NBA Rankings: Jeremy Lin, Kyrie Irving or Ricky Rubio, Who Would You Take?

If you had to pick right this moment, who would you rather have as the starting point guard on your team, Jeremy Lin, Kyrie Irving or Ricky Rubio?

This conversation wouldn't even have existed a week ago, because in the first 23 games of the Knicks 2011-12 season, Lin saw a grand total of 55 minutes on the court.

In the past three games, though, Lin has exploded onto the NBA scene by playing 117 minutes, and averaging 25.3 points, 8.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 turnovers per game, all while shooting an impressive 58.6 percent from the field.

Hold on, though; it's only been three games for the young and exciting Jeremy Lin.  Let's not hop on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon before we know if it has enough gas to make it down a block or two in the Big Apple.

Ricky Rubio, on the other hand, is having a strong rookie year, playing in all 26 of the Timberwolves games so far, averaging 10.9 points, 8.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 turnovers per game.  The troubling part about Rubio's production this year so far is that he's only shooting 37.8 percent from the field.

Rubio, though, has sustained his success through 26 games, helping the Timberwolves stay relevant with a 13-13 record, which is more than Jeremy Lin's recent success, which spans only three games.

Now the conversation turns to Cavaliers' point guard Kyrie Irving, who is arguably leading the 2012 Rookie of the Year talk.

All Irving has done this year is live up to the hype around being selected No. 1 overall by leading the Cavs to a 10-14 record, while averaging 18.0 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 turnovers per game, while shooting 49.2 percent from the field. 

The argument could be made though that Jeremy Lin is benefiting from having players like Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire on the court with him.  Rubio and Irving are consistently producing with arguably less talent on the court with them, which is more true for Irving than it is for Rubio.

Jeremy Lin is hands down the best offensive player of the three, as evidenced not only by his increased points per game production, but also by the fact that he shoots nearly 21.0 percent better than Rubio and 9.4 percent better than Irving.

Lin also averages the least amount of turnovers per game, which is mainly because of his lack of time on the court, but protecting the ball is protecting the ball, no matter how often you're on the court.

The question of whether you'd take Ricky Rubio, Kyrie Irving or Jeremy Lin as the point guard for your franchise, comes down to whether you're willing to take a risk on Jeremy Lin after two career starts.

Lin is out-producing Irving and Rubio on all levels, but he's only played significant time in three games, which is a major reason why Kyrie Irving or Ricky Rubio would be the safer choice to make.  

It might be foolish, but I'd take the risk on Jeremy Lin, mainly because physically he's the biggest of the three, and when he's been on the court he's been a ridiculously dominant and efficient player.

While Lin's time on the court has been limited, there's no debating the fact that he's made the most of it.

I'd stay away from Rubio mainly because of his lack of consistent offensive production, and I'd hold off on Irving only because Jeremy Lin is playing at a more efficient and productive level right now.

So here's what really matters.  Who would you rather have as the starting point guard on your team?

Jeremy Lin, Ricky Rubio or Kyrie Irving?  Make your pick, and let your thoughts be known in the comment section below.