can dislike LeBron for a lot of reasons, but when the guy hits his jump shot he's virtually unguardable, you pretty much have to foul the guy to keep him from the basket.

[MMacOH]

I don't want to hijack this thread, especially considering it is about the best PG in the game right now, but I would like to make one more quick point about Lebron.  The guy is 270 pounds of solid muscle.  Just because contact has minimal effect on his drives does not mean that contact was not made and that a foul should be called.  It's not Lebron's fault that he can drive through contact.  A foul is still a foul.

[MBz]

I don't want to hijack this thread, especially considering it is about the best PG in the game right now, but I would like to make one more quick point about Lebron.  The guy is 270 pounds of solid muscle.  Just because contact has minimal effect on his drives does not mean that contact was not made and that a foul should be called.  It's not Lebron's fault that he can drive through contact.  A foul is still a foul.

I think a lot of people complain because the contact is created by him and not called an offensive foul enough.  This is why many times I'd rather watch a college game, because these kind of fouls tend to be no calls, while in the NBA they are only given to superstars.  You would think that with guys like say Blake Griffin who are much more athletic and stronger then most college kids that he'd be able to do the same thing James does, but he doesn't because the college officials don't call it.

[EarthBall]

Had to bring back this thread. Chris Paul's stat line tonight:

27/10/15 and 7 steals

Sure he had 4 turnovers (in 43 minutes however). But this guy is ridiculous. Since I started this thread over a week ago, he's averaged 25.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 11.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 5 games (4-1 record). Again, I ask the question, why are we only talking about BronBron and Kobe for MVP? Heck, Duncan has been getting some love lately. But what about CP3?

[2short]

He was the mvp last year imo and should be again this year.  I've seen lots of nba due to advanced age 
This kid is the real thing!  I've put in different threads about how good rondo is compared to other pg.  Paul is on his own then fill in others.
Chris Paul is his young career is on par with John Stockton, Tiny Archibald...its actually hard to put anyone at his level for pg.
Lebron & Kobe are great players but the nba for 10-15 years is more about commentators pushing for players, league highlighting guys etc.  Cmon Nash as 3 ? time mvp.  The nba is a marketing machine now, they let jordan carry the ball on every play and they continue to let certain players do this (lebron).  When they decide the Paul is good for the nba's face then he'll start getting the love.

[celticmaestro]

Chris Paul should have been MVP last year and right now it's a toss up between him and LeBron for this year.

Here's a question for the CP3 lovers:

4 years ago, Danny tries to trade Pierce for CP3's draft rights. Would you go back and do this, or leave as is?