Sħãlïq™ Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Chris Paul and Derrick Rose are undoubtedly the game's top two point guards. Their styles are a study in contrast. Each player uses a different set of finely honed skills to overwhelm and bewilder opponents. Their matchups are among the most intriguing individual faceoffs in the league, and on Sunday they'll start opposite each other in the All-Star Game. But before they do that, we'll break down these talented lead guards, one category at a time, to determine which one is the better player. Ballhandling Paul is simply as flawless a ballhandler as the league has seen. He has stripped flash from his game and uses only the dribble to gain an advantage. He can stop on a dime with a pull-back crossover on the elbow or freeze a big man with an in-and-out dribble with either hand. But one of Paul's best weapons is his half dribble -- faking a spin move -- which defenders are forced to play honest. Many point guards consider it one of the trickiest moves to defend. "It's so tough because he does it so fast," Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson says. "You have to assume he's going to spin." In traffic Paul keeps the ball low and close to his body, which makes it very hard to strip, as evident in a career-low 2.2 turnovers per game. Rose's handle doesn't quite have the fluidity of Paul's but is nonetheless airtight. It's tough to find a quicker crossover than Rose's, which he can snap left-to-right and back in a flash, making it extremely difficult to recover. It's this ability to cover ground laterally that's become a crucial weapon in creating shots for himself and others. Rose can slalom to the rim quicker than most guys can get there in a straight line, zipping through collapsing holes in the nick of time. He's also got a terrific step-back move in which he keeps his dribble then rockets toward the rim after the defender commits his momentum forward. Scores (out of 10): Paul 10, Rose 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Passing Thanks to his keen understanding of when and where to give teammates the ball, Paul is at his best when setting the table for others. He's one of the best at throwing the lob in transition, but really shines when tossing it out of a pick-and-roll from the elbow. Like any high-IQ point guard, Paul understands the ball can be advanced much more quickly with the pass than the dribble. In transition he looks for teammates running their lanes as soon as he grabs a defensive rebound and keeps one-handed passes, which can't be as easily controlled, to a minimum. "Fundamentally, his passes are perfect," Los Angeles Clippers assistant Robert Pack says. "Making the right pass leads to great execution." Case-in-point: A split second before Blake Griffin's monstrous dunk over Kendrick Perkins on Jan. 30, Paul delivered a perfect 8-foot, two-handed bounce pass as Griffin rolled to the rim. "If it's off even a little, that dunk doesn't happen," Pack says. While Rose is far from a pure point, he creates passing opportunities by drawing defenses to him in the lane and then dropping the ball off to a big man or cutter. Thanks to his long arms and deft body control, he's become quite adept at getting Chicago's big men easy buckets with his wraparound passes. Scores: Paul 10, Rose 9.5 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leaping ability Among the point guard set, only the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook has better springs than Rose. The former No. 1 overall pick uses two legs to burst off the floor with super-quick blasts, which makes successful help defense a risky proposition. What's more, his body control and strength in the air allow him to release and make off-balance shots despite incoming body shots. Paul is a solid athlete, but he's at his most effective when he stays on the ground. His hops aren't bad but he rarely gains an advantage using his leaping ability. "Chris is definitely a below-the-rim athlete, but he can still be effective," Pack says. Scores: Paul 7, Rose 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finishing Here we'll look at Rose and Paul's effectiveness in the paint. While Paul's penetration is a task to contain -- he's got a keen ability to anticipate where holes will open up -- it pales in comparison to his Windy City counterpart. Rose simply beats you with his fighter-jet speed and all out aggression. "He gets this look in his eyes and you know he's out for blood," Lawson says. On his right-hand drives down the lane, he cuffs the ball in his arm like a running back, which helps him accelerate after picking up his dribble and prevents the ball from being slapped away. Another one of his pet moves at the rim is an up-and-under reverse he uses to finish on either side that forces defenders to foul. While Paul doesn't go all the way to the basket often, he makes up for it with a high-arching teardrop runner that he puts out of reach of even the longest big men. Both points are highly effective in the paint, but Rose gets the nod here because of his ability at point-blank range. "Rose is definitely harder to guard," Heat guard Mario Chalmers says. "It's not just one thing, but a combination of things. His speed, power and size together make him a huge challenge. Everything about his game is just so tough to deal with." Scores: Paul 9, Rose 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speed and quickness Rose is the NBA's speediest guard in both the open court and in small spaces. In the half court, from the 3-point line to the basket, he can change direction several times without sacrificing speed. "There's no staying in front of him," LeBron James says. "You know once he's headed toward the rim you'll need help." One of the scariest sights to a backpedaling defender is Rose barreling down on him at full speed in transition. Defenders are forced to turn and run with Rose to keep up, which puts them in poor defensive position. "We are very good when he's attacking like that," Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says. Due to knee issues, Paul has lost some of his floor speed. He more often prefers to walk the ball up and point people in the right direction as opposed to pushing the tempo. But in half-court sets he can still accelerate with the best of them, particularly after a hesitation dribble from the top of the key when his man is on an island. Paul's unusually low center of gravity makes his quickness even more formidable against taller defenders. Scores: Paul 8.5, Rose 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shooting Good shooting starts with quality shot selection, and Paul has no equal in that category. The seven-year vet is ultra-selective when shooting from behind the arc -- just three attempts per game -- and scarcely takes a bad shot from deep. As a result, he's shooting a career-best 44 percent from 3-point territory. Simply put, he's arguably the best shooting point in the league. Perhaps no point guard can create his own pull-up opportunities from 10-15 feet as effectively as Derrick Rose, but it's not a shot Rose is comfortable with. He still has a tendency to unnecessarily fade or lean in after he elevates. Rose struggles with a somewhat flat 3-point release (32 percent from deep), yet still shoots it from behind the line an excessive 4.3 times per game. It's very likely that Rose's great athleticism is hindering his shot development, as he simply has a more effective method to score the ball. His saving grace is his unorthodox runner. "I feel like I can make that shot just about every time," Rose says. Scores: Paul 10, Rose 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defense It's commonly thought that Paul, a three-time NBA All-Defense Team member, is much more complete defensively than the young MVP. However, Rose is a very good one-on-one defender and is more effective guarding the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll. Still, Paul is clearly the more knowledgeable defender. He's got an overstuffed bag of tricks, like crowding his man before he can get into his initial move and using his upper-body strength to deftly body the ball-handler -- without fouling -- to knock him off balance when he penetrates. He is great at anticipating which direction players will drive and what they will do with the ball, and he makes a living swiping at the ball and knocking it loose in traffic (2.28 steals per game). Rose has made significant defensive improvements in the past couple of seasons by cutting down on his gambling, improving his decision-making and fighting through picks more effectively. He's also developing a rep for LeBron-like come-from-behind blocks and is blocking shots at the same pace as he did last season, when he became just the second point guard in league history to block 50 shots while handing out 500 assists. Score: Paul. 9.5, Rose 9 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The winner: Derrick Rose Final score: Rose 65.5, Paul 64 You could hardly go wrong with either point guard in your backcourt. Both exhibit the type of leadership, unselfishness and intelligence you can build a championship dynasty around. Kobe Bryant recently praised both Paul and Rose as the only other players he felt could match his competitive drive. But thanks to his supreme athleticism, game-breaking scoring ability and laser focus, Rose is the better player. Rose's combination of skills makes him a matchup problem for everyone he faces, and he has the smarts and temperament to run any system. There are those who prefer Paul's pure brand of pass-first basketball, and he's in the midst of putting together one of the best careers by a 6-foot lead guard. Paul's intelligence in running the pick-and-roll and his ability to consistently get and knock down clean looks will make him a force in this league for a long time. But right now, Rose has no equal. " By Chris Palmer, a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com's NBA coverage since 1999. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren2ThaG Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Deron is better then both but ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Paul. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Paul. LOL! Its Rose, and anyone who says otherwise needs to stick to baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 lol D Rose a beast but he don't make his teammates better like CP3 does... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 (edited) lol D Rose a beast but he don't make his teammates better like CP3 does... Just because hes a good playmaker doesn't mean he makes his teammates that much better. Derrick Rose has his team in control as top 2 of the East, and not to mention take over games in the clutch better than CP3 can, when the playoffs come the dude hits another level of great. Edited February 25, 2012 by Yugo696969 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teletopez Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 when the playoffs come the dude hits another level of great.That wasn't exactly the case last season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) Just because hes a good playmaker doesn't mean he makes his teammates that much better. Derrick Rose has his team in control as top 2 of the East, and not to mention take over games in the clutch better than CP3 can, when the playoffs come the dude hits another level of great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-iah3_eT8k Edited February 26, 2012 by flsh7718 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 Any games involving PGs playing good vs the Lakers don't count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 That wasn't exactly the case last season. He only averaged 27 ppg and 7.7 apg. Rose it the best PG in the game today. Yes he isnt the passer Paul is but but a case can be made that Paul isnt the passer Rondo is either as Rondo does that make Rondo better than Paul? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
His Greatness Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 This criteria is weighted terribly and the scores are horribly flawed. Paul is the better player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teletopez Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 He only averaged 27 ppg and 7.7 apg.He had some terrible shooting performances, and his fourth quarters were rough. Sent from my HTC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) Rose playoffs last year 40% FG 27.1 PPG 4.3 RPG 7.7 APG 3.7 TOPG 22.5 PER Paul Playoffs last year 55% FG 22.0 PPG 6.7 RPG 11.0 APG 3.6 TOPG 28.9 PER Rose Career Playoffs (13-15) 28 Games 43% FG 25.2 PPG 4.6 RPG 7.3 APG 3.9 TOPG 19.5 PER Chris Paul Career Playoffs (10-13) 23 Games 49% FG 21.9 PPG 6.7 RPG 11.5 APG 3 TOPG 27.1 PER hm Edited February 26, 2012 by flsh7718 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkinDerozan Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 There should be a poll, but I think D-Rose is the better player without question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NomarFachix Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish7718 Posted February 26, 2012 Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 (edited) LOL! Its Rose, and anyone who says otherwise needs to stick to baseball. He only averaged 27 ppg and 7.7 apg. Rose it the best PG in the game today. Yes he isnt the passer Paul is but but a case can be made that Paul isnt the passer Rondo is either as Rondo does that make Rondo better than Paul? There should be a poll, but I think D-Rose is the better player without question. Rosehttp://zrdavis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/real-life1.jpg Edited February 26, 2012 by flsh7718 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted February 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2012 There should be a poll, but I think D-Rose is the better player without question.There isn't a poll because it's all actually a quote -- ESPN Insider: Chris Palmer. I tried to add one but it won't let me. <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Deron is better then both but okThis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 It depends on what your team needs... Overall, Chris Paul is the better player. He doesn't score quite as much as Rose does, but he does it a lot more efficiently across the board. On top of efficiency, he has a wider arsenal to his game as a scorer because of his elite jumper from mid and long range, as well as craftier ways to get his shot off in one-on-one situations. Paul has a tighter handle, and turns the ball over at one of the lowest rates in NBA history (every year has near a 4:1 AST:TO which is ridiculous). Paul is a much better playmaker, with better court vision, passing ability, better clock management and knows how to control the flow of an offense better than Rose does. Both are very good rebounding PG's. Defensively, Paul has the quickest hands in the league and constantly disrupts passing lanes. His size is an issue against post-up PG's, which is an issue Rose doesn't have, but overall I feel Paul makes a bigger impact on defense. Paul simply impacts the game in more ways than Rose does. Rose is possibly a better go-to scorer, and on a nightly basis definitely takes on that burden more often than Paul, but Paul has been a 22-23PPG scorer in the past when his team needed him to do so. I believe Paul is more capable of doing what Rose does best, which is volume scoring, than Rose doing what Paul does best, which is running an offense better than just about any player in the league (besides maybe Steve Nash). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 lol D Rose a beast but he don't make his teammates better like CP3 does...This criteria is weighted terribly and the scores are horribly flawed. Paul is the better player.(...) Overall, Chris Paul is the better player. He doesn't score quite as much as Rose does, but he does it a lot more efficiently across the board. On top of efficiency, he has a wider arsenal to his game as a scorer because of his elite jumper from mid and long range, as well as craftier ways to get his shot off in one-on-one situations. Paul has a tighter handle, and turns the ball over at one of the lowest rates in NBA history (every year has near a 4:1 AST:TO which is ridiculous). Paul is a much better playmaker, with better court vision, passing ability, better clock management and knows how to control the flow of an offense better than Rose does. Both are very good rebounding PG's. Defensively, Paul has the quickest hands in the league and constantly disrupts passing lanes. His size is an issue against post-up PG's, which is an issue Rose doesn't have, but overall I feel Paul makes a bigger impact on defense. Paul simply impacts the game in more ways than Rose does. Rose is possibly a better go-to scorer, and on a nightly basis definitely takes on that burden more often than Paul, but Paul has been a 22-23 PPG scorer in the past when his team needed him to do so. I believe Paul is more capable of doing what Rose does best, which is volume scoring, than Rose doing what Paul does best, which is running an offense better than just about any player in the league (besides maybe Steve Nash).Couldn't agree more. Especially after tonight's All-Star Game. Props to Rose for his 14 pts but to me he kind of disappeared midway through the game. And like fish said, Rose a beast but he don't make his teammates better like CP3 does... We all saw it tonight. Paul's team won. Not entirely because of what Paul did but CP3 made much more difference on the court than Rose. And at the end of the day that wins ball games. Besides, Paul turns the ball less than Rose: 2.3 TPG (2.5 career) compared to Ros'se 2.9 (2.9 career). And this season's stat comparison only shows me how right Nitro and fish are: http://i44.tinypic.com/16700fc.png Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NomarFachix Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Especially after tonight's All-Star Game. We all saw it tonight. Paul's team won. Besides, Paul turns the ball less than Rose: 2.3 TPG (2.5 career) compared to Ros'se 2.9 (2.9 career).This is such a compelling argument.. an all-star game victory and a 0.4 per game difference in turnovers. Mind changed, #teampaul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 This is such a compelling argument.. an all-star game victory and a 0.4 per game difference in turnovers. Mind changed, #teampaul Amazing argument right there bro, now I believe that CP3 is amazing as hell, and that D-Rose is a scrub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 This is such a compelling argument.. an all-star game victory and a 0.4 per game difference in turnovers. To be fair, that turnover thing is pretty signficant since Paul averages over 3 more assists per game for his career than Rose while averaging less turnovers. Just sayin'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NomarFachix Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 (edited) To be fair, that turnover thing is pretty signficant since Paul averages over 3 more assists per game for his career than Rose while averaging less turnovers. Just sayin'.Yes, but it's just as vapid of an argument as merely saying that Rose averages more blocks per game and won a skills competition once. Edited February 27, 2012 by IllWill21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Yes, but it's just as vapid of an argument as merely saying that Rose averages more blocks per game and won a skills competition once. Skills competition has nothing to do with actual NBA games. And no, when you are a PG who has the ball in his hands nearly all the time, turnovers (and turnover to assist ratio) are extremely important. Paul has a pretty big edge when talking about who the more reliable ballhandler/playmaker is...and that is the case when comparing Paul to almost any other PG in the league, which is one of the reasons he is such a special player. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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