In case you missed it amidst all of your hand-wringing about your fantasy football fails and "pick 'em" faux pas, this little gem from newly minted Hall Of Fame Point Guard Gary "GP" Payton was reported by The Springfield Republican's Tom King via MassLive's Twitter feed:
Gary Payton, a 2013 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and one of the greatest point guards since the ABA/NBA merger, told reporters Saturday that there are only three point guards in the NBA today.
“We don’t really have point guards in the NBA now. We really have (shooting) guards – and that’s a fact,” Payton said. “I think there’s only three true point guards that play like point guards. I think Chris Paul is one, I think (Rajon) Rondo is one, and I think Tony Parker is the other.”
Payton will be introduced at his enshrinement on Sunday by John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time assists leader. The nine-time NBA All-Star, known as “The Glove,” ranks eighth in career assists with 8,966.
“John Stockton was the hardest player for me to play against because he wouldn’t talk trash,” Payton said. “I could talk to Michael (Jordan) and maybe get under his skin a little, but Stockton never talked back.”
Coming from one of THE preeminent points the game has ever seen, particularly one who holds down the 8th spot all-time in assists, this ought to give Rondo-haters pause the next time they attempt to leave him off the list of top-three PG's (especially for the likes of Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose!).I've long argued that Rondo is one of the few true points left in the game (and have a running battle with friends about him being THE best today when one considers what the job of a PG is actually supposed to be -- hint: it's not to be the primary scorer), and GP's assessment will only serve to fuel the fire that rages within.
But, that's a post for another time.
For now, let's just take this little bit of love from The Glove, cherish #9 a little bit more and hope that he comes back soon.
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