Point Guard's Not Worth High Pick in Draft?

Here is a story from Scott Howard-Cooper on SI.com that says it doesn't make sense to draft point guards too high in the draft because they are not the deciding factors in the Finals.

If you haven't read it yet it basically says that the point guards on all the Championship teams since 1994 were only minor parts of the team.

Here is that list:

2009 -- Derek Fisher - Lakers
2008 -- Rajon Rondo - Celtics
2007 -- Tony Parker - Spurs
2006 -- Jason Williams - Heat
2005 -- Tony Parker - Spurs
2004 -- Chauncey Billups - Pistons
2003 -- Tony Parker - Spurs
2002 -- Derek Fisher and Lindsey Hunter - Lakers
2001 -- Derek Fisher - Lakers
2000 -- Ron Harper - Lakers
1999 -- Avery Johnson - Spurs
1998 -- Ron Harper - Bulls
1997 -- Ron Harper - Bulls
1996 -- Ron Harper - Bulls
1995 -- Kenny Smith - Rockets
1994 -- Kenny Smith with Sam Cassell - Rockets


No remember that I am not an NBA expert but personally I think you have to keep a couple things in mind when looking at the teams that DID win those years.

All those teams had another star or two that helped win the title. The Rockets had Drexler and Olajuwon....Bulls had Michael and Scottie....Spurs had Robinson, Duncan, and others...Lakers had Shaq, Kobe, and Pau.....the Heat had Dwayne and Shaq....and the Celtics had Pierce, KG, and Allen.

So really the point guard didn't matter on any of those teams. But I would say this....without Billups the Pistons don't win and without Parker I think the Spurs struggle mightily a few years.

I think the point of his article is that a point guard doesn't guarantee anything....well no shit! But who else do you take??

Basically it ends like this....you need either 2 stars (Shaq/Kobe) or 1 start and 2 very good players (Duncan/Parker/Ginobili or Kobe/Pau/Lamar) to win a title in the NBA.

But the point guard CAN BE one of the players. If you put another really good player with Chris Paul and David West and you have a LEGITIMATE title contender.

So I would absolutely take one of the point guards that are highly regarded in this years draft if that was the best player available. A really great point guard (Chauncey Billups) will make any team better.


Proof...how did Detroit do after Billups left and how did the Nuggets do before he got there??