His PT dropped as he was nor productive with the type of PT Nate was giving him. Sadly, Nate is not using him well at all.
Starting Frye at small forward would be a good way to turn a bad perimeter defense into one of the worst ever. To off-set that, Frye would need to be LeBron James on offense. He's barely even Jerome James. I'll pass.
check out Frye on youtube, and you'll find an athletic player with a lot of potential. check out Frye on the Blazers, and you'll find a player who can't move his feet AT ALL. If Frye can get his mobility back (remember he was injured most of the preseason, and came back early from his injury), he'll again become an interesting prospect. However, that is a pretty big IF. Until then, it's not fun seeing a player shoot 25 footers with defenders in his face. Right now there are only 3 or 4 players in the league he can effectively guard.
Frye can be an okay player, but he is a mediocre rebounder and hasn't played well. Maybe you can play a three big man lineup like Detroit did with Wallace, Wallace and Okur, but that's because of their length, quickness and outside shooting ability. I don't feel that LMA or Frye really have the same ability to guard SF's like that. So no go.
The difference between Frye and Bayless is that the latter is 20, only played one season in college, is crazy athletic, and half of his mistakes are because he's barely played a minute in the NBA. Frye, on the other hand, had 4 years in college, so he doesn't get quite the same benefit of the doubt for being raw, and he already has several years of declining contributions in the NBA. His skillset is pretty much set in stone at this point, and a perimeter PF is the last thing a already jump-shot happy team needs. He's also "blocked" by LMA, who is miles ahead of him, whereas Bayless is seen by many as the PG of the future. I bet you if Bayless had been getting 10-15 minutes a game all season and was playing like he did against Boston, everyone would want him on the bench. However, I (and I don't think I'm alone) see some room for really short term progress from Bayless - it's unlikely that he remains so hesitant with his shot and sloppy with his passes.
He wants to start Frye at small forward, actually. Which, IMO, is only a slightly worse idea that starting him at PG.
forgot about that, but my point was that, since Bayless is seen by some as the PG of the future, it's worth accepting a few stupid turnovers if it helps him develop. I can see BLAZER PROPHET's point, but the analogy fails on quite a few levels.
Geeze, I'm getting trashed pretty good. Well, at least I know it would work.' See y'all chumps at the game tinight!!
