"True" PG or Combo Guard?

[Smooth]

This upcoming offseason will be a big one with the duty to fill the hole at PG... The biggest question will be: Which one will be a better fit? A combo guard? Or a "true" PG?

I honestly could go either way on this one.

If we go for a “true” PG it could work out for the better. It would take LeBron and Hughes off the ball, and make them run off screens, post up etc. It could make them more effective with them the variety of ways they score, and not have them waste their own energy by having to create for themselves. It also makes our offense more unpredictable, thus more effective.

If we go the route for combo guard, it makes our offense more lethal with all of our guards being able to score in a bunch. It also has everybody handling the ball, without a true distributor. This I would think, would make Larry and LeBron happier, due to them handling the ball a lot more often. But then again, most of the time they will have to be making their own offense.

Overall, no matter who the PG turns out to be, they have to play D and shoot the 3. I don’t care who it is but they better be able to do those 2 qualities. If they don’t, our offense and team in general will suffer… If we get the PG that fits like a glove, then our team will be taken to the next level… That’s how important a PG is to our success.

IMHO, right now I’d say a “pure” PG would be a better fit for this team. It gives the team another distributor, and primary ball handler. It takes pressure off of LeBron, because instead of worrying about getting everybody involved and scoring, he can focus more on scoring and playing defense. I also think this will make our offense more effective with the unpredictability we would have with all of our options on offense. However, it seems that in this draft that all the true PG’s have holes in their game. Either they are good on offense, or they are good on defense. It seems as if the combo guards are more balanced in that aspect compared to “true” PG’s.

Here are My Top 5 “true” PG’s and Combo Guard PG’s:

True:

1). Sergio Rodriguez, PG, Spain
2). Jose Juan Barea, PG, Northeastern
3). Rajon Rondo, PG
4). Kyle Lowry, PG, Villanova
5). Jordan Farmar, PG, UCLA

Combo:

1). Quincy Douby, G, Rutgers
2). Shannon Brown, G, Michigan State
3). Daniel Gibson, G, Texas
4). Guillermo Diaz, G, Miami (FL)
5). Bobby Brown, G, CS-Fullerton

Others:

Dee Brown, G, Illinois
Taquan Dean, G, Louisville
Yotam Halpeirn, G, International
Will Blalock, G, Iowa State
Darius Washington, G, Memphis

 

[PIP]

If a true PG means we are sacrificing a potential scorer, give me the combo (as long as they can defend)..

We have enough ball handlers on this team to go to battle with.. A true PG might take a little longer to develope as well.. A combo guard has more of a scorers mentality..Like running backs in the NFL, those guys have it the easiest..Come in and score..

We've had a PG that couldn't score the last two seasons, give me the guy that can put the thing in the damn hole...

 

[Jon]

Yeah, ideally I want a pure PG who can also defend, penetrate, and shoot; but as you say - he doesn't exist in this draft. If we have to compromise, you either have to pick a pure with athleticism who might learn to shoot better (Lowry/Rondo type) - or you go with a combo guard and hope he can learn to become a better playmaker.

The advantage of the combo guard is that he could get some time at backup SG.

 

[WitnessLBJ]

Besides the draft:
Combo guard aka Ben Gordon for a Drew Gooden S&T type of deal
or
True PG aka Andre Miller in some type of deal for Eric Snow + other

 

[TyGuy]

In our situation, we can get away with a combo guard. he has to be able to stroke it though. Out of all the pg's and so called combo guards in this draft my favorite is definitely quincy douby. The guy can flat out score, has great handles, is quick and can stroke it from long distance off the dribble or spot up.

I find it amazing that he hasn’t played organized ball really until his junior or senior year of hs. This guy obviously loves to play basketball and is a tremendous talent. One thing I really like about him is his growth as a player every season.. If he is available, I cant see us passing this guy up. He just seems to perfect for us.

 

[The George]

Qunicy Douby is the guy I want in the draft.....I believe Combo guard is the way to go

 

[TruBuckeye22]

they need someone who can get them in the offense and will move without the ball. I am sick of watching LeBron dribble the shot clock down to 7 while everyone else stands around and watches.

 

[Kypus]

Great post Smooth32. Reading all 15 of those reviews at once makes me want to draft 3 PGs :chuckles: Especially with these supposedly uber Spaniards I've never heard of. It's really too bad our draft position sucks, otherwise I'd say get one of each, and hope the pure (Rondo, Lowry) learns to shoot.

I like the idea of getting a "combo" guard, ie one that can score, but not at the cost of playmaking or speed. You all know how I feel about "tweeners" but Jason Terry's playoff performance has forced me to rethink that. I had been pulling for Gibson but admit Douby does look good. Today NBADraft.net has 4 of the 6 spots in front of us taking PGs. I think it's optimistic to think Douby will be the odd man out of that flurry, I think Shannon Brown might be the guy left over, which would suck.

 

[The George]

Shannon Brown can not be a PG...at least I dont think so...

I really like Douby

BUT if Douby Farmar Williams Rondo and all of the other top PG's are gone I would not mind taking Gibson....Kid has talent and just needs time...He is a combo type and if he could learn some of the tough things about being a PG he has the skill set to be exactly what we are looking for....just know he will take time to develop

 

[TruBuckeye22]

it is always interesting to read projections on players that these draft sites put out. I always wonder how much of what they write is actually what NBA scouts and GM's think? take a guy like Qunicy Douby for example, one of sites mentions in his weaknesses that he is just an ok passer and needs to dominate the ball to be effective. is that true or is that what he had to do to keep his team as competitive as possible? Is that what GM's see as well or is that just spectulation of some guy who knows no more then you or me?

I guess you never actually know until that player steps on the floor against NBA level players.

 

[jason436]

I think Dee Brown would be a great fit for the Cavaliers. He's a little short but all of his strengths are what we need at PG. He's very quick, which he uses to defend and push the ball in the open court. He's a pretty good three point shooter, was better a year ago when he wasn't the focal point of the offense. If he could make his way into the starting lineup he'd be in a similar situation to the one that he was in with Deron and Luther Head.

 

[Taiter]

They need a real PG, someone who can get them into their offense, penetrate, hit an open jumper, and give the team multiple looks. We don't need a guy who puts up 20 a night there. The Cavs have plenty of guys who can score, what they don't have is someone (other than Lebron) who can get them the ball where they can do damage, and they don't have someone who keeps them in their offense. We already have 3 combo guards- SGs who play inferior point. Please, let us have no more of the "pound the ball" offense. We need a smart guy with floor vision.

 

[CBBI]

I definately respect Douby for his scoring talents. To drop 25 points a night with good shooting percentages in the murder's row known as the Big East with basically no talent around you definately is an accomplisment.

However, if you draft Douby, you aren't drafting him to play PG. Your drafting him to score the ball and your going to have to commit Hughes to playing the point. He's pretty similar to Ben Gordon in the sense that he can pass a little bit and can handle the ball a little bit, but he's clearly a scorer first and a scorer second.

Talent wise, Douby is most certainly worth the #25 pick, but you can't draft him with the impression he can play point guard right away, or ever.

I feel the same way about Ager. Ager is definately talented enough to be worthy of the #25 pick, but if you pick that guy, you are basically committing Hughes to playing PG because Ager can't run the point.

Lowry is probably my first choice because he's a legitimate point guard and he's a lot quicker and more athletic then Farmar and while he isn't a great shooter, he's a much better shooter then Rondo.

 

[PIP]

I agree with that CBBI, and I wouldn't mind Gordon if he could d-up.. Douby is a pretty solid defender..(Atleast on the college level)

 

[Jon]

You tell him that if he wants to be something more then a backup SG for his entire career, that he has to dedicate himself to learning how to play point; and then let him learn behind your starter. Regardless our offense will look better once the staff starts putting in more plays.