A good passer is hard to find

Watching Jason Terry vs TJ Ford the other night, I was struck by their different styles. While Terry was hitting every shot he flung up (except that last one, sadly), I found myself pining for a great set-up man like TJ. Perhaps Dirk would implode less if he had a teammate who could get him an easy look when he's struggling.

For kicks, I ran down the list of starting points in the league, and I was a little surprised by the results. I found only 3 starters I consider "pure passers:"
1) Jason Kidd, Nets
2) TJ Ford, Bucks
3) Brevin Knight, Bobcats

There are a number of scoring-minded PGs that also pass well. Some of these guys (like Nash) are great assist men, but most tend to shoot more often than not:
1) Steve Nash, Suns
2) Chauncey Billups, Pistons
3) Tony Parker, Spurs
4) Allen Iverson, Sixers
5) Gilbert Arenas, Wizards
6) Baron Davis, Warriors
7) Sam Cassell, Clippers
8) Chris Paul, Hornets
9) Stephon Marbury, Knicks
9) Mike Bibby, Kings
10) Deron Williams, Jazz
11) Sebastian Telfair, Blazers (tough to know what to do with him just yet)

Most of these gunners also make you feel pretty good about your passing situation (well, not Marbury, but that goes without saying) ; if you need a guy to work the D and create for his 'mates, any of these guards can get the job done when it counts.

Next we get into the starters with embarrasingly low assist numbers against minutes played. For example, can you imagine playing with Dwyane Wade for 34 mpg and averaging less than 5 assists? Jason Williams can, apparently, and he even used to be known as a passer in olden times. Most of these guys are SGs in a PG's body:
1) Jason Terry, Mavericks
2) Mike James, Raptors
3) Steve Francis, Magic
4) Jason Williams, Heat
5) Smush Parker, Lakers

There are also a few defensive specialists who pass just well enough to justify big minutes. They may not be slinging the rock around much, but they make it harder for the opponent to do so. The only two guys I see playing the point primarily as stoppers are:
1) Delonte West, Celtics
2) Jamaal Tinsley, Pacers

...and now we get to the caretakers. In the case of Chris Duhon and Andre Miller, I mean that in the best possible way. Neither does anything spectacular, but both do a bit of everything and hold down the fort well. The rest of these chumps are holding down the fort, but not so well:
1) Chris Duhon, Bulls
2) Andre Miller, Nuggets
3) Luke Ridnour, Sonics
4) Rafer Alston, Rockets
5) Marko Jaric, T-Wolves
6) Damon Stoudamire, Grizzlies
7) Eric Snow, Cavs
8) Tyronn Lue, Hawks

Kinda frightening how many PGs suck like a Hoover, eh?

The good news for the Mavs: Devin Harris has a very real chance of joining the "gunners who can pass" echelon, and I suspect Daniels, Dirk, and Howard will greatly appreciate it. Jason Terry is an excellent scorer, just not the ideal point guard for a team with championship aspirations. Then again, it looks like Dallas could do a lot worse.