USA Basketball: Roy out, Bayless in

You are not making sense.

Blake is coming off his best season.

Blake wasn't as good when he was younger, nor was he a high draft pick. No reason for him to have been picked for a team like this.

Comparing Blake this season - to what he was younger - to Bayless as a young prospect has got you all mixed up. Get it staight.

Are you seriously trying to argue that Bayless last season - as a rookie - was better than Blake? That he was a more productive player? That he would have helped the team win more games if he had started instead of Blake?

Good luck with that.

Sergio can't be selected to play for a USA team. So what the heck were you bringing his name up for?Jesus. We know you hate Nate. The constant (and often fact baseless) harping is old.

Whatever.

 

Yes.

 

Ridiculous.

Prove it.

 

There's no objective measure out there that could be finessed into an argument that Bayless had a better season than Steve Blake ... However, I think the main complaint from some is that Nate never let him have a chance to work his way through his growing pains.

Personally I'm more from the "let them earn it in practice" school of thought, and despite Blakes limitations he played fairly mistake free, high percentage basketball last year and Jerryd just wasn't ready.

 

I think it depends on you definition of better.

Blake was easily a better shooter, and didn't make nearly as many mistakes. But I think Bayless proved in the games where Blake was injured with his shoulder, and Bayless knew he was going to get consistant minutes, that he was much better at other aspects of the possition. Better at drawing fouls. Better at defending the pick and roll. Better at scoring.

On a per 48 mpg basis....Because it's simplest to figure out. For the entire season.

Bayless outscores Blake 16.7 to 16.6
Blake better assists 7.6 to 5.7
Bayless out rebounded Blake 4.2 to 3.8 (40 mpg) Sergio actually was ahead of them both.

For the 14 or so games Bayless played, and new he was going to play consistant minutes his numbers were up across the board.

The fouls shots are the biggest difference. Bayless got to the line a lot more than Blake. About 4 to 1.

Bayless might not have been better, but you could also easily argue that Blake wasn't better than Bayless either.

 

I bet you'll see JB getting some run with the starters in the pre-season. Blake is Nate's voice on the court if you will, but even he has to admit the Bayless can play flat out play.

 

Selected numbers.

They are different players, so of course you can pick out the numbers that emphasize the positive's to Bayless' game compared to Blake.

Look at ALL the numbers. Overall, Bayless doesn't even come close.

Look at the Defensive Rating for the two players for the season. Blake has better defensive rating numbers. Bayless is all activity to little REAL effect so far in his career. It is fine to get all up in some guard's grill to "intimidate" them. But what does it really matter if that guard is going pass off the ball anyway, or pick you off and launch a jumper. Unless you block a jumper, deflect or steal a pass - it is just a lot of wasted energy. Bayless has a LOT to learn about defense. Blake is a crappy individual defender, but he plays within a team scheme.

If you want to say Bayless brings different things then Blake and could be used as a change of pace - fine. But, to assert that Bayless was a better basketball player is flat out ridiculous.

And to continue to massage your unsupported argument by claiming that Bayless just needed to be handed minutes as a rookie - I don't accept that.

You either grab the minutes by doing good things when your number is called -

OR YOU DON'T.

 

I wonder if Bayless was selected as a SG or PG for USA Basketball?

 

He's the "I'm gonna take it to the rack and school you guard!"

 

*edited*

Great news for Bayless!

 

Nate was on one of the local shows the day and he said that Bayless really impressed the Team USA coaches when he practiced/scrimmaged against Team USA previously and that is why they invited him again.

 

I guess he just impressed the wrong team USA coaches because one of them had him playing garbage minutes behind two guys that would have a heard time guarding you and I.

 

Geez. The problem was not playing Blake. It was playing Sergio.

The person standing in JB's place last year was the team's decision to give Sergio one last shot to earn a place with the team long-term, by pairing him with Rudy and giving him more minutes than what he earned in his play.

Blake at this point in his career (and JB's unfortunately) meshed better than any other PG we had with Roy on the first unit, since we needed perimeter shooting next to Roy. That's why you saw Rudy (who technically plays the same position as Roy) spend lots of time on the court next to Roy - and that's why you saw Blake playing there.

Where JB's minutes disappeared was in the backup role - and I suspect that with Nate's (well earned) disdain for Sergio's allergy to defense and shooting - this was not Nate's first choice - but he went with the suggestion as a last chance opportunity for Sergio to earn a place with the team - and a way to help Rudy's transition to the NBA.