Dwight Howard Trade Rumors: Which Superstar Point Guard Is the Best Fit?

Three of the teams that Dwight Howard has been rumored to be heading to include the Los Angeles Clippers, the New Jersey Nets and the Chicago Bulls. 

The Nets were on the original list. Then, the Clippers rumors came later. Finally, yesterday, it appears the Bulls were added.

Not surprisingly, these make up the three best point guards in the game, each with their own strengths.

If Howard ends up with any of the three, it would be the best point guard/center tandem in the NBA since Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or at the very least, the best since Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal. 

But which of the three would Howard square up the best with? It's not at all an easy decision. Each is equipped with separate strengths, and each of those strengths compliment Howard in unique ways.

Here are each of them listed in alphabetical order (not ranked) with what they bring to the table. 

Chris Paul

Chris Paul, of the three, is the best passer. In particular, he is the best passer into the post. His passer rating at 82games.com is 16.4, and 35 percent of his assists are either close or dunk assists.

Rose has a passer rating of 11.4, and 34 percent of his assists are close or dunk assists. Williams has 29 percent of his dimes as dunk or close and holds a passer rating of 9.3. 

In terms of getting the ball to Howard in the post and giving him the best opportunity to score, Paul is the man. 

Defensively, it would make a formidable combo because Paul is an effective but conservative defensive player on the perimeter. He is excellent at stopping penetration and also at getting steals without gambling. 

If he had Howard backing him up, he could gamble more, get more steals and not worry about what happens if his man gets by him. For Howard, it would be a relief to know he has an All-Defense player guarding the perimeter for a change. 

Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose is, of the three, the best as the ball handler in the pick and roll, scoring 1.02 points per play. Williams actually has the same average, but has run the play only about 21.2 percent of the time to Rose's 38.4 percent of the tie.

That's compared to the "meager" (that's very facetious) 0.99 that Paul. 

Rose is the most effective ball handler in the pick-and-roll of three very skillful players at running the pick and roll. His one-handed jump-floater is becoming one of the most unguardable shots in the game. Because of that and his ability to penetrate, he draws double and triple teams. 

That's going to put defenses in a quandary if they have to chose to between the two. Opponents may just start crying in the middle of the court. 

Defensively, Rose is not quite as good at guarding against penetration, but he is the best at guarding the jumpshot. In some ways, they'd be a better compliment to one another defensively because Rose could step out and challenge the jump shots, and if he gets beat, Howard is there with the help defense. 

Deron Williams

Prior to last year, it was more clear that Deron Williams has the best jump shot. However, between a wrist injury last year and the fact he has to almost carry the team single-handed in New Jersey, his shooting has been effected. 

Before that, it was just flat-out effective. Williams has a great jumper and was hitting long twos at a rate of the mid to upper-40s until last year. Were he teamed up with Howard, I expect to see those numbers return. 

Rose hits 44 percent of his long twos, and Paul hits 45 percent. Both of those numbers are pretty good, but Williams could see his number return to around 48 percent like they were in 2010. 

That means he'd be the best at spreading the court for Howard forcing players to come out and guard. 

Defensively, Williams is a hybrid of Paul and Rose. He's a bit better than Rose at guarding the perimeter, but not as good at the jumper, and not as good as Paul on the perimeter, but better against the jumper. 

Which Would Be Best?

It's pretty evident that any of the three would make a lethal pairing, but which duo would be the most dynamic? It's really hard to say. 

Every time I start to come down on one, I think of the strengths of the other. Much of it depends on who the teammates are around them. 

Each of them could be the best partner for Howard. I hate to go all Bethlehem Shoals on you and leave this an open-ended question, but I honestly just don't know. 

Perhaps the best you can say, is that if he ends up with any of them, their respective teams are going to be a winner.