Apparently I wrote this before the All-Star break (but if it ends up being completely wrong then I have no recollection of writing it):

This is me taking an unnecessary risk because we’re going to figure this out soon enough, but I’m too anxious to get out in front on this one. Darren Collison has been pretty sick-nasty over the last seven games (19.3 points, 9.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds), all of which he has started in the place of the injured Chris Paul (out 4-6 weeks). I think there’s an explanation for this that assumes his recent performance isn’t a huge aberration. Collison played four years at UCLA under a very good coach in Ben Howland and with several future NBA players (Jordan Farmar, Arron Aflallo (learn how to spell your name, bro), Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Jru Holiday). There he learned to play good, tough defense and facilitate an efficient half court offense (albeit at an excruciatingly slow pace). He’s athletic and a streaky, but generally patient scorer. Add the fact that he’s been Chris Paul’s understudy for forty games, and it kind of makes sense that Collison was able to learn quickly on the job. At this point in the NBA season, Collison has been an NBA player for the same number of games he would have played in a hypothetical fifth season of college ball. He got better every year playing with a different running mate who was above or around his level (maybe that’s a stretch with Jru but whatever). It’s possible he’s done the same thing with pro players, with the most direct influence coming from the best in the game at his position (sorry, Phoenix*). It’s a very small sample set, so I suppose it could just be a fluke, but I hope not. He seems like a good kid. And he looks like he could have been a character on The Wire. Go Bruins.

*The fact that Steven Nash is “back” this year does nothing to erase the fact that his stats were down last year. In fact, it strengthens that point. When Nash played in a different system he couldn’t put up the same wowing numbers we were used to (not that his numbers were bad, they just dipped below what we had come to expect). Chris Paul averages about the same number of assists Nash did in the run and gun offense but does so in an offensive system that gives him significantly fewer possessions because of its slower tempo. When Nash played at that slower tempo his numbers dropped. I know the system complements Nash’s natural ability of finding people in the open court and few point guards could do what he does given the opportunity, but you gotta figure the Suns would be as good if not better with Chris Paul as their point guard. Steve Nash is ill and he wore the crown, but now it’s Chris’ turn to wear it.