Unfortunately championships aren't formed building around a point guard

[rasta1]

When the point guard is your best player, it's hard to win

I can't name the last time a team won it all with their best player being the point guard

All of these guys have had teams built around them, Total 0 championships being the best player on the team
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Gary Payton
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Steve Francis
Stephon Marbury
Derrick Rose
Deron Williams
Penny Hardaway
Chris Paul
Alvin Robertson
Nate Archibald
John Stockton


Exceptions:
Walt Frazier - 2x champion
Oscar Robertson - 1x champion
Isiah Thomas - 2x champion
Magic Johnson - 5x champion [again he has kareem abdul jabar to back him up]
Chauncey Billups - 1x champion [can't say he was the best on the team though]

[tyrone biggums]

When the point guard is your best player, it's hard to win

I can't name the last time a team won it all with their best player being the point guard

All of these guys have had teams built around them, Total 0 championships being the best player on the team
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Gary Payton
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Steve Francis
Stephon Marbury
Derrick Rose
Deron Williams
Penny Hardaway
Chris Paul
Alvin Robertson
Nate Archibald
John Stockton


Exceptions:
Walt Frazier - 2x champion
Oscar Robertson - 1x champion
Isiah Thomas - 2x champion
Magic Johnson - 5x champion [again he has kareem abdul jabar to back him up]
Chauncey Billups - 1x champion [can't say he was the best on the team though]

Billups was the best player on that team, they had a few players on the same level but the way he played that year was amazing.

Dwayne Wade on the Miami title team played both PG and SG, depending on what team they played. However if you think D-Rose won't win a title or two then you are kidding yourself.

[PosImpos]

 However if you think D-Rose won't win a title or two then you are kidding yourself.

20 years ago:

"If you think Stockton and Malone won't win a title or two then you're kidding yourself."

[thenotoriousjts]

I've always thought about this, thank you for clearing it up with that list. Magic was a big dude, had Kareem, the other exceptions certainly earned it, but you're totally right. Wouldn't hurt to keep Rondo though.

[European NBA fan]

I've always thought about this, thank you for clearing it up with that list. Magic was a big dude, had Kareem, the other exceptions certainly earned it, but you're totally right. Wouldn't hurt to keep Rondo though.

The point could actually be, that we are blessed with having Rondo on a cheap contract, which means that we are better suited than most teams to acquire big stars on the other positions.

[Moranis]

When the point guard is your best player, it's hard to win

I can't name the last time a team won it all with their best player being the point guard

All of these guys have had teams built around them, Total 0 championships being the best player on the team
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Gary Payton
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Steve Francis
Stephon Marbury
Derrick Rose
Deron Williams
Penny Hardaway
Chris Paul
Alvin Robertson
Nate Archibald
John Stockton


Exceptions:
Walt Frazier - 2x champion
Oscar Robertson - 1x champion
Isiah Thomas - 2x champion
Magic Johnson - 5x champion [again he has kareem abdul jabar to back him up]
Chauncey Billups - 1x champion [can't say he was the best on the team though]

Billups was the best player on that team, they had a few players on the same level but the way he played that year was amazing.

Dwayne Wade on the Miami title team played both PG and SG, depending on what team they played. However if you think D-Rose won't win a title or two then you are kidding yourself.

You are mistaken about Billups.  He was the 4th best player the year they won the title.  He eventually became their best player, but he wasn't the title year.

[The DarkPassenger]

Well maybe the NBA is changing a bit. To me it seems that some of the better talent coming out of college are PG's. In the past it wasn't important but maybe the NBA is changing. Of course the NBA doesn't really change does it?

[pearljammer10]

When the point guard is your best player, it's hard to win

I can't name the last time a team won it all with their best player being the point guard

All of these guys have had teams built around them, Total 0 championships being the best player on the team
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Gary Payton
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Steve Francis
Stephon Marbury
Derrick Rose
Deron Williams
Penny Hardaway
Chris Paul
Alvin Robertson
Nate Archibald
John Stockton


Exceptions:
Walt Frazier - 2x champion
Oscar Robertson - 1x champion
Isiah Thomas - 2x champion
Magic Johnson - 5x champion [again he has kareem abdul jabar to back him up]
Chauncey Billups - 1x champion [can't say he was the best on the team though]

Billups was the best player on that team, they had a few players on the same level but the way he played that year was amazing.

Dwayne Wade on the Miami title team played both PG and SG, depending on what team they played. However if you think D-Rose won't win a title or two then you are kidding yourself.

You are mistaken about Billups.  He was the 4th best player the year they won the title.  He eventually became their best player, but he wasn't the title year.

4th best player?? Yeah, no. Billups controlled the PG spot and commanded that team while scoring 17 a game with 6 assists to go along with it. Hamilton scored a half a point per game more and Wallace was their commander on the defensive end, but Billups was by far the leader and best player on that team.

[rasta1]

Well maybe the NBA is changing a bit. To me it seems that some of the better talent coming out of college are PG's. In the past it wasn't important but maybe the NBA is changing. Of course the NBA doesn't really change does it?

Just because there are talented PG's doesn't mean that they can be centerpieces.

A superstar pointguard will take you into the playoffs, can help you win a series or two. Maybe even take you to an NBA Finals appearance

He can win games, he will have tons of all-star appearances, he'll be our favorite player, he'll sell jerseys, but he just doesn't win championships

To be honest...I would hate to give up Paul Pierce or Rondo

but if a ring comes out of it, i'll be willing...We got to look at opportunity cost now

Even when we traded for the big three...i didn't feel all to excited

I was happy about drafting Jeff Green, i was under the rebuilt mindset with Gerald green, Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, Kendrick perkins being our future.

It sucks to give up our assets because of the risk involved, heck Rondo, Green, Green, Jeff, and Perk could've been a nice starting line up if everything panned out...but blowing it up and grabbing an nba championship is more important

Our issue is the fear losing the consistency that we currently have...i mean consistency with this team not consistency in winning. We like the team for what it is...all trades look strange to be honest for every team.

I'd be willing to retool our entire roster every season if it involved winning a ring every season.

being the best is what we are aiming for, not mediocrity not being above average, not being second best.

If Ainge wants to retool this team, let him. For all we know something as simple as a Ray Allen/GeralD Wallace Swap could make us a contender this season

[rasta1]

The thing is, that's still just 11/65 nba championships going to a team built around a point guard, even if we include Chauncey Billups and Magic does skew it a lot because he won 5 of those

[BballTim]

When the point guard is your best player, it's hard to win

I can't name the last time a team won it all with their best player being the point guard

All of these guys have had teams built around them, Total 0 championships being the best player on the team
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Gary Payton
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Steve Francis
Stephon Marbury
Derrick Rose
Deron Williams
Penny Hardaway
Chris Paul
Alvin Robertson
Nate Archibald
John Stockton


Exceptions:
Walt Frazier - 2x champion
Oscar Robertson - 1x champion
Isiah Thomas - 2x champion
Magic Johnson - 5x champion [again he has kareem abdul jabar to back him up]
Chauncey Billups - 1x champion [can't say he was the best on the team though]

Billups was the best player on that team, they had a few players on the same level but the way he played that year was amazing.

Dwayne Wade on the Miami title team played both PG and SG, depending on what team they played. However if you think D-Rose won't win a title or two then you are kidding yourself.

You are mistaken about Billups.  He was the 4th best player the year they won the title.  He eventually became their best player, but he wasn't the title year.

4th best player?? Yeah, no. Billups controlled the PG spot and commanded that team while scoring 17 a game with 6 assists to go along with it. Hamilton scored a half a point per game more and Wallace was their commander on the defensive end, but Billups was by far the leader and best player on that team.

  Claiming Billups wasn't that good adds a little credence to this "argument". So there are 11 "exceptions" to the rule. With 4 other positions on the court, one would assume that having each other position be the best player on a title team must have happened at least 25 times each, otherwise, no exception.

  Maybe someone should figure out how many small forward-led teams have won titles, forward that information to the Heat, and alert Danny that LeBron's going to be available in a trade soon (although, really, there's no reason to pick him up...).

[ianboyextreme]

When the point guard is your best player, it's hard to win

I can't name the last time a team won it all with their best player being the point guard

All of these guys have had teams built around them, Total 0 championships being the best player on the team
Allen Iverson
Steve Nash
Gary Payton
Jason Kidd
Baron Davis
Steve Francis
Stephon Marbury
Derrick Rose
Deron Williams
Penny Hardaway
Chris Paul
Alvin Robertson
Nate Archibald
John Stockton


Exceptions:
Walt Frazier - 2x champion
Oscar Robertson - 1x champion
Isiah Thomas - 2x champion
Magic Johnson - 5x champion [again he has kareem abdul jabar to back him up]
Chauncey Billups - 1x champion [can't say he was the best on the team though]

I dont understand what it necisarily means to "build around". A lot of people have this idea that if you have one good player, then you must surround him with lesser players. I dont see any point in building around Rondo so much as building WITH Rondo.

[cman88]

Rondo isn't being paid like a #1 option...compared to the other pgs in his class he is a discount.

You pair him with a stud sg (rivers?) He would be fine.

A lineup of rondo,rivers,green,(athletic center) could be a decent team with a lot of growth potential.

[byennie]

There's only one position that does consistently win championships : having the best player in the league, which often happens to be a center / big man.

In the last 21 years, Jordan, Olajuwon, Duncan and Shaq have won 16 titles. The only other titles went to the Cs (3 Hall of Famers), Lakers (Kobe, Gasol, Bynum), Dallas and Detroit. I'd say you get about 1 outlier every 10 years (Detroit and Dallas), and even those years there were superstars very close to winning (e.g. LeBron last year).

I really don't think it's a positional thing, but it IS a superstar thing. If you want an unemotional bet for titles, just stick with LeBron and Dwight Howard, or the next big star.

[Celtics18]

There's only one position that does consistently win championships : having the best player in the league, which often happens to be a center / big man.

In the last 21 years, Jordan, Olajuwon, Duncan and Shaq have won 16 titles. The only other titles went to the Cs (3 Hall of Famers), Lakers (Kobe, Gasol, Bynum), Dallas and Detroit. I'd say you get about 1 outlier every 10 years (Detroit and Dallas), and even those years there were superstars very close to winning (e.g. LeBron last year).

I really don't think it's a positional thing, but it IS a superstar thing. If you want an unemotional bet for titles, just stick with LeBron and Dwight Howard, or the next big star.

I'm not sure how you define "best player in the league," but it's been a while since a "best player in the league" led team has won an NBA title.