As part of a story comparing Williams and Paul from various perspectives, the ESPN columnist wrote that he had always considered Isiah Thomas the best pure point guard of his lifetime, until "Chris Paul fell out of the sky."

"He's a classier Isiah with a better jumper," Simmons wrote. "We are blessed. Comparing him with Deron Williams is like comparing Pearl Jam to Stone Temple Pilots. Don't waste your time."

As much as Williams and Paul have tired of the comparisons after only three seasons, Simmons' column breathed new life into the great debate. It also earned him what he later described as a "steady stream of hate mail from Utah."

Not surprisingly, Williams said Tuesday he'd never listened to either band. "Are they like neck-and-neck or are they like here and there?" asked Williams, who wasn't even sure he'd read what Simmons had written.

Told that Pearl Jam would have a far greater place in rock history than Stone Temple Pilots, Williams said: "That's all right. Everybody's entitled

to their own opinion."

Kyle Korver said Simmons was "just trying to get a rise out of people" but also acknowledged "all my friends read his stuff all the time." He also was the only Jazz player qualified to compare Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots, "Jeremy" and "Plush," Vedder and Weiland.

"I love Pearl Jam," Korver said. "I've seen Pearl Jam in concert probably eight or nine times. I love Pearl Jam. Stone Temple Pilots? You've got to go back a little bit."

That's not to say Korver is choosing Paul over Williams. "I'm glad he's on our team. I'm glad we've got Deron," Korver said. "Chris Paul's a great player, too, but I'll take Deron any day."

Neither Korver nor C.J. Miles said they'd ever heard Williams make mention of Simmons' unflattering comparison. Simmons didn't reply to an e-mail message Tuesday forwarded by an ESPN.com colleague. The bigger question tonight is just how capable Williams is of battling Paul as he continues to recover from a preseason ankle sprain. He finished with 25 points and matched his season high with 15 assists in Monday's victory over Golden State.

"Deron's fine," Miles said. "I've seen him play through way worse stuff than what he's got now. The groin injuries, the tailbone injuries and stuff in the playoffs. Right now, the way he describes it is it's a sore ankle. I think he's fine."

Williams has averaged 19.8 points and 9.9 assists in the Jazz's last eight games, scoring 25 points or more three times.

"He's had some terrific moments," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "No question about that. The expectations become higher and higher the more he plays. That's just who he has been."

Williams has gone 8-2 against Paul in their NBA careers and also achieved greater playoff success. Paul was the 2006 rookie of the year and last season's MVP runner-up. Both played on the Olympic team and signed max contract extensions last summer.

Williams said both had long careers ahead for whatever comparisons will be made. For now, the Jazz are hoping to use this four-game homestand to climb back into playoff position. They trail New Orleans by three games in the standings.

"We've got a lot of catching up to do," Williams said. "We definitely want to win our division, but we've got to take steps in that by beating teams like this tonight at home."

rsiler@sltrib.com

Fourth-year checkup

Deron Williams and Chris Paul face each other three times this season, starting tonight. A look at the numbers so face for each in his fourth NBA season:

Pts Ast Rec.

Williams 15.4 10.0 20-15

Paul 20.5 11.6 21-10

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