In light of the recent Sergio Rodriguez article and the countless opinions regarding the future of Jarrett Jack (and Petteri Koponen, Steve Blake and Brandon Roy) at the point guard position, I thought it would be interesting to map out what I believe Nate McMillan looks for in a point guard and then make an educated guess at who best matches this profile...

First of all, Nate McMillan is an old school throwback coach who prioritizes efficiency and defense above all else. We get a sense of his need for steady efficienct play in the way he uses Steve Blake. Yes, Nate may have favored Jack in crunchtime, but there was no question that Steve Blake was our half-game horse this year. In my eyes, though, Jarrett Jack was given such a long leash this season because he had shown that he was, or can be, moderately efficient (more so referring to the "get the ball to Zach Randolph" years) and he has the physical tools to become a gifted on-ball defender. This is a stark contrast to Steve Blake (who is an average defender that has pretty much hit his peak) and Sergio Rodriguez (who does not play defense).

In seeing the progression of Martell Webster, we can discern that Nate McMillan believes the difference is made on the defensive end. You don't take a "pure shooter" 6th in the draft and then put him on the shelf until he becomes a defensive stopper, unless you believe that anyone in the NBA on any given night can light up the scoreboard. To be more cliche - Nate probably goes to bed at night saying "Offense gets the glory, but defense wins the game..." (See also: Oden over Durant)

So, who are the top defensive point guards in the NBA? Who are the players that fit Nate's mold for the prototypical point guard?

Who wouldn't want these guys: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Tony Parker... Not so much that they are "Nate's Type" but no coach would turn down an opportunity to land these 3 guys. Likewise, their respective franchises would need a full fifth of Bacardi 151 and a couple trips to Seattle in Rasheed Wallace's "we smoked it all up" Yellow Hummer before they let these guys get away...

Near perfect examples (but unlikely to land here): Chauncey Billups, Derek Fisher, and Andre Miller... Billups seems like Nate's dream as a point guard, which is even more interesting because Jack was frequently compared to a young Chauncey during the 06-07 season. He's a floor general, he distributes, scores and plays defense, but he's probably the fourth "least touchable" point in the league. Derek Fisher is prototypical in that he's a great on-ball defender (led the league in Charges Drawn this year) and has a steady hand in the offense, but he's the same age as Harrison Ford. Andre Miller is also an example of a steady point guard who plays better defense than he's given credit for. This past season, Miller posted an average PER that was 6 points better than his opponent but after his playoff run, it'd be a tough trade to pull off. Is Sweet Lou the future for the 76ers? If so, that does give us a window of opportunity.

Solid options (and arguably attainable): Jason Terry, TJ Ford/Jose Calderon, Devon Harris, Monta Ellis/Baron Davis... I guess call this the "fatal flaw" category. Baron Davis has massive contract demands that will basically force GS to choose on of the two. Ellis isn't a great defender, but he has the speed to match up with the elite point guards of the league and if Davis is the casualty, then it seems like a trade with the foundation of Raef's expiring contract, a young talented player and a couple draft picks could make it work. Calderon and TJ Ford are in a similar situation in Toronto. Yes, TJ has injury concerns (of the spinal variety!) but let's face it- we're already going to need some luck on the injury front to make our title hopes become a reality. It was the same way with the '76 Blazers. Ford's speed and ability to drive would be a positive, and he also posted a postive PER against his opponent. Jason Terry would be an interesting (and possible acquisition) if we were set on Brandon Roy playing the point. Terry could not man up on the CP3 and D-Will's of the world, but he'd be a strong outside presence next to Roy.

It might just work: Sebastian Telfair, Raymond Felton, Mike Conley Jr/Kyle Lowry, Chris Duhon, Raja Bell/Leandro Barbosa... This category is drawing at straws and going on potential, with a few exceptions. If there's a fire sale in Phoenix, it seems like Barbosa could be available for the right package, maybe even Bell too. The former would give us a speedy guard to play opposite Roy and at least give us some hope at a fastbreak attack. Duhon is probably the most available of any point guard in the NBA, but I hardly think he's an upgrade. Memphis has a slew of young point guards and a probable chance at grabbing another one (Derrick Rose) but none of them have proven anything. Same with Telfair and Felton. I may get blasted for this, but the only difference I see in Tony Parker and a player like Sebastian Telfair is environment and work ethic. With his speed, Telfair could be a top tier point in the NBA, but he has never "figured it out." Felton averaged 14.4 points and 7.4 assists per game this season and we've seen a substantial improvement in his game over the past 3 seasons. Although not a good three-point shooter, he's a step up athletically over Steve Blake...

After looking at players and stats all morning, I definitely think our point guard situation could be worse, but it could also substantially improve... What does it take to land a player in the "Solid Options" category? Do any of the young guys listed look interesting?