Starting a Team: Chris Paul or Isiah Thomas

[DFish24]

Who you got?

[ClipperRevival]

CP3 was the better player but since there's this thing called the playoffs, I would take Isiah. CP3 would give you more wins in the regular season but Isiah would help you go farther in the playoffs, when it matters.

[colts19]

There has never been a doubt in my mind. It always has and always will be Zeke.

[Kblaze8855]

This reminded me of a discussion once when a guy told me Isiah was a score first player...and it kinda nnoyed me:



Just something that was bugging me so I looked into it....

In Isiahs prime he wasnt even shooting that much...but people(who dont remember him) list him as someone with a score first mentality. In 86 he put up 21/11...he shot 16 times a game. On a team that took 95. Kidd in his prime took between 14-16 a game(end of Suns run and first couple years as a Net...id say that was him at his peak). In 03 Kidd took 16 shots a game on a team that only took 80. He took more of his teams shots than Isiah Thomas did. When Isiahs shots peaked...he was only taking 19 of 92. He was still shooting about as much as Jason Kidd in his prime. Kidd at one point was doing 13 of 78 shots...which is the same rate Isiah was shooting as a 20+ ppg scorer. No doubt there is more to it posessions wise(FTs, turnovers, and all). But really...Isiah was shooting just...a tad more than one of the more pass first points of all time.

I remember watching coaches break down clips on CBS....back when Hubie was on there. Nobody was of the opinion that Isiah was anything but a playmaker. Guys like Nique listed him as the person they would most want to play with because hes always looking to pass.

I watched him enter 4th quarters having taken like 6 shots 4 of them in transition and then take over and end up with 20 too many times to count. Dude broke the single season assist record...retired I think #3 in assists despite only playing till he was 32....

But now....20+ years later...its said:


Quote: Stockton was an excellent shooter and slasher, yet he was looking to pass-first, not to score-first (a la Rose, Isiah, etc). Thats mentality. Some people are just wired this way.


I have to ask....what the **** were you watching and how did I miss it while being a fan of a division rival of the Pistons in Isiahs prime?

Am I imagining Isiah passing ALL game but taking 6-7 bailout shots late in the clock(shot....quarter...whatever) and a few transition layups with open jumpers mixed in? Dude was feeding the post, passing, passing, and passing some more and scoring when he was supposed to.

But now....hes not looking to pass?

It annoys me even in thinking back on it.

[jayfan]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/1987/0518_large.jpg

* And that's Doc Rivers he's going to work on.

[PJR]

Isiah spearheaded the attack on a team that beat Prime Larry, Magic, and Michael. There's nothing to discuss here.

[Thechosen1]

dont put cp3 in the same breath of isaiah thomas..idiots

[JimmyMcAdocious]

One took his team to b2b in the peak of the NBA going through the 80s Celtics, 80s Bulls, and 80s Lakers.

The other can't get past the second round.