matter is BOTH were still regarded as FRANCHISE PLAYERS, which is what this post question is abt, despite their respective teams falling short in the postseason year after year...

Ppl forget that Isaiah was still considered an elite, franchise player long before he was surrounded with a team that could contend for a title and when the Pistons were bottom feeders.

Now, if Paul retires w/o having won a ring, he'll be amongst those great players who didn't win a chip

but

that won't mean he wasn't worthy of being regarded as a franchise player because he is. He and he alone has turned the Clippers, who have an embarrassment in the league since I was a kid, into a legitimate western contender. Now, because of him mostly, they have improved in one year, but should ppl hold that against HIM if he can't get his squad past a stacked Lakers team and OKC? I don't think so...