After the Orlando Magic's come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 21st, in which point guard Jameer Nelson and shooting guard Vince Carter scored 8 points apiece during the decisive 16-3 run in the game's final moments, a reporter asked Nelson about his aggressive drives to the basket during that stretch, and whether he'd maintain that mentality. His response serves as today's point for discussion, and a plain statement on his point-guard worldview:
I don't get many plays called for me, so I have to be aggressive when the opportunity presents itself, whether it's for myself to score, or for others. One thing we... as a team, everybody has a role. My role is to get into the paint and make plays and be aggressive. And if I'm not doing that, I'm being selfish.
Whenever a point guard talks about needing to take shots, it seems that he's bound to face criticism. "Point guards should pass first, second, and third before looking for their own shots" seems to be an accepted line of thinking, even in 2010. What I'm curious about is your response to Nelson's comments here, which more-or-less convey the idea that he'd be selfish not to look for his own shot every now and again. I can't help but feel like some Magic fans will see that quote and pine for the halcyon days of Scott Skiles or Carlos Arroyo running the point. If it's any consolation to those folks, Jason Williams has proven to be a darn efficient playmaker, which prompted coach Stan Van Gundy to call him "the best passer we have" last Friday.
So: what do you make of Nelson's philosophy?