How good is Jameer Nelson?

From your list there are only a couple of guys I think could do better than a healthy JN. We forget so easily that last year we had the best record in the NBA with him until he got hurt. He is a road warrior. With 2 minutes left in the game he comes through and is very tough. That is his strength. Something not all the PG you picked ahead of him can claim. You also have picked guys who he beat out for the AS team. He has improved every year he has been in the league and still has very good upside. I do agree though that he should not have returned for the Finals, that was not a good decision. Even though you would think he would be better than AJ even at 75%.

   1. Chris Paul
   2. Deron Williams—maybe
   3. Steve Nash— too old, end of career. His defense is worse than JN.
   4. Rajon Rondo—when both were healthy JN beat him out for the AS team. One on one JN eats this guy up.
   5. Jason Kidd— too old, end of career.
   6. Chauncey Billups—near the end of his career
   7. Tony Parker—near the end of his career
   8. Gilbert Arenas—NO WAY, despite having a lot of gifted scorers they cant pull games out in the 4th something JN has done many times. Also terrible on the road, JN’s strength.

Borderline,but I would take them over him.
From this list only Devin Harris would be a possibility, the others I would not.

   1. Devin Harris— OK with this
   2. Brandon Jennings—The guy is a rook and has come way down the list.
   3. Ty Lawson— no
   4. Tyreke Evans—no
   5. Stephen Curry—no
   6. Aaron Brooks
Good discussion though.

you guys all suck for doubting him….wait until he gets healthy!

The Magic are a different team with Jameer in the rotation. Watch Jameer on the defensive end of the floor. He hovers under the basket waiting for an occasional rebound or steal.

You will rarely see Jameer within 4’ of an opposing player on the defensive end. This forces the remaining Magic players to play 4 on 5 on the defensive end. Defending 4 on 5 drains them of their energy. Tired players miss more shots. Against Boston, Jameer hit 10 straight points. However he played no defense. At the point he hit his 10th point, the Magic were down 26-14. The Magic had one assist in the entire first half. The first half of last year, the Magic were like Atlanta Hawks this year. They were winning, but everyone believed it was a fluke. THe Magic were rarely televised Nationally, and everyone remembered all the bricks Jameer put up in the previouse playoffs. Nobody defended him, just as he defended nobody then and now. He had first choice at the shot selections. Dwight was being double teamed, and Rashard and Hedo were dropping 3’s. How many point guards would be unable to shoot 50% with such a sweet setup. Before you comment, watch Jameer in the next game he plays on the defensive end. You will be shocked that you never noticed it before. At 5’10" he plays the best defense he can. He is not 6’. J-will is 3-4" taller than Jameer. Most every player in the NBA can shoot over Jameer at will, and those that can’t can easily blow by him. I hope SVG figures this out before we get to post season play.

One more point. The Magic ar a much better team with J-will, just as they were with skip to my lu. We are paying J-will $1.3 mil. Jameer makes $6 mil+. There are two more PGs not on the list who have demonstrated they are better. I would argue that AJ and Arroyo are better, but I don’t want to open that can of worms. Jameer was never clearly the best PG the year before last, and was often benched in favor of CA. How quickly we forget that in previous playoffs Jameer put up enough bricks to build the new arena, and the consensus was that we were a point guard away from the NBA Finals. Jameer got injured, and gues what. Too bad SVG decided to play him vs LA.

Almost any guard would be a better fit, but then again, they wouldn’t be Dwight’s best friend. Maybe that is a good thing.

To answer your original question, I would rank him 40-60th. I don’t blame Jameer or hate him. SVG puts him in the rotation, and he does his best. Please watch him on the defensive end next time you see him play, and you will understand why the Magic play so poorly with him in the rotation.

for instance, meers not better than gilbert arenas, but for the magic hes loads better. also, i dont know if youve watched devin harris play this year, but hes the biggest reason the nets have been awful, hes fallen off a cliff, and the nets dont want him for that reason.

Jameer is a solid veteran who is a core piece to this Magic team. He does a good job of managing the team and fits well in SVG’s offense. That said, it’s also true that he gets murdered on defense, is inconsistent, and not very durable. Along with Vince Carter staying healthy and playing intelligently, Jameer is the biggest question mark on this Magic team. He’s not a top 10 pg, but the Magic don’t need him to be. He just needs to play 25-30 min. a game, efficiently get his 14 points, limit turnovers, and pray pray pray that his opponent isn’t shooting well because his guy usually can get a good look routinely against Nelson.