I'm unhappy. I thought Bayless would be a good chip to add with one of our expirings (Joel/Miller) for something significant. All we got was a draft pick? And we have no idea how good NO will be this year, or next year, etc etc etc. This could be a huge waste of talent. What if we end up getting a pick in the late teens/early 20s? That would be a huge downgrade from Bayless.
To be determined, imho. Depends on how good Armon is going to be, how high the pick will be and if it is the last move of the pre-season.
You can't really say that for sure. Bayless hasn't been that good and there is often good talent in that range.
I like it just because we were playing Bayless at a position that wasn't his strength, and besides which, both Rudy and Matthews play better with others. I think Armon Johnson won't get all or even most of Bayless' minutes, but I think he's safe from Idaho now.
I think JB should bring back something better than possibly a decent pick. The wild card is that JB might have been unhappy here, if Armon moved ahead of him at PG, as was reported recently. Go Blazers
I am pretty sure I am in the minority, but I think it is a good move. Bayless was not going to be happy with his playing time on this team.
I like it. As much as I don't like Rudy, I think he can bring more to this team than Bayless, and this does open up space for him and Matthews.
About sums up how I feel about it. The Bayless experiment is going to workout the way the team is currently contstructed. Cut ties and try something new.
It's meh for now, because it all depends on what the pick turns into. In the short run it means that Wesley Matthews is going to be asked to play a lot of minutes (good) it might mean Armon gets some run (iffy), and the team will end up keeping Rudy and Patty in the near term (also iffy). Depth Chart: Miller/Armon/Mills Roy/Matthews/Rudy/Williams Batum/Babbitt LMA/Dante Camby/Oberto ... with Joel and Greg on the IR Interesting.
A healthy New Orleans team challenges not only for the playoffs, but even perhaps as high as a 5 seed. Paul Belnelli(their new Peja on offense - spread the defense) Ariza(upgrade from last year/better defender) West(borderline AS every year) Okafor(steady player) Then they have Peja/Thornton/Bayless off the bench. If the pick ends up being higher than 15 I'll be surprised. The Blazers indeed probably traded Bayless for a lower 1st round draft pick. Brilliant.
The Hornets were 25-21 last year before Chris Paul got hurt and after getting out to a slow start. They were 11-5 in there last 16 games. This year they have a better roster and if they stay healthy they will be a factor in the playoff race because of Chris Paul alone.
Top seven protected this year and then top 8 the next 3 years after ... so it's actually pretty decent.
