Others have superior physical skills, but none compare to Paul as a floor general, and leader of men. We have fun looking at Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook and admire their high flying acts but when it comes to the seriousness of basketball, the wins and losses, the getting the most out of your teammates, there is no one comparable to Chris Paul. He is taller than every Point Guard in the league from his shoulders up. His ability to problem solve on the fly when 5 superior athletes are obstructing him from getting an 8 panel leather ball into an 18 inch rim is unparallel.
Chris Paul has great physical tools, but what makes him better is the way he thinks the game. Paul’s basketball IQ is off the charts. Many Point Guards play basketball checkers. They react, and they try to stay one step ahead. Paul plays basketball chess. And like the grandmasters before him, he sees the entire board. He knows all ten pieces on the court intimately. He sees the flow of the game, how the pieces move in unison, and how to exploit those moves. He doesn’t just love playing the game; Chris Paul is the game.
Chris Paul is a basketball savant. He learned everything that could be done on a basketball court and then he decided to do things that had never been done. The mark of higher intelligence is when you use your brain to figure out future problem. Great people ask themselves hypothetical question all the time. They don’t do it because they only enjoy thinking; they do it because they never want to be caught off guard. When you’re sleeping they're thinking. Paul is great because he plays basketball in the future.
Paul resurrected Tyson Chandler and David West in New Orleans. In playoff series where his teams were out-manned, playing against championship caliber teams, he found ways to steal games. His teams never look unprepared or overwhelmed. His teams may lose but it’s not because they beat themselves, it’s because the team that beats them is better.
The greatest compliment I ever heard in sports was when Bum Philips said of Don Shula “He's great because he can take his (team) and beat yours (team), and then take your team and beat his.” This quote personifies Chris Paul. Long before Chris Paul was ever a Clipper I bet you on vacation somewhere on some tropical island he thought about what it would be like to play with Blake Griffin, but he didn’t stop there. He also thought about how he could get the best out of Blake Griffin. That attitude is what makes Chris Paul the best POINT GUARD ALIVE, and for my money it’s not even close.
