NBA fantasy preview: point guards

(If you're looking for more on Chris Paul and everything you need to know about the fantasy season ahead, check out the 2008 NBA Fantasy Draft Kit.)

How good was CP3 last year? He became just the second player in NBA history to average 20-plus points (21.1), 10-plus assists (11.6), and 2.5-plus steals (2.7) per game. The other guy to accomplish this feat was Isiah Thomas in 1983-84 (also at the age of 22), but Paul averaged just 2.5 turnovers vs. 3.7 for the former Piston. His shooting percentages are rock solid, his three-point shot is improving and his confidence is sky high right now. If you don't take Paul No. 1 overall, you're making a big mistake.

He doesn't rack up steals, but Williams is still a superstar point guard. He shot 49 percent or better from the field in every month except for April, and his 80 percent FT shooting will be even more valuable as he gets to the line more often this season. Playing against Paul and learning from Jason Kidd on Team USA will only help his game to grow, and at 24 years old, his best years are still ahead of him. He's also missed just four games in his career, which is why he's a safer pick than the older guys behind him.

Davis will likely put up better per game stats than Deron William, but he's missed a lot of games in the past, making him a riskier pick. I like how he's lost weight and is now in his hometown, and having the league's top shot-blocker behind him will allow him to finish in the top 3 in steals once again. However, he's on a new team with a stricter coach, which will probably hurt his stats a bit. Choosing between him and Allen Iverson is simply a matter of preference.

At 33 years old, Allen Iverson is still going strong. He used to be a field-goal percentage killer, but that has improved quite a bit since moving to Denver. He's likely going to play more point guard this year, so expect an increase in assists. However, without Marcus Camby there to back him up, he could average a career-low in steals.

When T.J. Ford got hurt last year, Calderon seized the opportunity. In 56 starts, he averaged 13 points, 1.2 steals, 1.2 threes, 9.1 assists and just 1.9 turnovers, while shooting a blazing 53.1 percent, 45.3 percent on threes and 91.1 percent from the stripe. It will be hard for him to duplicate those phenomenal percentages, but his steals, threes and assists could easily go up further. If your league counts turnovers or assist/ turnover ratio, you could even make a case for Calderon being the second-best point guard after Paul.

In '07-08, Nash finished second in assists, second in three-point percentage, fifth in free-throw shooting and sixth in made threes, and he'll likely go down as one of the most accurate and efficient shooters of all time. His 2.2 treys per game was a career-high, and new Suns coach Terry Porter has talked about giving Nash even more shot attempts in '08-09. However, Phoenix has also said they plan on limiting the two-time MVP's minutes and occasionally resting him to keep him fresh. He's still an elite PG, but all of the guys above him are going to play as many minutes as possible.

After 14 NBA seasons, a lot of people are starting to wonder how much Kidd has left in the tank. My answer? He's got more than enough to help out your fantasy team in '08-09. Swapping out Avery Johnson for Rick Carlisle should help a lot, as Carlisle will allow the Mavs to run more, thus allowing Kidd to excel in the open court. His upside isn't great and he won't score many points, but he's still a solid No. 1 point guard.

Billups was rock solid in '08-09, setting career-highs in field-goal shooting (44.8 percent) and free-throw shooting (91.8 percent), and tying his career-high in steals (1.3). He is especially solid in in 9-category leagues, because his turnovers have held steady at two per game in recent years, as opposed to 3-plus for most of the other top PGs. However, his declining minutes are a big concern. He averaged just 32.3 mpg last season, and that will likely fall even further due to the emergence of Rodney Stuckey.

Harris played great after being traded to New Jersey, and at 25 years old, is about to enter his prime. The Nets lost Richard Jefferson, Bostjan Nachbar, Nenad Krstic and Marcus Williams over the summer, which means they have 45 points to replace this season and very few proven scorers. As a result, you can expect Harris to score a lot more this season, and he'll also be an excellent source of steals and assists. If Harris falls to you in Round 6, don't let him fall any further.

If you miss out on the top tier PGs, Mo Williams is your next best bet. He was one of just a handful of players to make over a three per game while shooting 48 percent from the field last season, and he's shot over 85 percent from the line for a solid four years in a row. I'm projecting his assists to decline now that he has to share the ball with LeBron James, but his threes should improve and his percentages will remain rock solid. Mo will be everything that the Cavs wanted Larry Hughes to be, but he will actually deliver.

You know what you're getting when you pick Miller: 82 games, no threes or blocks and solid stats everywhere else. In his nine-year career, he's missed a total of just five games, for a whopping 99.3 percent games played. He's averaged 1.3-plus steals five years in a row, and his assists are sure to go up with the addition of Elton Brand. You'll have to draft a nice shooter to team up with him, but 'Dre should be rock solid for you in '08-09.

The last time we saw Bibby, he was getting schooled by Rajon Rondo in the playoffs. However, Bibby was never 100 percent healthy last season, as he missed the first 36 games due to torn ligaments in his hand, and then he later bruised his heel and was often seen limping around the court. Still, he played fairly well after being traded to the Hawks. His assists shot up to 6.5 per game in Atlanta, which is much better than the 4-5 dimes he was dropping his last few years in Sactown. Spending a whole summer getting to know where Joe Johnson and Josh Smith like the ball should help out a lot, and Bibby can still get hot and knock down threes with the best of them.