NBA Top 5 PGs of the 2013-14 Season

With many teams in the NBA still making last minute signings before the start of the season, I have postponed the season previews for a more appropriate date. Meanwhile, lets get into a discussion of the best players of the NBA at each position. Note, I am not making this list on who is the best of last season, but who I expect to be the best of this season. There are bold decisions on my lists so I do not expect you to agree with all my picks. And if you don't, feel free to comment with your insight.

Now on to the show!

This is the golden era in the NBA for point guards, so this list is very debatable but based on projections this is my list for Top 10 PGs.

1. Chris Paul

With the influx of young talented point guards in the NBA, Chris Paul is still the top of the totem pole when it comes to the best. Last season, Chris Paul led the Los Angeles Clippers to a franchise best 56-26 regular season record while averaging 9.7 assists per game. Along with Kyrie Irving, he has the best handles in basketball, a true floor general running the offense and a fast break steal waiting to happen. Now being the big dog team in LA along with new coach Doc Rivers and returning players; Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford, an NBA title is the expectation for Lob City.

2. Derrick Rose

No I am not crazy and yes I know he came off a torn ACL in which he did not play the whole season. Having a little experience in what DRose was going through, ACL tears are no joke, you can not rush this type of injury, not everybody is Adrian Peterson. Derrick Rose had to wait until he was ready and I know he is itching to come back in style. We are talking about a Derrick Rose with a full year of rest, over a year removed from his ACL tear and a big chance to challenge the Heat in the Eastern Conference. Many people forget that it was only two years ago Derrick Rose was the MVP averaging 25 points per game and 7.7.assists. Look for Derrick Rose to prove many doubters wrong this season.

3. Kyrie Irving

As I said in my Cleveland Cavaliers season preview Kyrie Irving will take the next step in his development and will become an elite point guard in the NBA. His first two seasons, Irving had to carry the workload on scoring, resulting in lower shooting percentages and assists numbers as Kyrie had to force shots occasionally to give his team a chance to win. Expect more help this season with Andrew Bynum(if healthy of course), rookie Anthony Bennett and a sophomore Dion Waiters. Despite his dominance in All-Star weekend last season, many basketball fans are still unaware of how good Kyrie Irving really is.This season, they will find out.

4. Tony Parker

Tony Parker gets better with age. If you have watched the Spurs throughout last year's postseason, Tony Parker was arguably the best point guard of the playoffs. With an added three point shot, Tony Parker became seemingly unguardable last season and did what he wanted on the court. It is still amazing to me how well this Frenchman can score in the paint given his size. Last season Tony Parker averaged 20.3 points per game 7.6 assists per game at an amazing 52 percent clip. Having came close to another NBA title, Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs will look for redemption this upcoming season.

5. Russell Westbrook

After Westbrook tore his right meniscus against the Houston Rockets Game 2 of the playoffs, critics started to realize just how important this former UCLA guard is to the OKC Thunder. Nobody else compliments Kevin Durant's game better than Russell Westbrook. KD had to carry the team on his shoulders and without Westbrook's unpredictability, OKC became one dimensional. This super athletic point guard should not have any setbacks from his knee injury and as long as he and Durant stays healthy, Oklahoma City are a championship contender. If Westbrook improves his shot selection, he would be higher on this list.

Honorable Mentions

John Wall

After his maximum contract signing, big things are expected from this lightning quick guard, and with so much talent on this list, he just missed the top 5. In reference to my Washington Wizards season preview, if the Wizards are to make a playoff berth, Wall needs to live up to those enormous expectations.

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo is arguably the best passing point in the NBA. While lack of a consistent jumper, Rondo can still take over games and his running of the offense is a thing of beauty. Due to an ACL tear that ended his season early against the Atlanta Hawks and a complete rebuild of the Celtics, this year will be a transition for the former Kentucky guard so expect a drop in production.

Deron Williams

Remember when Deron Williams and Chris Paul were 1A and 1B? After a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, although playing at All-Star level, Deron Williams has not replicated the form that made him a top point guard. With a couple of new weapons at his disposal, Deron Williams has less pressure on him and a chance to make the Nets the best team in New York.

Stephen Curry

His jumper is poetry in motion. After breaking Ray Allen's record for most threes in a season and carrying Golden State to the second round, Stephen Curry became a fan favorite in The City after struggling with ankle injuries earlier in his career. A better floor general than given credit for, expect Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors to make even more noise in the Western Conference this season.

NBA Season Preview 13-14: Cleveland Cavaliers

2012-2013 Regular Season Record: 24-58

Key Additions: G Jarrett Jack (4 yrs 25 mil, 19.4 mil guaranteed ), F Earl Clark (2 yrs 9 mil, 4.5 mil guaranteed), C Andrew Bynum (2 yrs 24.75 mil, 6 mil guaranteed) Anthony Bennett  (Rd 1, Pick 1) , G/F Sergey Karasev (Rd 1, Pick 19), Head Coach Mike Brown

Key Losses: Head Coach Byron Scott

Projected Starting Lineup: PG: Kyrie Irving SG: Dion Waiters SF: Earl Clark PF: Tristan Thompson C: Andrew Bynum

Key Backups: C/F Anderson Varejao,G Jarrett Jack, F Anthony Bennett

After the infamous ESPN Special, "The Decision" in  July 8, 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers immediately became a bottom tier team in the NBA in which I felt would never recover. Looking at the team three years later, the Cavaliers are set to make push towards the Eastern Conference's top eight. A huge reason for the come-up is third year guard Kyrie Irving, who has took all the pressure of being the post-LeBron franchise player and exceeded expectations with no sweat at all.

This former Duke guard operates the floor with undeniable confidence, has an incredible handle of the ball and creates a good image for the league being a huge difference from the Allen Iversons and Latrell Sprewells of the NBA. As a rookie, Irving posted stats of 18.5 PPG , 5.4 AST and a .47 field goal percentage playing 30.5 MPG. He followed up that season scoring 22.5 PPG, 5.9 AST with a .45 FG percentage  at 34.7 MPG. On top of these stats he also displayed deadly three point shooting with just over 39 percent for those first two seasons. While Kyrie is dynamic and dangerous on the offensive end, his defense could use some improvement. Over the past two years, Irving has been statistically one of the worst defensive point guards in the NBA. Despite that, he has made an improvement from his rookie year where he was abysmal on that side on the floor and will only improve with defensive minded Mike Brown as coach. If you take a look at the assists stats and consecutive seasons with over three turnovers per game, some can may take those outputs as alarming but for Kyrie's credit, he did not have much to work with and the ball had to be in his hands for his team to get a chance to win. With a plethora of new acquisitions at Kyrie's disposal, Irving is set to take the league by storm and is expected to battle Chris Paul and Derrick Rose as the best PG in the NBA.

Speaking on new acquisitions, Andrew Bynum, Earl Clark, Jarrett Jack and rookie Anthony Bennett adds much needed depth in the thin Cleveland Cavaliers. Arguably the biggest risk-reward in the free agency, Andrew Bynum known for having glass knees and being temperamental, was formerly the best post playing center in the NBA during his Los Angeles Lakers tenure averaging 18.7 PPG, grabbing 11.8 rebounds with almost 2 blocks and shooting 56 percent in the 2011-2012 season. You can also take into account that Bynum had to play with the high usage Kobe Bryant and a closer to prime Pau Gasol. If Andrew Bynum can even produce of semblance of that season, it will be a major improvement over what Cleveland had last year and at only 6 million guaranteed in his incentive laden contract, could prove to be a bargain.

 Jarrett Jack was one of the better point guards in the NBA let alone as a sixth man and should make a similar impact spotting Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters as he did with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Shooting 40 pct from the 3 point line would combine for a similar two 3 point guard tandem as he did with his former teammates and had really stepped up his game in the postseason scoring 17.2 PPG on an superb 50 percent field goal shooting in 35 minutes per game. Jarrett Jack could play either guard position and with a high basketball IQ and much needed playoff experience, Jack could be a team leader and possibly one of the top sixth man candidates for this young side.

Earl Clark is a versatile forward and fills the small forward position which was clearly the biggest hole on the team. The 25 year old has worked hard from being a fringe but promising NBA player to an established one gaining over 22 minutes for the Lakers last season and will have all to prove as a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The surprise first pick Anthony Bennett will have to prove many doubters wrong to justify his draft status. Standing at 6 foot 8, will he be more of the lines of a Paul Millsap or Elton Brand or will he struggle with being an undersized tweener 4 just like more recent draftees; Michael Beasley or Derrick Williams? Other first round pick Sergey Karasev had questions on whether he would come to the NBA or remain in Russia for the upcoming season but with reports that he is indeed coming over could prove to be a good pick for the Cavs as his draft stock would have been higher.

As far as the other returning players on the team, Anderson Varejao is coming back off a life threatening injury with a blood clot. The good news is that Varejao is ready to return. Varejao was arguably the top center in the Eastern Conference before the blood clot averaging 14.1 PPG and 14.4 RPG on 48 percent shooting. I would expect Mike Brown to incorporate Varejao in the rotation by playing him at the power forward spot but for now I see him spelling Bynum and working with the second team. The current starting power forward Tristan Thompson has made strides in improvement and is a solid starter in the NBA. Given his two years of starting experience and is still developing I also expect Thompson to start over Bennett for the beginning of the season. Dion Waiters has shown flashes and even took over games for the Cavs when Kyrie Irving went down to injury. Shot selection and defense were a problem for him but on the offensive end when he is hot, he is on fire.

Even when Anderson Varejao was playing, the Cavaliers were still one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. The Cavaliers were sixth in the NBA in points allowed giving up 101.2 PPG, a near five point difference in what they scored which was 96.5 PPG. This is expected to be addressed with the hiring of Mike Brown for his second stint with the team. In his previous tenure, the Cavs were among the top defensive teams in the NBA for multiple years and made the Lakers formidable in defense before the Dwight Howard saga. Mike Brown has also coached Andrew Bynum during his best year which probably influenced Bynum's move to Cleveland. Although Mike Brown can bring defense, former coach Byron Scott has been very influential in the development of Kyrie Irving just like he was with Chris Paul in his early years and is surely not to blame for their losing records and is a better coach than given credit for.

Nonetheless, the Cavaliers have built a playoff contending team in the Eastern Conference and even though Dan Gilbert failed on promising fans they will win a title before LeBron, has surprised alot of people with the quick rebuild of his team. Kyrie Irving in my opinion will emerge as a top point guard and could prove to be an all star starter. Uncle Drew is a positive influence in the new generation of the NBA and is a good role model for children and the post aftermath of LeBron James for fans in Ohio.

Projected All-Stars: Kyrie Irving, Andrew Bynum(If healthy)

Season Projection: Playoff Contention