The weird (but not bad) thing about Bayless is that he has the ability to drive even when they are sagging off of him. He's just so strong and quick. Yes, he needs to get the jumper going and I think most of us think that will happen and probably sooner than later but when you will really see him be dangerous is when with more playing time and experience he gets better at finishing at the rim like Nash for example. I really think he has the athletic ability and NBA body to get to that point. Its just all experience, comfort and most of all confidence. Games like last night will go a LONG way towards getting to that point.
I have watched most every college game and SL Bayless played and he is a great outside shooter. I can't say the reason why he isn't shooting good so far in the regular season but I think eventually he will be our best outside shooter. He is the real deal and all the negative Bayless people better change to picking on someone else or they will look really foolish.
Im with you on that one Tort. As an Arizona fan I have seen with my own 2 eyes his shooting ability. It aint his skills that are throwing his shot off. Its mental. Mostly confidence. Everyone has been in his ear about being a distributing PG so he has been hesitant to take wide open jumpers in his limited playing time. He needs to be who he is. Drive when he can and take the jumper when they take away the drive.
I'm not as concerned about his shooting yet. Devin Harris, Tony Parker and Allen Iverson have proven if you are quick and fearless, you don't have to have a great perimeter shot to be a good player. Hell, Iverson doesn't even have that great of a shot in close. He's just insanely aggressive and quick. Now, if Bayless wants to take it to the next level and be a great player, he'll need to show he has that outside jumper. From everything I've heard, it seems like it'll come.
The one thing I would never be concerned with on Bayless is scoring. He is one of those players, that even if his shot isn't falling, he will get to the line so many times to make up for the cold night.
By doubling him like Roy is doubled at the top of the key? That's the only way to keep him out of the paint, and that would leave Roy or LMA or Outlaw or Rudy or even Oden all the more open. Bayless seems to have a very rare skill in getting to the rim. Roy even said it in today's Oregonian and compared Bayless' ability to Rodney Stuckey in terms of not being able to stop him in practice. You don't "stop" that skill without weakening another part of the defense.
At the start of the season, I was as excited as anyone about Bayless. I saw him, and see him, as our PG of the future. However, others seem to be more excited about him now than I am. It was only one game. I'll get more excited when I see more consistency. I think that will happen, but not yet, not yet. btw, I also see Batum as our SF of the future, but he needs more time, but not as our starter.
C'mon Eric, that's so pathetic that you feel he needs you to make excuses for him. The exact same excuse could be used to excuse every bad game Sergio has ever had, or Channing, as neither has had a moment when Nate wasn't ready to yank them. Sergio has actually been yanked when he was playing great several times. Bayless has had several awful games, a couple okay ones, and a good one. That's progress, and a sign he'll develop into a good player in this league. So yeah, let's relax and cheer him on, but don't heap more pressure on him to be something he's not, let him come along at his own pace.
Cherry picking two games (a total of 13 shots, 10 of which weren't NBA distance) to tell us Bayless can shoot, is asinine. Learn statistics, then post.
Well the same can be said when you use a small sample size (his play this year) and say he is a poor shooter. Rudy has shot worse than Bayless in January. He sucks at shooting worse, no?
Doesn't make any difference who you are playing against. The outside shots he is taking he is wide open. If a guy can shoot from the outside, then he can shoot from the outside. Period. Doesn't make any difference who is standing 5 feet from him.
True. This is why I was intrigued by your subject titile: "Can we relax a little on Bayless... please? " He just needs time
Right. And if you knew statistics, you'd know that 194 minutes is absolutely not enough of a sample size to say anything about Jerryd's shooting ability at the NBA level. On the other hand a full season of college basketball is more than enough of a sample size to make projections about a player's ability to shoot at the next level.
That's probably a smart idea if you want Sergio to play loose and confidently -- he really seems to shrink when he doesn't think he has Nate's confidence.
I'm surprised anyone here wants Bayless to start jacking up jumpers. We shoot enough three pointers, be glad we have someone other than Roy willing to take it to the hole with authority.
He'll need it as a somewhat reliable weapon, or just like opponents sag back and dare Sergio to shoot by cutting of his passing lanes, defenders will eventually just sag back and dare Bayless to shoot cutting off his driving lanes.
