Comparison/Contrast

The comparison/versus-talk has begun with the upcoming draft already. Jeff Green or Corey Brewer? Joakim Noah or Al Horford? Greg Oden or Kevin Duant? And on and on it goes…

But there are more off-season questions of importance than those pertaining to the draft.

So let’s have some fun and pretend that you’re the GM of an up-and-coming franchise. You have to make key decisions that will affect your organization from top to bottom. Playmakers aren’t easy to find, especially with the amount of money you’ll be expected to doll out.

Do you have the stones to make the tough decisions?

Let’s find out.

Point Guard – Chris Paul OR Deron Williams
A year ago, this was a no-brainer for nearly unanimous rookie of the year Paul (ironically, Williams snagged the only non-Paul 1^st-place vote). However, Williams may have swayed public opinion 180 degrees during these playoffs. While Paul may not see playoff exposure like this in New Orleans anytime soon, his amazing vision and affinity for stealing the ball still slightly tip the scale to his side for me.
Pick: Paul.

Shooting Guard – Brandon Roy OR Ben Gordon
Both top picks from proven collegiate programs, Roy (this season’s rookie of the year) proved he is as effective as any young player at slashing to the hoop and finishing effectively. Gordon, perhaps a little rusty in the clutch-department this season, can shoot from anywhere on the court and demands constant attention. While Gordon’s game is nearly impossible to stop, on offense, I’ll take the more rounded and physically imposing Roy as a big 2-guard.
Pick: Roy.

Small Forward – Josh Howard OR Loul Deng
Deng has improved mightily each season. But Howard is clearly a more complete talent. Some have made the comparison, perhaps a little too early still, to a young, maturing Scottie Pippen. While both need to assert themselves more, despite other options on their teams, the edge has to go to the defensively-minded Howard.
Pick: Howard.

Power Forward – Al Harrington OR Al Jefferson
When focused, Harrington poses an incredibly taxing inside-and-outside matchup. While some are skeptical that Jefferson’s improvements have come during junk-time, the back-down post-up player always earns my vote. Especially considering Harrington has fallen in love with an already inconsistent perimeter-based game.
Pick: Jefferson.

Center – Greg Oden or Dwight Howard
Howard is a physically-imposing freak. Yet, he still hasn’t developed a lot of Oden’s post moves. Remember that the Buckeye played with his off-hand the majority of the season and was still a legit 1^st-team All-American. Everyone wins in this argument, but I’ve been drinking the Oden Kool-Aid for three years now. There’s no stopping me now from taking his side, despite everything amazing that Howard (who I clearly tabbed a better pick back in ’02 over Okafor) brings to the table.
Pick: Oden.

Now that you’ve seen my personal dissections, and perhaps interjected a few of your own thoughts, let’s see what you would do with this special Title-Makers & Breakers questions. A dozen of ‘em in fact.

Different stipulations here, as many of the matchups involve players at vastly different positions and points of the career.

If you have one-year to win a championship, of these pick-six pairings: which guy are you choosing to lead you to an NBA title?

1) LeBron James OR Kobe Bryant
2) Carmelo Anthony OR Gilbert Arenas
3) Steve Nash OR Dwayne Wade
4) Carlos Boozer OR Elton Brand
5) Amare Stoudemire OR Yao Ming
6) Tim Duncan OR Shaquille O’Neal

…and for the last shot, as the seconds wind-down…
Robert "Big Shot Rob" Horry OR "Mr. Big Shot" Chauncey Billups

While such a column obviously demands viewer feedback, I’d also be interested to see what questions you might pose for us. What matchups would you want us to decide from? Which players, seemingly filling similar roles or under similar pressure, would the smart money be placed upon, as opposed to others.

I’ll post my selections on the aforementioned duos in the comments section in 48 hours.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

Until next time…