I like Lillard as a player, but he is not yet in the same class with Kidd or Gary Payton, the two best point guards to come out of Oakland. Lillard is a better scorer than either Kidd or Payton, but not anywhere near as good as Kidd and Payton on defense. I don't understand why Kidd would overlook Payton, who is #38 on the NBA Top 50 all-time players. Maybe it is competitive, or personal, but it makes no sense to me.
In college, both Kidd and Payton were Consensus All-Americans. Kidd was PAC10 POY in 1994, and led the PAC10 in assists and steals for two years. Payton was 1990 PAC10 POY, and led the PAC10 in assists and steals for four years. Lillard was two-time Big Sky POY.
In the NBA, Kidd was 9x All Defensive Team, 6x All NBA, 2nd in career steals, 8th in career assists, and a 10x All-Star. Payton was 9x All Defensive Team, 9x All-NBA, 9x All Star, was 1996 NBA POY, and led the NBA in 3 pointers in 2000. Lillard was 3x All NBA, 4x All Star, and 24th in career points per game.
SFCityBear