[Dre™]

His performance right now is on par with Iverson's best, but maybe he should keep this up for more than a year before we start comparing him to Iverson.

[ballocks]

there are things about chris paul's game that i've loved forever, and then there are other things that i've just started to love. he's blossomed in every way and can still get better. his will be an exciting career to follow.

i've never been a big iverson fan. granted, he's done far more in his career than i expected he would, but his game has never excited me. to date, it seems his teams have only gone as far as he alone has been able to take them. chris paul, on the other hand, seems to make his teammates better and if he slumps, it doesn't necessarily mean that his team slumps- at least not to the same extent that it would with iverson, imo.

as a leader, iverson- for whatever reason- has always clicked with people, whether you're talking about fans, media, teammates or anyone else. he's an easy guy to support. as strange as it sounds, i think people want to be allen iverson. he possesses very real and peerless star quality. so when he plays the way he does, seemingly on a one-man mission at times, you forgive him- he's almost the perpetual underdog, or at least people would want to believe that he is. we want to believe that he can beat the odds and we want to see him try- even if he can't.

i'll tell you this much: if 90% of the players in the league with the same talent as iverson were to play the way he does/did, they would be crucified. but iverson, for a variety of reasons, gets a free pass, and it seems to work for him (to a degree). his team's are winners on account of him, then, although their ceiling is not so high.

chris paul does not carry the same intangibles and so he's got a lower floor. but i believe (and time will tell) that his intangibles also have a higher ceiling. his team's performance is not solely reliant on his, and that could potentially be a good thing.

at the end of the day, these are two short nba stars who have completely different games and prospects. it'll be an interesting comparison to make when it's all said and done- but i think chris paul is already doing things that make him a better player for his team than allen iverson ever was. and the kicker is that it might get even better than this; i don't think anyone ever felt that way about iverson.

peace

[sherako]

contrast their best years against each other, Paul's being this one.

Iverson in 2001 against the Lakers is originally when I first started to focus in on the game, the NBA game that is. he had that incredible 7 quarter run where he dropped about 100 points throughout the duration. the two fifty point games against the Raptors, against Alvin Williams who was a decent defender.

then you talk about his defense. Chris Paul gets a lot of steals, because of his amazing hand-strength and anticipation. well Iverson was a free safety in the shooting guard position, and frequently teams could not even get into their sets since Iverson was always roaming about. you really had to think twice before you snapped your wrists. man to man they were about even.

Iverson simply could not be stopped, by any defense. imagine a player who could flow, like water whether it be in the half-court or taking it from end to end quicker than Tony Parker does today.

when it comes to pure talent, Iverson is simply on another level from our dear Christophé. that year, Iverson carried, in the utmost sense of the word, an offense-less team to the Finals. Chris Paul does not have that capability.

unfortunately, for the Answer [or is it the Problem?] basketball is a team game. outside of that prime year, I would take CP3, no question. he is a far more heady player. the intelligence he shows in managing the game is what any team could ever want from their little guy. most importantly, he can get along with other talented offensive players, something Iverson has never shown he can do consistently. he loves holding the ball too much. that one year from Iverson will likely remain the best between the two, but overall Chris Paul is the man you take if you want a realistic shot at the ring.