Where does Chris Paul rank among the NBA’s best point guards?

BetAmerica has teamed up with Covers and Oddschecker to break down the latest news and trends from around the Association. This week NBA columnists Andrew Caley, Sam Farley, and Ryan Murphy discuss the NBA All-Star Game’s new format, the battle for L.A., and Chris Paul’s place in history.

The NBA’s new All-Star Game format was an overwhelming success, but it wasn’t without its warts. What tweaks would you like to see next season?

Andrew: The NBA did the unthinkable. It fixed the All-Star Game! For me, the game was an outstanding success. Watching Giannis pull up his shorts and get low to defend LeBron near the end of the game was amazing. This was the best players in the world going all out against each other and it was arguably the best All-Star game I have ever seen in any sport. That said, it was a little anti-climactic to end on a free throw. So, next year, if they keep this format, I would say you can’t win the game at the charity stripe. I would also like that intensity we saw to last a little longer, so maybe increase the final target score to 30 points, or make the winning team win by two, like in any traditional pick-up game.

Sam: Tweaks? We’ve had the first competitive All-Star Game in my lifetime and we’re talking tweaks? It was a great game, so let’s just hope for more of the same and save our efforts for fixing the dunk contest and giving Aaron Gordon the title that he deserves. I think there’s a slight chance that the players were driven to play hard in honor of Kobe, so that could impact next year. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend.

Ryan: The Elam Ending was a brilliant innovation, but I don’t think I’m alone in feeling it was needlessly complicated. I thought Marv Albert was going to suffer an aneurysm as he was trying to explain the target score to viewers at home. I’d personally recommend a first-to-24 target for the fourth quarter that allows both teams to start on a level playing field. It’s simple, straight-forward, and evokes the kind of playground games we all grew up playing.

Let’s settle the debate once and for all: which L.A. team will win the West?

Andrew: Hahahaha. Do we have to decide right now? OK. Gun to my head. Right now, I’m going with LeBron and the Lakers. That’s hard to me to say as a Raptors fan who has memories of Kawhi being clearly the most dominant player in the league during that title run burned into his brain. But the Lakers just seem to have more continuity than the Clippers do at this point. Kawhi’s load management did not seem like this big a deal last season. The Lakers are heathier. The Lakers are playing better team defense. I’m also not sure how the Clippers will handle Anthony Davis over a seven-game series. But most importantly, LeBron looks REALLY motivated. I’m still taking a motivated LeBron over anyone else, particularly considering the support he has this year.

Sam: I’m probably not the best person to ask. I’ve changed my opinion regularly this year and I probably will change it again. It really does feel like a coin toss. All that I’m certain of is that the winner of the West will come from the Staples Center. As of right now, I’m siding with the Lakers though. Sport has a habit of creating great narratives and after Kobe’s untimely passing, it just feels right.

Ryan: I’ll take the Clippers any day of the week and twice on Sunday. L.A.’s "other team" has already beaten the Lakers twice this season, outscoring LeBron and Co. by an average of 7.5 points per game. Those two games provided us with plenty of empirical evidence, but this decision ultimately comes down to a gut feeling to me. We’ve already seen the Lakers at their best, but I feel like the Clippers still have another gear given the fact Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have only played together in 24 of the team’s first 54 games. Add Marcus Morris into the mix and you have the look of a team that Billy Crystal can really get behind.

Chris Paul has repeatedly shown this season just how big a difference maker he can be. Where does he rank among the best point guards of all time?

Andrew: That’s a really tough question. Because the roll of a point guard has changed so drastically since I’ve been watching basketball (almost three decades). Paul is one of the last true point guards around, as more and more now fit the Steph Curry mold. To CP3’s credit he has incorporated the three-ball in his game much more later in his career. And not only is Paul an all-time great on offense he is a seven-time All-Defense selection. So, for me that give him a little edge over guys like Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. But I’m not sure if he cracks the Top 5, which for me consist of (in no particular order) Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, John Stockton, Oscar Robertson and Steph.

Sam: It’s always tough to rate people you didn’t see play, so I’m having to rate the likes of Magic and Stockton on what other people have told me, and what I’ve watched on YouTube. CP3 is certainly near the top of the pile when it comes to the modern era which I’ve watched. I’d have him second to Steph Curry. Curry has done more to change the modern shape of the league than anybody else currently playing, and that alone has put him higher than Paul. I just hope that at some point we get to see the 10-time All-Star get a ring, he’s deserved it and it would help cement his place as an all-time great, if there is any doubt of that anyway.

Ryan: As a child of the 80’s I’ll always have Magic Johnson atop my list. The Lakers legend was a 12-time All-Star and three-time MVP who won five NBA championships and redefined the position for an entire generation. In the two-spot I’ll take another Hall of Famer (and fellow wearer of short shorts) in John Stockton. The feisty point guard was a 10-time All-Star and is the NBA’s all-time leader in steals and assists. Oscar Robertson is an easy choice at No. 3 given his ability to stuff a stat sheet like no other player in his era. After that, it gets a bit dicey. I’m going to take a pass on Steph Curry, since I consider him to be a hybrid, and I'm turning a blind eye to Steve Nash, since his peak was shorter than the other players on this list. Jason Kidd and Bob Cousy were spectacular, but couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn for much of their careers, so they’re out too. That leaves me Paul at No. 4. CP3 is a 10-time All-Star and nine-time All-Defensive selection will finish his career among the top five all-time leaders in steals and assists. He’s thrived on multiple teams in multiple decades, and will be fondly remembered as one of the fiercest pound-for-pound competitors in NBA history.

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