Let's face it: Bayless has already fulfilled his purpose as a Blazer: he made summer league fun. But now he's a too-short SG on a team with two all-star SGs ahead of him. The dream is that he can be made into a PG along Tony Parker lines. He can't. Parker always was a PG, and was trained as such in Europe, a place much less tolerant of 1-on-5 play. Bayless thinks he's a PG, but only because that means he controls the ball. He doesn't appear to have a conception of moving the ball as a first option. I see him as one of our definite expendables. Oddly enough, Kevin Pritchard was right on the money when he described him as "Jarrett Jack on steroids". Only he seems to have meant that as a good thing. And he lacks Jack's most positive attributes: leadership skills and likeability. I'm more convinced than ever that the Blazers were after Augustine and were shocked when Charlotte snagged him. Thoughts?
I think Bayless will develop into a great player along the lines of a Baron Davis style point guard, he may never average above 7 or so assists but he won't need to with other great distributors on this team like Roy and Rudy, also Greg is a good passing bigman which should help Bayless because it was rumored during the summer that he was one of the better Blazer 3 point shooters. I don't understand why people are trying to throw the guy under the bus so soon, hes in the NBA after only 1 year in college where he was allowed to do whatever he liked with the ball. This is probably one of the first times Bayless has had to actually learn an offensive system that doesn't just let him create his own shot. Take a deep breath, and come back with the argument at the end of Bayless's 2nd year.
Bayless can still emerge as a GREAT match in the back court with Roy and Rudy. He's going to be able to defend PGs and he's potentially a scoring machine, getting to the rim and the free throw line. I don't think he's been anything more or less than we expected as a rookie, and it's WAY too early to write him off. Ed O.
my thought - deron williams didn't really look like an NBA point guard his first year either. bayless is 19. give him a chance.
I won't throw Bayless under the bus, but if he becomes as good as Baron Davis I will be shocked. Oh, and very, very happy.
Kid has played what, 10 minutes in three regular season games? No need to rush with him, I think he would fit perfectly with Roy in the backcourt.
In general, I agree with this post. However, I see him along the lines of a Terry Porter. If we give him a few years he may develop into a servicable PG with a tougher than nails mentality.
IMO with Roy being so passive on offense at times for the Blazers, Bayless is a perfect fit with Roy since maybe Bayless will pick up where Roy is a little too passive at times - scoring. Bayless is also a pretty good defender with good size for a PG.
I too am willing to wait on Bayless. He can play with Roy or Rudy and make a great backcourt mate. Bayless can defend and score, and has some playmaking abilities. You have to remember that he is a very young PG prospect. Not too many of those can run a team at his age. Rose can't--he can score, but he isn't exactly running the offense well for Chicago. Most PGs need time to get up to speed.
What the fuck is it with people this year? Are we seriously writing Bayless' obit as a Blazer after a whopping grand total of 10 minutes of play in the pros? Why don't we all just sit back and try to enjoy the development of our young players this year and see how things play out?
This is what we need from someone, Bayless looks and acts the part if only he could instill it into LaMarcus.
While I agree with you, what development is he getting pulling pine splinters out of his butt? I mean, when they needed a defensive upgrade against Parker, they put Batum in, not the "defensive minded PG/SG". If he (and this goes for Batum as well) is getting big minutes, no worries. If not, he's not "developing", he's "sitting".
It absolutely is. Jermaine O'Neal ended up doing pretty well after he got traded and finally got playing time. Ed O.
I saw the OP a few minutes after it went up and laughed about the comments that were sure to follow. It always amazes me how some seem over every little bump in the road. It's like they want to be the first one to suggest the outragious thing that no other Blazer fan has come up with yet. Unfortunately (for others of us) this is the culture that many obviously want surrounding the Blazers. Whatchagonnado? STOMP
It'd be super cool if people stopped acting like whiny little bitches, but alas that is probably too much to ask.
There's a difference between complaining about the team and calling fellow posters "whiny little bitches". Can we be a bit more respectful towards each other here? Thanks Ed O.
