IDK if this is a thread already, but I just heard on the MSP that Nate accounced Sergio is his backup PG. I think this is the best choice. What do ya'll think?
seems like he's earned it by shoring up his weaknesses. Portland's 2nd unit should be a lot of fun. Also I like Bayless taking a seat next to Nate for at least part of the season. I've little doubt that he's to be the starter down the road... having coach in his ear during games and the time to focus on learning what he wants from his point could serve JB well down the road. STOMP
Cool!! Bayless can play some 3rd string 1 and 2. Not a bad 3rd stringer! He can also fill in when either Blake, Roy, Rudy or Sergio get hurt. Which you know they will get hurt. Not a bad sub!
I think Sergio earned the backup PG but also think Bayless will eventually be the backup PG maybe even the starter sometime this year or at least next year. I do think having Sergio and Rudy in the second unit will work good together.
Bayless's stats for the pre-season (not counting the one game he played only 2 minutes) 11ppg, 2.2rpg, 3.2apg, 3.2TOs, 24mpg. Not bad for a rookie at all, imo.
It's Sergio's to begin with. . . good call given this could be his last year and you got see what he's got. I'm sure Bayless will get sporadic chances here and there. Also if Sergio becomes inconsistent or hurts the team, nate won't wait long to give Bayless a try. I hope Bayless doesn't get attitude sitting on the bench. He has a long career ahead of him and needs to stay patient and wait for his opportunties. If Nate really does want to cut this team down to a 9 man rotation, even as back up PG, Sergio could see very limited mins.
Sergio has 2 more years with us unless we trade him. He's not a FA next summer unless we shock the world and decline to pick up his option by next week.
I don't think it's so much that Bayless wasn't working hard or pushing against Sergio, I just think Rodriguez went and flat out won the job. I don't think he'll ever be a lights out shooter, but he's at least now respectable and his defense seems a little better (though probably still below average). I think the main thing with Sergio is that he finally had a summer to do nothing but work on his own weaknesses and he took advantage of that opportunity. Good for him. It will be very interesting to see how this shakes out in the second half of the year, or next off-season -- I have a feeling KP is going to have some tough choices.
Bayless' numbers are very respectable -- as a rookie 2G. I am not sure that he'll see the court much with Roy and Rudy ahead of him. Both are substantially better than he is, and his upside is not so great that it forces Nate to sit his "vets" to develop Bayless. Bayless is no point guard, which is why Sergio beat him out for the backup PG spot. Blake, Sergio and Roy are the points for this team. This team needs a distributor at point (one who can sink the open 3), because we have so very many other offensive weapons. Bayless is a scorer. Does Bayless remind anyone of Randy Foye? iWatas
I would definitely list Bayless as a combo guard before a SG. He can easily play with Rudy and Roy in the backcourt.
I believe this is mostly about the way that Sergio and Rudy play off of each other. I think Bayless is damn good and will be a quality starter in the league in due time. He just doesn't have that "magic" connection with someone that Sergio does with Rudy at this time. It's a good decision.
Maybe a little bit, but Foye is nowhere near the athlete or as good a defender as Bayless already is. As for the rest of your critique I think you make some valid points; Bayless really struggles to set up the offense in the half-court, but in the last two games of the preseason it appears that he was starting to improve a little in that area, and while I doubt he'll ever be the pure passer that Blake and Sergio are, he does have a better than decent shot to eventually get on the court just because of his defense, and his ability to score. If his passing and setup skills become even average for the NBA he's going to eventually be a starter. The real question is, out of Blake, Sergio and Jerryd, who stays and who goes in the next year or two? That's impossible to tell right now.
Yeah, just because he can score doesn't mean that is all he can do. His game is exactly what we need at the PG position. Sure he can play SG as well as PG, but that doesn't mean he can't play PG. His versatility makes it great with Roy and Fernandez who like to have the ball in their hands. That is a place that Sergio will struggle, playing off the ball. Bayless has been getting better and better at PG. He has the mentality to want to pass and be a PG, he feels he can be, and he is extremely young with all the potential and physical gifts in the world. I do think that by the end of the year there is a good chance he will have a major role on the team, and even might be in the playoff rotation. When people see him at the SG out on the floor, i think it brings the mis-conception that this is his position, even though he played PG as well... We had Roy out, and we had Blake and Sergio both playing last night, so of course he was going to play some SG... which is a great luxery for us.
Thanks for the clarification. Although I don't know if it is a done deal we pick up the option (have you read the Blazers are defintely doing it). How much is that option? Maybe Sergio has enough value that if we pick up the option we can trade him easily (if Blazers decide to move in a different direction). But if they pick up the option and don't trade him, Bayless may end up on the bench for two years. I don't see much time for Bayless at the SG spot . . .
I disagree with those who think Bayless can "learn" to be a PG. I did an analysis years ago that showed that the assists/minute ratio of virtually all point guards in the league (excepting Nash) did not substantially rise after their second year with significant play time. I used this to show that Telfair was a failure (sadly, because I wanted him to be awesome). In other words, over time point guards get smarter, they improve their shots, and they cut down on turnovers. But they do not become better point guards in the NBA just because they were given PT at the position. Based on this, Bayless may work fine as a combo or 2G, playing with Roy or Rudy. But he'll almost certainly never become a good point guard. iWatas
Well, he is never going to be a pure PG. And Sergio and Blake will almost certainly always be better than him at that. But he wasn't drafted to be a pure PG. The NBA is shifting from true positions now to just players who work together, which is what KP was saying also. We knew who he was when we drafted him, and personally, i've been pleasantly surprised about how well he is meshing with everyone else, gettin' 11ppg and 3.2apg in the pre-season. He has a lot of room to develop. I think it is quite silly to think he won't get better at running the point though.
